Rabia Basri, born around 717 CE in Basra, Iraq, was an influential Islamic mystic and Sufi saint. Despite early struggles with slavery, she became renowned for her devotion to God and pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Rabia emphasized divine love as the highest form of worship, influencing Sufi thought profoundly. Her teachings centered on themes of love, humility, and inner transformation, emphasizing the quest for union with the Divine. Rabia’s poetry and sayings have left a lasting impact on Sufi literature and continue to inspire spiritual seekers globally. Her life exemplified a profound connection with God, transcending societal norms and conventional expectations. Rabia Basri passed away in 801 CE, but her legacy endures as a beacon of spiritual wisdom and devotion, encouraging followers to seek closeness to the Divine through love and inner transformation.
Rabia Basri Quotes
01. “When asked about some worldly thing she wanted to have, she replied: ‘I am ashamed to ask for a thing of this world from Him to whom this world belongs; how can I ask for it from those to whom it does not belong.'”
— Rabia Basri
02. “She asked in her private prayer, ‘O my Lord, will you burn in the Fire a heart that holds love for you?’ The caller answered, ‘We will never do such a thing. Do not think so poorly of Us.'”
— Rabia Basri
03. “In her prayer to God, she says; ‘O my Lord! If I worship Thee on account of the fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship Thee with the hope of Paradise, exclude me from it, but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, then withhold not from me Thine Eternal Beauty.'”
— Rabia Basri
04. “Repentance is attained by the saints with the Divine grace, and it comes from the side of God who enlightens the hearts of those whom He loves. Seeking formal forgiveness is the sin for lying. If I seek repentance of myself, I shall have need of repentance again.”
— Rabia Basri
05. “Once she fell ill and someone asked her the cause of her illness. She replied, ‘Because I turned my heart to Paradise, He chastised me. Now he is content with me. I will not do it again.'”
— Rabia Basri
06. “One day Rabia was seen carrying fire in one hand and water in the other and she was running with speed. People asked her what was the meaning of her action and where she was going? She replied, ‘I am going to light a fire in Paradise and pour water onto the Hell, so that both veils may completely disappear from the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure, and the servants of God may see Him, without any object of hope or motive of fear.'”
— Rabia Basri
07. “None of the matter of this world or of the next should deter you from Allah. Rabia said, ‘While I am in this world, all I want from this world is to remember You, and my only wish for the hereafter is to be able to see You. Other than this, do with me as You wish.'”
— Rabia Basri
08. “Love, for Rabia, is the basis of spiritual perfection at all the stages on the journey to God. She teaches to love God for the sake of God.”
— Rabia Basri
09. “I have not served God for fear of Hell, for I should be like a wretched hireling, if I did it for fear: nor for love of Paradise, for I should be a bad servant if I served for the sake of what was given, but I have served Him only for the love of Him and out of desire for Him.”
— Rabia Basri
10. “The soul comes from God, and it can be united with Him if it is purified through the process of mortification.”
— Rabia Basri
11. “She was asked when is the servant satisfied? She replied: ‘When afflictions delight him as much as blessings.'”
— Rabia Basri
12. “Seclusion is the soul’s ideal preparation for reaching God. It is in the state of solitude that the soul contemplates on the attributes of God.”
— Rabia Basri
