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	O my Lord, if I worship you
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Fire           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 >>	O my Lord, if I worship you from fear of hell, burn me in hell. If I worship you from hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates. But if I worship you for yourself alone, grant me then the beauty of your Face.     -- from Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabia, Translated by Charles Upton
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This poem is a truly courageous prayer. It is fierce in its renunciation of false worship. In it Rabia demands of herself genuine worship, which she rightly defines as love of God for God alone -- not for what the individual can "get" from God. Even the attanment of heaven or the avoidance of hell can become to the mind like possessions, something desired, something avoided, ultimately drawing the attention away from the radiant Divine Face everywhere.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2005 by Ivan M. Granger.
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