Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Sufi / Muslim 8th Century	About Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya Timeline (717 - 801)
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English version by Charles Upton	I have two ways of loving You:
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Lover and Beloved           Recommended Books Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabia, Translated by Charles Upton First Among Sufis: The Life and Thought of Rabia Al-Adawiyya, the Woman Saint of Basra, by Widad El Sakkakini Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, Translated by Daniel Ladinsky Muslim Women Mystics: The Life and Work of Rabi'a and Other Women Mystics in Islam, by Margaret Smith Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from the Sufi Wisdom, by Andrew Harvey / Eryk Hanut More >>	I have two ways of loving You: A selfish one And another way that is worthy of You. In my selfish love, I remember You and You alone. In that other love, You lift the veil And let me feast my eyes on Your Living Face.     -- from Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabia, Translated by Charles Upton
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This brief poem by Rabia reminds us that simply thinking of the Divine is not enough, because in doing so we still retain ourselves. The busy mind perpetuates itself in thought while telling itself it is virtuously thinking of holy things. No, unselfish love of God is allowing ourselves to be completely vulnerable, hiding nothing, withholding nothing. In doing so, we allow the eternal presence to "lift the veil" and see us truly, intimately, as we are. And in being seen, we finally see. We perceive the Divine Face everywhere, and we ourselves are lost in that vision.

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