From Slavery to Sainthood

In Jain history, there is story of a princess sold into slavery during a war. A noble merchant, sensing the aura of her, bought her, took her home & treated her like a daughter, & named her Chandanbala as she would not tell her name. But his wife, being  jealous, during an absence of the merchant, put her in chains, shaved her head & locked her up & herself went to her mother's house . On his return, the merchant learnt his wife gone to her parents' house & only later of Chandanbala. Immediately he released her from the room, went to get a blacksmith to cut her chains, & gave her dry lentils to eat.

Meanwhile Lord Mahavir who was fasting, came that way. He would break his fast only on five conditions. It should be offered by a princess, with a hairless head, in chains, dry lentils offered while standing one foot inside the house & one outside & in tears. Chandanbala wanted to offer her lentils to him before consuming it. Mahavir knew she was a princess, but as she was not in tears, he started to leave. But disappointed, Chandanbala started to cry. Then Mahavir came back & accepted the food. 

Later she became the first female disciple of Lord Mahavir & started the community of "Sadhvis" (Jain nuns).

In Margaret Smith's scholarly book "Rabiya The Mystic", she writes about the legend that the Prophet himself appeared to Rabiya's father in a dream before her birth & told that she would guide Muslims on the right  path. But soon afterwards, there was a famine & Rabiya was orphaned & sold into slavery (like Chandanbala above.) Her master worked her hard until once he saw her praying & an aura around her. He immediately gave her freedom.

She led the life of a recluse, constantly praying. When asked about marriage (which is almost mandatory in Quran) she said "It is for those who exist physically. I exist only in Allah." When a Governor offered her marriage, she said "Renunciation of this world means peace, while desire for it brings sorrow." Many miracles are also ascribed to her. But her views on the miraculous powers obtained by spiritual austerities strikingly anticipate the views of the 19th Century Indian Saint Sri Ramakrishna. She lived to nearly ninety years of age & is the most well known female Sufi saint.