The way this anecdote is told suggests that Rabia was ill at the time, and perhaps near the end of her life. For more about Rabia al-Adawiya, see this earlier post.

It is related that one of the religious dignitaries of Basra came to visit Rabia, sat at her bedside, and began condemning the world.

Rabia said, “You love the world dearly. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t remember it so much. The buyer’s the one who disparages the goods. Were you free of the world, you’d not remember it for good or ill. You’ll recall that ‘whoever loves a thing, remembers it all the more.'”*

*Rabia is referring to an Arabic proverb.

Translation Michael A. Sells