[O my Lord]

By Rabi'a 717–801 Rabi'a

Translated By Jane Hirshfield

O my Lord,

if I worship you

from fear of hell, burn me in hell.

If I worship you

from hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.

But if I worship you

for yourself alone, grant me then the beauty of your Face.

Rabi’a, “[O my Lord]” translated by Jane Hirshfield, from Women in Praise of the Sacred (New York: Harper Collins, 1994).

Source: Women in Praise of the Sacred (HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1994)

Biography

A Muslim saint and Sufi mystic, Rabi’a al-Basri was born around 717 CE in Basra, in present-day Iraq. Enslaved as a young girl, she was eventually freed and pursued a life of prayer. Through her teachings and a number of miracles, she became an important figure in mystical Islam. Rabi’a did not leave any written work behind, so many of the poems attributed to her are of unknown origin. She is believed to have died in her early . . .

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