The Veil of Attachment and Selection

Rabia's path of pure devotion required dissolving attachments to outcomes and people alike. Favoritism operates as a sophisticated veil—we convince ourselves we're loving deeply when we're actually selecting who deserves our care. This selective attachment masks the ego's preference for those who mirror our values, status, or comfort. Rabia would identify this as spiritual delusion: we mistake discriminate affection for love. The veil obscures the real cost: those without our favor suffer abandonment, while those with it develop unhealthy dependence. This concept examines how we use favoritism to avoid the harder work of universal compassion. By recognizing attachment as a veil, we expose the mechanism through which preference operates. Rabia's teaching suggests that only by releasing our need to choose favorites can we access authentic love that flows freely toward all beings without exception.