Gods, Saints and Trickster

Krishna, the Blue Boy as Lover

Rābi'a of Basra, Mystic Lover of Allah

Sikh Marriage Hymns of Divine Union

O my Lord, if I worship Thee from fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me thence,
but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, then withhold not from me Thine Eternal Beauty.
(Rābi'a of Basra)

Rābi'a is one of Islam's most celebrated mystics and saints, an early Sufi of Baghdad, who lived from 717 to 801. For her, prayer was not a matter of intercession but rather a time of communion with her Beloved, a time of discovery of the will of God. She taught a doctrine of Pure Love, love that sought no reward, a love that existed only for the sake of the Beloved and the Beloved's glory. Those who knew her said she was “on fire with love and longing…enamoured of the desire to approach her Lord and be consumed in His Glory.” For her, God became the companion of her heart.

A Reclining Woman and Her Lapdog

Circa 1640. Mir Afzal of Tun. Painting. Isfahan, Iran. British Museum:
OA 1930.4-–12.02.
15 x 25 cm.