The Economics of Devotion and Sharing

Rabia lived in material poverty while cultivating spiritual wealth, reframing scarcity as opportunity for devotion. Migrant found families often navigate economic precarity together—sharing rent, food, childcare, and labor. This concept, rooted in Rabia's teachings, positions such sharing as sacred practice rather than exploitation or mere strategy. It elevates the emotional and spiritual labor involved in collective survival, recognizing that fund-pooling, food-sharing, and mutual aid within found family are expressions of love, not just economic necessity. This framework also addresses power dynamics: it asks found families to practice intentional generosity and resist transactional thinking about who contributes what. Rabia's tradition shows that when material sharing is infused with devotion and freed from expectation of repayment, it strengthens bonds and creates genuine interdependence rather than debt or resentment.