A religious leader came to visit Rabi'a, and was shocked to see that her clothes were in tatters. He said: 'There are many people who would provide you with decent clothes, if you would only allow them.' Rabi'a replied: 'Everything in this world is on loan to us from God. I am ashamed to accept the loan of a loan.' The man went away, and said to others: 'It is astonishing that a mere woman has reached such spiritual heights. She refuses to spend any time on material matters.' -Attar, "Rabi'a"
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To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.
~Henri Bergson
Since the dawn of human consciousness, religion has been the mightiest force driving humankind toward an unknown goal. It has allowed the teeming millions to experience a greater joy and a creative fervor; it has furnished them with the strength and the courage to achieve imperishable cultural feats and enabled them to reach unimaginable spiritual heights.
-Muhammad Asad Loepold Weiss, "Islamic Sufism" From "The Bounty of Allah," translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed.
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