O God, the night has passed and the day has dawned.
How I long to know if Thou hast accepted my prayers
or if Thou hast rejected them. Therefore console me,
for it is Thine to console this state of mine.
Thou hast given me life and cared for me
and Thine is the glory. If Thou wert to drive me from
Thy door, yet would I not forsake it, for the love
that I bear in my heart for Thee.
O my Joy and my Desire and my Refuge,
my Friend and my Sustainer and my Goal,
Thou art my Intimate, and longing for Thee sustains me.
Were it not for Thee, O my Life and my Friend,
how I should have been distraught
over the spaces of the earth!
How many favors have been bestowed,
and how much hast Thou given me
of gifts and grace and assistance.
Thy love is now my desire and my bliss,
and has been revealed to the eye of my heart
that was athirst.
I have none beside Thee, Who dost make the desert blossom.
Thou art my joy, firmly established within me.
If Thou art satisfied with me, then,
O Desire of my heart, my happiness has appeared!
Rabi’a (c. 717-801) is considered a major saint and founding figure in the Sufi tradition of Islam. She was already recognized in her lifetime as a teacher of high stature. This passage is published in Easwaran’s spiritual anthologies, “God Makes the Rivers to Flow” and “Timeless Wisdom.” The audio recording is by Eknath Easwaran’s wife, Christine Easwaran.