The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak is not new for literature lovers. Many people have already read it, some love it while others despise it. Although it depends on the taste and preference of a person, people who do not like it give the reason that it does not depict the true essence of Sufism.
By looking at the title of “The Forty Rules of Love” one can think it is some sort of romance filled story. No doubt there are some elements of romance in it, but this is the journey of a person toward realizing the essence of Sufism.
Review of “The Forty Rules of Love“:
“The Forty Rules of Love” is filled with love and this love is not ordinary, it teaches you not only to love for God and love for others but also love for your own self. Of Course, Shafak tried to depict the story of Rumi and Shams (mystics) with twists and honestly, I do not know how much she has used facts or this was all fantasy. However, this book is filled with love for everything.
Forty Rules of Love is not like those life lessons books that make you yawn and you think these rules cannot be applied in real life. Elif Shafak tried to present before us the beautiful life lessons along with the story of Shamas and Rumi. However, the people who have an interest in learning about Mysticism and Sufism, this book is not for them. It definitely does not depict the true meanings of Sufism or the journey of mystics.
The book is more about Shams and his journey to find Rumi. The problems that they face in their lives and their relationship with other people. The book cannot be read as an autobiography or like other non-fiction books that give us a detailed description of Sufism/ Mysticism or mystics. The people who get bored easily with lessons but they like to read them with love stories, this is for them. It has the love of every kind. As it says, ” Love is Love“.
10 Quotations from “The Forty Rules of Love“:
While reading the quotes of The Forty Rules of Love, one can feel so much positivity and love not only for others but also for one own self.
Here are 10 quotes from Forty Rules of Love that are my favourite.
- “A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western.… Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water” (p.230).
2) “The way to a man’s heart can sometimes take a woman far away from herself” (p.207).
3) “Whenever you got angry with someone, you should replace the face of that person in your mind with the face of someone you love” (p.136).
4) “No two people are alike. No two hearts beat to the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others is tantamount to disrespecting God’s holy scheme” (p.97).
5) “The past is a whirlpool. If you let it dominate your present moment, it will suck you in. Time is just an illusion. What you need is to live this very moment. That is all that matters” (p.94).
6) “If you want to change the way others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself. Unless you learn to love yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses” (p.93).
7) “The quest for Love changes us. There is no seeker among those who search for Love who has not matured on the way. The moment you start looking for Love, you start to change within and without” (p.62).
8) “If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we” (p.26).
9) “Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process.
What does patience mean?
It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn.
Impatience means to be so short sighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full ”(p.55).
10) “Hypocrisy made people happy, and truth made them sad” (p.71).
This book is a good read and it can still give you different types of Sufism.
You can also download the free book in soft form from here: https://b-ok.xyz/
