I have loved Thee with two loves, a selfish love and a love that is worthy (of Thee).
As for the love which is selfish, I occupy myself therein with remembrance of Thee to the exclusion of all others,
As for that which is worthy of Thee, therien Thou raisest the veil that I may see Thee.
Yet is there no praise to me in this or that,
But the praise is to Thee, whether in that or this
Dear Readers,
We present to you weekly pearls of wisdom. These pearls of wisdom come from Rābiʻa al-ʻAdawiyya al-Qaysiyya (Arabic: رابعة العدوية القيسية ) (714/717/
“Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body.”
~Cicero
Pearls
O God! if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not thine everlasting beauty.
Your prayers are your light;
Your devotion is your strength;
Sleep is the enemy of both.
Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you.
If you ignore it, if you waste it,
You will only turn to dust.
The real work is in the Heart:
Wake up your Heart! Because when the heart is completely awake,
Then it needs no Friend.
Eyes are at rest, the stars are setting.
Hushed are the stirrings of birds in their nests,
Of monsters in the ocean.
You are the Just who knows no change,
The Balance that can never swerve,
The Eternal which never passes away.
The doors of Kings are bolted now and guarded by soldiers.
Your Door is open to all who call upon You.
Each love is now alone with his beloved.
And I am alone with You.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for the lack of my sincerity when I say I seek the forgiveness of Allah
How long will you keep pounding on an open door Begging for someone to open it?
Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure
Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word
My choicest hours
Are the hours I spend with You –
O God, I can’t live in this world
Without remembering You
Great doubt will eventually lead to great awakening.
I love Allah: I have no time left in which to hate the devil.
He does not refuse sustenance to the one who speaks ill of Him. How then could He refuse sustenance to the one whose soul is over flowing with love for Him?
Stay close by the door, if you desire all beauty
And leave aside sleep, if you wish to arrive
And make of the spirit your first place of account
To the beloved, whose lights shine as from gold
All of them worship out of fear of the fire �
And consider deliverance abundant good fortune –
Or, so they may dwell in the gardens, and reach
To the meadows of paradise, and there drink from its rivers
Of gardens or fire I have no opinion
I seek no exchange for my dearest love
How many gifts and graces You have given me! How many favors You have fed me from your hand! I look for your love in all directions, then suddenly its blessing burns in me.
