Devotion as the Antidote to Favoritism

Rabia channeled immense psychological energy—love, longing, attention—toward union with the Divine rather than human approval. This redirection was not escape but transformation: it freed her from the exhausting work of maintaining status hierarchies. This concept proposes that favoritism is fundamentally a misallocation of devotional energy. The emotional intensity we invest in preferring some people over others could be redirected toward genuine spiritual aims or toward serving the whole. When we are devoted to something larger than ourselves, we naturally release the burden of ranking others. In practical terms, this means cultivating a practice—whether meditation, prayer, service, or creative work—that absorbs the attention we normally spend on comparison. Rabia's own practice of night vigils and constant prayer created a psychological environment where human preference became irrelevant. For modern practitioners, this might mean establishing a disciplined practice that channels emotional intensity toward something transcendent, thereby dissolving the petty attachments that breed favoritism.