Stripping Away the Veil of Merit

Rabia lived in a context where she, a woman and formerly enslaved, was systematically excluded from authority and recognition. Yet her spiritual authority became undeniable. This teaches us something essential: merit is real, but favoritism masquerades as merit-based selection. We favor those with our accent, our background, our values—and call it quality. We promote those who remind us of ourselves—and call it potential. Rabia's tradition demands radical honesty: naming when decisions serve existing power structures rather than truth. In organizations, families, and movements, favoritism costs precisely this—it replaces actual merit assessment with comfortable reproduction of the familiar. The cost is innovation lost, talent ignored, and communities weakened by mediocrity protected by favor. By stripping away the justifications we layer onto preference, we can ask: Who is truly best suited for this role, and am I willing to support them even if they challenge me? This honest reckoning is Rabia's gift to integrity.