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.
Interpretation
True worship should be motivated by a desire for the divine and not by fear or reward.
Rabia Basri's quote expresses the idea that genuine devotion to God should come from a pure longing for His presence and beauty, rather than from self-serving motives such as fear of punishment or desire for reward. It challenges followers to examine the authenticity of their worship and emphasizes the importance of worship grounded in love and appreciation of the divine nature.
In practice
In a discussion about the nature of faith during a spiritual retreat.
Your prayers are your light; _x000D_ _x000D_ Your devotion is your strength;_x000D_ _x000D_ Sleep is the enemy of both. _x000D_ _x000D_ Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you._x000D_ _x000D_ If you ignore it, if you waste it,_x000D_ _x000D_ You will only turn to dust.
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.
True devotion is for itself: not to desire heaven nor to fear hell.
Great doubt will eventually lead to great awakening.
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.
Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure _x000D_ _x000D_ Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word_x000D_ _x000D_ My choicest hours_x000D_ _x000D_ Are the hours I spend with You -_x000D_ _x000D_ O God, I can't live in this world_x000D_ _x000D_ Without remembering You
It is myself I have never met whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind
Memory is often less about the truth than about what we want it to be.
How oft, in nations gone corrupt, And by their own devices brought down to servitude, That man chooses bondage before liberty. Bondage with ease before strenuous liberty.
The result of the voyage does not depend on the speed of the ship, but on whether or not it keeps a true course.
Traffic congestion is caused by vehicles, not by people in themselves.
Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.
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