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?
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes divine generosity and love, suggesting that if God provides for those who speak negatively of Him, He certainly provides for those who love Him deeply.
Rabia Basri's quote illustrates the boundless nature of divine love and generosity. It contrasts the treatment of those who speak ill of God with that of those who express love and devotion. The underlying message highlights that true sustenance—be it spiritual or material—is given freely and abundantly to those who genuinely love God, reinforcing the idea that love is a powerful and transformative force in our relationship with the divine.
In practice
In a sermon about unconditional love and generosity, this quote could serve as a powerful illustration.
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.
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.
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.
My affection hath an unknown bottom, like the Bay of Portugal.
In one kiss, you'll know all I haven't said.
Hatred ever kills, love never dies. Such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred." - by Mohandas K. Gandhi -
My needs were simple I didn't bother much with themes or felicitous phrases and skipped fine descriptions of weather, landscapes and interiors. I wanted characters I could believe in, and I wanted to be made curious about what was to happen to them. Generally, I preferred people to be falling in and out of love, but I didn't mind so much if they tried their hand at something else. It was vulgar to want it, but I liked someone to say 'Marry me' by the end.
If anybody understands God's order for his children, it's someone who has rescued an orphan from despair, for that is what God has done for us. God has adopted you. God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home.
It is love; love, the comfort of the human species, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all sentient beings, love, tender love.
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