In what appears to have been her last illness, Rabi‘a was said to have been visited by three of her friends, Hasan of Basra, Malik Dinar and Shaqiq Balkhi, and they, like the friends of Job, endeavoured to teach her the duty of resignation.
Hasan said, "He is not sincere in his claim (to be a true servant of God), who is not patient under the chastisement of his Lord". Rabi‘a said, "I smell egotism in this speech". So Shaiq took up the thread and said, "He is not sincere in his claim who is not thankful for the chastisement of his Lord".
Rabi‘a said, "Something better than this is needed". Then Malik Dinar tried, "He is not sincere in his claim who does not delight in the chastisement of his Lord". Rabi‘a said, "Even this is not good enough". They said, "Do thou speak", and she shewed her idea of the true resignation in her reply, "He is not sincere in his claim who does not forget the chastisement in the contemplation of his Lord".
- Rabi'a Basri: the mystic and her fellow saints, p. 43.