Hasan of Basra was a great mystic, but Rabia of Basra was greater.
Here is a story about the two of them:
Rabia was in her house, and Hasan came to see her.
"Come outside!" Hasan called to Rabia, who was inside. "The day is beautiful! The birds are singing, and the sun is shining. Why don't you come outside?"
"Why don't you come inside?" replied Rabia. "Outside is God's creation, but here inside is God himself. When you are done with the outside and its pleasures, come inside. Here you can listen to God's song and see God's light."
Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 34 in the book. You can read about Rabia of Basra at Wikipedia and also about Hasan of Basra.
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