1.
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.
Rabia Basri
2.
The real work is in the Heart:
Wake up your Heart! Because when the heart is completely awake,
Then it needs no Friend.
Rabia Basri
Stir your Heart! As when the heart is fully invigorated,
No other companionship is necessary.
3.
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.
Rabia Basri
4.
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.
Rabia Basri
5.
Since no one really knows anything about God, those who think they do are just troublemakers.
Rabia Basri
Those who presume to know the nature of God are mere agitators.
6.
O my Lord, whatever share of this world You have bestowed on me, bestow it to my enemies, and whatever share of the next world You have for me, give it to my friends. You are enough for me.
Rabia Basri
Prayerfully implore my Lord, to bestow upon my adversaries whatever portion of Earthly possessions You have granted me, and confer upon my companions whatever measure of eternal reward You have ordained for me. Your grace alone is sufficient for me.
7.
May Allah steal from you All that steals you from Him.
Rabia Basri
May Allah reclaim from you All that distances you from Him.
8.
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
Rabia Basri
9.
A leading scholar of Basra visited Rabi'a al-Adawiyya while she was ill.
ting beside her pillow, the scholar spoke about how terrible the world was. In reply, Rabi`a told him:
"You love the world very dearly. If you did not love the world, you would not mention it so much. It is always the purchaser who first disparages what he wants to buy. If you were done with the world, you would not mention it either for good or evil. As it is, you keep mentioning it because, as the proverb says, whoever loves a thing mentions it frequently."
Rabia Basri
10.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for the lack of my sincerity when I say I seek the forgiveness of Allah
Rabia Basri
I implore Allah for mercy on account of my insincerity when I ask for His forgiveness.
11.
How long will you keep pounding on an open door Begging for someone to open it?
Rabia Basri
Keep imploring for someone to unlock the doorway.
12.
If I repent now will God forgive me?
No, but if God forgives you, you will repent.
Rabia Basri
'If I atone now will God pardon me? No, but if God pardons you, you will atone.'
13.
Great doubt will eventually lead to great awakening.
Rabia Basri
Substantial uncertainty will eventually bring about profound enlightenment.
14.
I love Allah: I have no time left in which to hate the devil.
Rabia Basri
I revere Allah: I have no capacity to despise the adversary.
15.
True devotion is for itself: not to desire heaven nor to fear hell.
Rabia Basri
Genuine loyalty is for itself: not to crave paradise nor to dread damnation.
16.
I swear that ever since the first day You brought me back to life,
The day You became my Friend,
I have not slept -
And even if You drive me from your door,
I swear again that we will never be separated -
Because You are alive in my heart
Rabia Basri
17.
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?
Rabia Basri
He does not deny nourishment to the one who speaks ill of Him. How then could He withhold sustenance from the one whose soul is overflowing with adoration for Him?
18.
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
Rabia Basri
19.
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.
Rabia Basri
20.
It is reported from the famous worshiper Rabi'ah al-Adawiyya (radiAllahu anha) that she said: "I have never heard the adhaan except that I remember the caller who will announce the Day of Resurrection, and I never see the falling snow except that I imagine the flying pages of the records of peoples deeds (on that day), and I never see swarms of locusts except that I think about the Great Gathering on the Last Day."
Rabia Basri
21.
I will not serve Allah like a laborer, in expectation of my wages.
Rabia Basri
22.
O Beloved of Hearts, I beseech only You. Have pity this day on those who turn to You. My Hope, my Rest, my Delight, this heart can love none other but You.
Rabia Basri
23.
O Allah,
You know that the only thing I want in this life
Is to be obedient to Your command.
Even the living sight of my eyes
Is service at your court
Rabia Basri
24.
O Lord...
Once I wanted You so much
I didn't even dare walk past Your house-
And now
I am not even worthy to be let in
Rabia Basri
25.
You know of the how, but I know of the how-less.
Rabia Basri