Do the real work

Hasan of Basra was given to extreme ascetic practices. Through these, he won certain occult powers which he took great pride in flaunting.
One day he saw Rabia on the bank of the river. He threw his prayer rug onto the water and shouted to her, "Rabia, come! Let's pray together!"
Rabia replied, "Is it really necessary for you to sell yourself like this? If it is, it is because you are weak."
Then, Rabia ascended into the air on her prayer rug and called down, "Hasan, come up here! Everyone will see us!" Hasan, who was not as advanced as she, stayed silent.
Rabia said to him. "What you did a fish can do. What I did a fly can do. The real work is beyond either of our tricks. The only thing necessary is to do the real work."

in "Perfume of the Desert" page 121