Quote by John Green

Islam and Christianity promise eternal paradise to the faithful. And that is a powerful opiate, certainly, the hope of a better life to come. But there's a Sufi story that challenges the notion that people believe only because they need an opiate. Rabe'a al-Adiwiyah, a great woman saint of Sufism, was seem running through the streets of her hometown, Basra, carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When someone asked her what she was doing, she answered, 'I am going to take this bucket of water and pour it on the flames of hell, and then I am going to use this torch to burn down the gates of paradise so that people will not love God for want of heaven of fear of hell, but because He is God.

Summary

This quote challenges the idea that religion is simply a means to escape the hardships of life by offering the promise of eternal paradise. The Sufi story depicts Rabe'a al-Adiwiyah, a revered saint, rejecting the notion of using faith as an opiate. Her actions symbolize a belief that true devotion should not be based on a desire for reward or to avoid punishment, but rather on a genuine love and reverence for God. This story suggests that belief in a higher power should be rooted in a deep understanding and connection with the divine rather than solely seeking personal gain.