Tearing the Veil Between Self and Other

Rabia spoke of tearing the veil between herself and God—the ego-dissolution that makes true love possible. This same principle illuminates favoritism: it thrives when we maintain rigid separation between self and other, between in-group and out-group. Favoritism requires that we see certain people as extensions of ourselves (family, allies, the deserving) while rendering others essentially other, their needs less real to us. The veil creates permission for unequal regard. Rabia's path demands tearing this veil by practicing radical empathy—recognizing that the stranger's longing mirrors your own, that the rival's pain deserves the same attention you give your beloved. This is not sentimentality; it is the spiritual discipline of seeing through the illusion that separation justifies unequal love. In communities, this manifests as leaders consciously crossing boundaries they usually respect: eating with those outside their circle, listening to those whose views threaten them, witnessing ordinary struggles of the marginalized. The cost of maintaining favoritism becomes visible: it requires constant reinforcement of the veil, constant justification for why some deserve more. The liberation comes in the tearing.