Devotion Without Domination

Rabia's devotion to God was absolute yet independent—she sought direct relationship with the divine without intermediaries or institutional control. Applied to found family, this principle warns against reproducing hierarchical family structures that can trap diaspora members in exploitative dynamics. Some found families replicate patriarchal kinship patterns, where elders demand deference, leaders control resources, or emotional dependence creates unhealthy enmeshment. Rabia's model suggests devotion—fierce commitment and love—can coexist with autonomy and equality. Found family members can care deeply while maintaining independence, contribute generously while retaining boundaries, and stay connected while respecting differentiation. This requires conscious interrogation of power dynamics, rotating leadership, transparent resource distribution, and regular renegotiation of agreements. Devotion without domination means that found family strengthens individual agency rather than subsuming it. For diaspora members already experiencing structural domination through immigration systems, employment precarity, and cultural marginalization, found family grounded in mutual respect becomes a space of recovered autonomy. This practice honors the depth of connection Rabia models while protecting members from reproducing familiar harm.