One day Hasan of Basra saw Rabi’a al Adawiya near the riverside. Casting his
prayer mat on the water he stepped on to it and said, “O Rabi’a, come let us pray
together.”
Rabi’a said, “O Hasan, why have you set yourself up like a salesman in the bazaar
of this world? You do this because of your weakness.”
With that she threw her prayer mat into the air, flew up on to it and said, “Come
up here, Hasan, so that people may see us,”
But that was more than Hasan could accomplish, so he was silent. Rabi’a, wishing
to gain his heart, said, “O Hasan, a fish can do what you did and a fly can do
what I did. The real work lies beyond both of these; that is what we must occupy
ourselves with.”
🙂
One day Hasan of Basra saw Rabi’a al Adawiya near the riverside. Casting his
prayer mat on the water he stepped on to it and said, “O Rabi’a, come let us pray
together.”
Rabi’a said, “O Hasan, why have you set yourself up like a salesman in the bazaar
of this world? You do this because of your weakness.”
With that she threw her prayer mat into the air, flew up on to it and said, “Come
up here, Hasan, so that people may see us,”
But that was more than Hasan could accomplish, so he was silent. Rabi’a, wishing
to gain his heart, said, “O Hasan, a fish can do what you did and a fly can do
what I did. The real work lies beyond both of these; that is what we must occupy
ourselves with.”
🙂