Forty Rules of Love

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TheFortyRulesofLove,anovelbyElifShafak,referstoalistof less lesson ons s or princi rincip ples les by the the wander nderin ing g Sufi Sufi mystic, stic, Sha Shams of Tabriz,thespiritualcompanionofRumi,compiledwhileroaming the the E arth. rth. In Sha Shafak fak's novel ovel,, her her cha characte racter, r, Sha Shams, say says in his his ownwords: " AsI s I went entthr throu oug ghthe h these seexp exper erien iences ces,,I I bega beganto n tocom comp pile ileaa list list thatwasn'twrittendowninanybook,onlyinscribedinmysoul. This Thisp perso ersona nal lli list st I call called ed The Basic BasicPr Prin incip ciple les sof of the theItin Itiner eraant Mysticsof sticsofIIslam slam.To . To methesew ethesewereas ereasu universa niversal, l,de depen pend dable,and invar invaria iable bleas as thela the law ws of natu nature. re.Togeth Together erthey they constitu constituted ted The Forty Rule Rules s of the the Relig Religio ion n of Love, Love, which hich could could be attain ttained ed throughloveandloveonly." The Forty Rule Rules, s, altho lthou ugh in rea real life life no not t the the actua ctual word ords of Sha Shams, but but partly tly the the imagination tion of the the author and her unders nderstan tand ding of them the mystical stical path path of Sufism Sufism,, offer much insig insight ht into an ancien ancient t philos philosoph ophy y  bas  basedon onth theeun unityofa tyofalllpe peopl oplean andrel religion onss,an ,andthe thepr presenceofl ceoflov oveein inea each cha an ndeve everyon oneeof us. E ach of these thesebea beau utiful tifulpr princi incipl ples esis isill illu ustrated strated here here by thestu the stunni nning ng photogr photograp aphy hy of Gregory Gregory Colbert,fromhistravelingexhibition, Ash  Ashesand andSn Snow.

Acknowledgement: BarakaPhillip| http://www.facebook.com/beloved.of.rumi MysticSaint | http://www.mysticsaint.info

FirstRule

HowweseeGodisadirectreflectionofhowweseeourselves.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.

FirstRule

HowweseeGodisadirectreflectionofhowweseeourselves.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.

SecondRule

ThePa The Path thto tothe the Truth Truthis isa ala labor borof of the hea heart,not rt, notof of the hea head.M . Make akey your ourhe heaarty rt your ourpr prim imaary guide! ide!Not Not your ourm mind. ind. Meet, challe challeng nge, e,an and d ultima ltimately prev prevai aillov over ery your ourna nafs fs withy ith your ourhea heart. rt. KnowingyouregowillleadyoutotheknowledgeofGod.

ThirdRule

E ach and and every every read readercom er compr prehe ehend nds sthe theHoly Holy Qur'an Qur'anon ona ad different ifferent level levelin intan tand dem withthe ith the depth epthof ofhis his unders nderstan tand ding. ing.Therearef Therearefou our rlev levels els ofins of insig ight. ht.The Thefirstleve firstlevellisthe istheou outermea termeanin ning g and itis it is the one that thatthe the majority ajority ofthe of the people eople are contentw contentwith ith..Ne Next xtis is the Batini Batini--the --the inne inner r level.Third,thereistheinneroftheinner.Andthefourthlevelissodeepitcannotbeputinto wordsandisthereforeboundtoremainindescribable.

FourthRule

You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue, or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactlyHisabodeis,thereisonlyoneplacetolookforHim:intheheartofatruelover.

FifthRule

Intellectandlovearemadeofdifferentmaterials.Intellecttiespeopleinknotsandrisksnothing,  but love dissolves all tangles and risks everything. Intellect is always cautious and advises, "Bewaretoo muchecstasy," whereaslove says, "Oh, never mind!Take the plunge." Intellect doesnot easily breakdown, whereas lovecan easily reduce itself to rubble.Buttreasures are hiddenamongruins.Abrokenhearthidestreasures.

SixthRule

Mostoftheproblemsoftheworld stem fromlinguisticmistakesand simple misunderstandings. Don'tevertakewordsatfacevalue.Whenyoustepintothezoneoflove,languageasweknow itbecomesobsolete.Thatwhichcannotbeputintowordscanonlybegraspedthroughsilence.

SeventhRule

Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourselfintobelievingthatyouareontherightpath.Solitudeisbetterforus,asitmeansbeing alonewithoutfeeling lonely. Buteventually itisbestto find aperson, theperson whowill be your mirror. Remember, only in another person's heart can you truly see yourself and the presenceofGodwithinyou.

EighthRule

Whateverhappens inyourlife,nomatterhow troubling thingsmightseem, do notenter the neighborhoodofdespair.Evenwhenalldoorsremain closed,Godwillopenup anewpathonly foryou.Bethankful! It is easy tobethankfulwhenallis well.A Sufiis thankfulfornotonly whathehasbeengivenbutalsoforallthathehasbeendenied.

NinthRule

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shortsighted 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.

TenthRule

East,west,south,ornorthmakeslittledifference.Nomatterwhatyourdestination,justbesure tomakeeveryjourneyajourneywithin.Ifyoutravelwithin,you'lltravelthewholewideworld andbeyond.

EleventhRule

Themidwifeknowsthatwhenthereisnopain,thewayforthebabycannotbeopenedandthe mothercannotgivebirth.Likewise,foranewSelftobeborn,hardshipisnecessary.Justasclay needstogothroughintenseheattobecomestrong,Lovecanonlybeperfectedinpain.

TwelfthRule

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.

ThirteenthRule

Therearemorefakegurusandfalseteachersinthisworld than thenumberof stars inthevisible universe. Don't confuse power-driven, self-centered people with true mentors. A genuine spiritual masterwill notdirectyourattention tohimselforherselfand will notexpectabsolute obedienceorutteradmirationfromyou,butinstead willhelpyou toappreciateand admireyour inner self. True mentors areas transparent asglass. They let the Lightof Godpass through them.

FourteenthRule

Try nottoresistthechangesthatcomeyourway.Instead letlifelive throughyou.And donot worrythatyourlifeisturningupsidedown.Howdoyouknowthatthesideyouareusedtois  betterthantheonetocome?

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FifteenthRule

God is busy with the completion of your work, both outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably movingtowardperfection.Weareeachanunfinishedworkofartbothwaitingandstrivingtobe completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is a fine art of skilled penmanshipwhereeverysingledotisequallyimportantfortheentirepicture.

SixteenthRule

It'seasytoloveaperfectGod,unblemishedandinfalliblethatHeis.Whatisfarmoredifficultis tolovefellowhuman beingswithalltheirimperfections and defects.Remember,onecan only know whatoneiscapableofloving.Thereisnowisdom withoutlove.Unless welearnto love God'screation,wecanneithertrulylovenortrulyknowGod.

SeventeenthRule

Realfilthistheoneinside.Therestsimplywashesoff.Thereisonlyonetypeofdirtthatcannot  becleansedwithpurewaters,andthatisthestainofhatredandbigotrycontaminatingthesoul. Youcanpurifyyourbodythroughabstinenceandfasting,butonlylovewillpurifyyourheart.

EighteenthRule

The whole universe iscontained within a singlehuman being—you. Everything that you see around, including the things you might not be fond of and even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees. Therefore, do not look for Sheitan outside yourself either. The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinaryvoicewithin.Ifyougettoknowyourselffully,facingwithhonestyandhardnessboth yourdarkandbrightsides,youwillarriveatasupremeformofconsciousness.Whenaperson knowshimselforherself,heorsheknowsGod.

NineteenthRule

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othersmightthrowatyou.It isasignthatyouwillsoonbeshoweredinroses.

TwentiethRule

Fretnotwheretheroad will takeyou.Instead concentrate onthefirststep.That'sthehardest partand that'swhatyou areresponsiblefor. Onceyou takethatstep leteverything dowhatit naturallydoesandtherestwillfollow.Donotgowiththeflow.Betheflow.

Twenty-FirstRule

Wewere allcreated inHisimage,and yetwewere eachcreated differentand unique.Notwo people are alike. Notwo hearts beat to the samerhythm. If Godwanted everyone to bethe same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughtsonotherstantamounttodisrespectingGod'sholyscheme.

Twenty-SecondRule

Whena trueloverof God goes intoa tavern,the tavernbecomes hischamber of prayer, but whenawinebibbergoesintothesamechamber,itbecomeshistavern.Ineverything wedo,itis ourheartsthatmakethedifference,notourouterappearances.Sufisdonotjudgeotherpeople onhow they look orwhothey are.When aSufistares atsomeone,hekeepsbotheyesclosed andinsteadopensathirdeye-theeyethatseestheinnerrealm.

Twenty-ThirdRule

Life is a temporary loan, and this world is nothing but a sketchy imitation of Reality. Only childrenwould mistakeatoy forthereal thing.And yethuman beingseitherbecomeinfatuated withthetoyordisrespectfullybreakitandthrowitaside.Inthislifestayawayfromallkindsof extremities,fortheywilldestroyyourinnerbalance.Sufisdonotgotoextremes.ASufialways remainsmildandmoderate.

Twenty-FourthRule

ThehumanbeinghasauniqueplaceamongGod'screation."IbreathedintohimofMySpirit," Godsays.EachandeveryoneofuswithoutexceptionisdesignedtobeGod'sdelegateonearth. Askyourself,justhowoftendoyoubehavelikeadelegate,ifyoueverdoso?Remember,itfalls uponeachofustodiscoverthedivinespiritinsideandlivebyit.

Twenty-FifthRule

Hellisinthehereandnow.Soisheaven.Quitworryingabouthellordreamingaboutheaven, as they areboth present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven.Everytimewehate,envy,orfightsomeone,wetumblestraightintothefiresofhell.

Twenty-SixthRule

Theuniverseisonebeing.Everythingandeveryoneisinterconnectedthroughaninvisibleweb ofstories.Whetherweareawareofitornot,weareallinasilentconversation.Donoharm. Practicecompassion.Anddonotgossipbehindanyone'sback—notevenaseeminglyinnocent remark!Thewordsthatcomeoutofourmouthsdonotvanishbutareperpetuallystoredin infinitespace,andtheywillcomebacktousinduetime.Oneman'spainwillhurtusall.One man'sjoywillmakeeveryonesmile.

Twenty-SeventhRule

Thisworldislikeasnowymountainthatechoesyourvoice.Whateveryouspeak,goodorevil, willsomehowcomebacktoyou.Therefore,ifthereissomeonewhoharborsillthoughtsabout you,sayingsimilarlybadthingsabouthimwillonlymakemattersworse.Youwillbelockedina viciouscircle of malevolentenergy.Instead forforty daysand nightssay and thinknice things about that person. Everything will bedifferent at the end of forty days, because you will be differentinside.

Twenty-EighthRule

Thepastisaninterpretation.Thefutureisanillusion.Theworlddoesnotmovethroughtimeas ifitwereastraightline,proceedingfromthepasttothefuture.Insteadtimemovesthroughand withinus,inendlessspirals.Eternitydoesnotmean infinitetime,butsimplytimelessness.Ifyou wanttoexperienceeternal illumination,putthepastandthefutureoutofyourmind andremain withinthepresentmoment.

Twenty-NinthRule

Destiny doesn't mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to leave everythingtofateandtonotactivelycontributetothemusicoftheuniverseisasignofsheer ignorance. The music of the universe is all-pervading and it is composed on forty different levels. Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrumentbuthowwelltoplayisentirelyinyourhands.

ThirtiethRule

ThetrueSufiissuchthatevenwhen heisunjustly accused,attacked,and condemned from all sides,hepatientlyendures,utteringnotasinglebadwordaboutanyofhiscritics.ASufinever apportions blame. How can there beopponents orrivals oreven "others" whenthere is no "self"inthefirstplace?HowcantherebeanyonetoblamewhenthereisonlyOne?

Thirty-FirstRule

If you wanttostrengthenyourfaith,you willneed tosofteninside.Foryourfaithtoberock solid,yourheartneedstobeassoftas afeather.Throughanillness,accident,lossorfright,one way oranother,weall are faced with incidentsthat teachushow to becomeless selfishand  judgmental,andmorecompassionateandgenerous.Yetsomeofuslearnthelessonandmanage tobecomemilder,whilesomeothersendupbecomingevenharsherthanbefore.Theonlyway togetclosertoTruthistoexpandyourheartsothatitwillencompassallhumanityandstillhave roomformoreLove.

Thirty-SecondRule

Nothing should stand between yourself and God. Not imams, priests, rabbis, or any other custodiansofmoralorreligiousleadership.Notspiritualmasters,notevenyourfaith.Believe in your values and your rules, but never lord them over others. If you keep breaking other people'shearts,whateverreligiousduty you perform isnogood. Stay away from allsortsof idolatry,fortheywillbluryourvision.LetGodandonlyGodbeyourguide.LearntheTruth, myfriend,butbecarefulnottomakeafetishoutofyourtruths.

Thirty-ThirdRule

Whileeveryoneinthisworldstrivestogetsomewhereandbecomesomeone,onlytoleaveitall  behind after death,you aim for the supreme stage of nothingness. Live this life as lightand emptyasthenumberzero.Wearenodifferentfromapot.Itisnotthedecorationsoutsidebut theemptinessinsidethatholdsusstraight.Justlikethat,itisnotwhatweaspiretoachievebut theconsciousnessofnothingnessthatkeepsusgoing.

Thirty-FourthRule

Submissiondoesnot meanbeing weakorpassive. It leadstoneither fatalism norcapitulation.  Justtheopposite.Truepowerresidesinsubmission—apowerthatcomesfromwithin.Those whosubmittothedivineessenceoflifewillliveinunperturbedtranquilityandpeaceevenwhen thewholewideworldgoesthroughturbulenceafterturbulence.

Thirty-FifthRule

Inthisworld,itisnotsimilaritiesorregularitiesthattakeusastepforward,butbluntopposites. Andalltheoppositesintheuniversearepresentwithineachandeveryoneofus.Thereforethe  believerneedstomeettheunbelieverresidingwithin.Andthenon-believershouldgettoknow thesilentfaithful withinhim. Untiltheday whenonereachesthestageof Insan-iKamil,the perfecthuman being, faithisagradual process and onethatnecessitates itsseeming opposite: disbelief.

Thirty-SixthRule

Thisworld iserected upon theprincipleofreciprocity. Neither adrop ofkindnessnoraspeck ofevilwillremainunreciprocated.Fearnottheplots,deceptions,ortricksofotherpeople.If somebodyissettingatrap,remember,soisGod.Heisthebiggestplotter.Notevenaleafstirs outside God's knowledge. Simply and fully believe in that. Whatever God does, He does  beautifully.

Thirty-SeventhRule

Godisameticulousclockmaker.SopreciseisHisorderthateverythingonearthhappensinits owntime.Neither aminutelatenoraminuteearly. And for everyonewithout exception,the clockworksaccurately.Foreachthereisatimetoloveandatimetodie.

ThirtyEighthRule

It is never toolatetoask yourself,"Am I ready tochangethe lifeI am living? Am I ready to changewithin?"Evenifasingledayinyourlifeisthesameasthedaybefore,itsurelyisapity. Atevery momentandwitheachnew breath,oneshould berenewed andrenewed again. There isonlyonewaytobebornintoanewlife:todiebeforedeath.

Thirty-NinthRule

Whilethepartschange,thewhole alwaysremainsthesame. For every thief whodepartsthis world,anewoneisborn.Andeverydecentpersonwhopassesawayisreplacedbyanewone. In this way notonly doesnothing remainthesamebutalsonothing everreally changes. For everySufiwhodies,anotherisbornsomewhere.