Rabia had gone into the mountains one day, and all the wild creatures gathered around her, happy to be in her presence: goats and gazelles, squirrels and rabbits, woodpeckers and partridges, all the wild animals.
Hasan then joined her there, but as soon as they saw him, all the animals ran away in fear.
"Why do they come to you, but flee from me?" Hasan asked.
Rabia answered his question with a question. "What did you eat today?"
"Just some chicken-broth," replied Hasan.
"The animals know that you have eaten of their fat," said Rabia. "Why shouldn't they fear you?"
Inspired by: Sufi Women by Javad Nurbakshsh
Notes: This story is on p. 31 of the book. You can find out more about Rabia of Basra and also about Hasan of Basra at Wikipedia.
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