Râbi‘ah, who, though a woman, was the crown of men, spent eight years on her way to the Caaba, rolling along on the side of her body. When she had reached the gate of the sacred temple, she said: “At last I have been able to perform the rite of pilgrimage.” On the appointed day, when she wished to visit the Caaba, her women excused themselves. Râbi‘ah retraced her steps, and said: “O God! Thou who possessest glory! I measured the road with the side of my body for eight years, and when I saw the day for which I had prayed with fervent prayers, Thou castest such a thorn in my path! Either grant me rest in Thy house, the Caaba, or do not leave me in agitation in my own dwelling.”
One would have to find a lover of God like Râbi‘ah for Him to understand the significance of such an accident. So long as thou floatest upon the deep ocean of the world, the waves will alternately repel and receive thee. At one moment thou wilt be admitted into the Caaba, at another thou wilt sigh in a pagoda. If thou withdrawest thy head from this abyss, thou wilt enjoy constant happiness; but if thou continuest to be tried in this abyss, thy head will turn like a millstone, and thou wilt not find, for a single instant, the fragrance of tranquillity; one fly alone will suffice to trouble thee.
One would have to find a lover of God like Râbi‘ah for Him to understand the significance of such an accident. So long as thou floatest upon the deep ocean of the world, the waves will alternately repel and receive thee. At one moment thou wilt be admitted into the Caaba, at another thou wilt sigh in a pagoda. If thou withdrawest thy head from this abyss, thou wilt enjoy constant happiness; but if thou continuest to be tried in this abyss, thy head will turn like a millstone, and thou wilt not find, for a single instant, the fragrance of tranquillity; one fly alone will suffice to trouble thee.