Anecdotes

• One Day Rabia was seen running in the streets of Basra carrying a torch in one hande and a bucket of water in the other. When asked what she was doing, she anwered : "I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to God. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of God.

• Once Rabia was on her way to Makkah, and when half-way there she saw the Kaaba coming to meet her. She said, “It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet with Him Who said, ‘Who approaches Me by a span’s length I will approach him by the length of a cubit.’ The Kaaba which I see has no power over me; what joy does the beauty of the Kaaba bring to me?”

• Once Rabia was asked if she hated Satan. She replied: “My love to God has so possessed me that no place remains for loving or hating any save Him.”

• Rabia was once asked, "did you ever perform any work that, in your opinion, caused God to favor and accept you?" She replied, "Whatever I did, may be counted against me."

• Once Hassan al basri went to Rabia and said: "In love's way so much you endured and all of this strength has come from you, so to me where this ability come from,do, this inner light you have...not by reading nor learnt from another, nor was copying."

  Rabia replied:"O Master of this period, I did spin a small piece of coton thread...I went with them outside and them I sold,to get two coins of silver I was satified...I didn't receive each of them into one hand, I took one in one hand, other in other hand, for I was afraid that if they were together, clink would take me from the way forever."