Poetry by Rabia Basri


Rabia al Adawiyya al Qaysiyya


In my soul
There is a temple
There is a shrine
A mosque and a church
where I kneel

Prayer should bring
Us to an altar
Where no walls
Or names exist

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I have loved Thee with two loves
a selfish love and a love that is worthy of Thee.
As for the love which is selfish
Therein I occupy myself with Thee,
to the exclusion of all others.
But in the love which is worthy of Thee,
Thou dost raise the veil that I may see Thee.
Yet is the praise not mine in this or that,
But the praise is to Thee in both that and this.

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My greatest need is you
Your hope in my heart is
The rarest treasure
Your Name on my tongue is
The sweetest word.

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My choicest hours are
The hours I spend with You
O Allah, I can't live in this world
Without remembering You

How can I endure the next world
Without seeing Your face?
I am a stranger in Your country
And lonely among Your worshippers:
This is the substance of my complaint.

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My peace, O my brothers and sisters, is my solitude
And my Beloved is with me always
For His love I can find no substitute
And His love is the test for me among mortal beings


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He is my "mihrab", towards Him is my "qiblah"

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O Healer (of souls) the heart feeds upon its desire
The striving after union with Thee has healed my soul

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You were the source of my life
And from Thee also came my ecstasy


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