One day Rabi‘a and her serving-girl were getting ready to break a fast of several days. The serving-girl needed an onion and was about to go next door and borrow one, but Rabi‘a said: “Forty years ago I vowed never to ask for anything from anyone but God—we can do without onions.”
Just then a bird flew over, and dropped an onion into Rabi‘a’s frying pan, peeled and ready to fry.
“Interesting but not convincing,” she said. “Am I supposed to believe that God is an onion-vender? I mean, really.”
That day they fried their bread without onions.