Forty Rules of Love
This was my second time reading The Forty Rules of Love, and it was just as beautiful as the first. The novel highlighted a lot on Sufi wisdom and Turkish culture.
At its core, the book follows how Rumi becomes one of the greatest poets of all time, and the inner journey that shapes him through his encounter with Shams of Tabriz who is a wandering dervish. Along the way, the book explores many corners of life that society often looks down on people who struggle with violence, addiction, or sex work and shows how spirituality and wisdom can still be found there.
It reminded me that, if we are mindful in the way we live, insight can arise anywhere. I also felt deep empathy for the characters as their backstories unfold and we see how they became who they are.
The book also taught me a great deal about Turkish culture.
Some excerpt i love:
“Real filth is the one inside. The rest simply washes off. There is only one type of dirt that cannot be cleansed with poure 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”
“Shams of Tabriz shook his head. “They had no right to do that. Every individual is self-sufficient in his search for the divine. There is a rule regarding this: 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 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.”“That sounds good,” I said, amazing myself by the ease in my voice. “But don’t you Sufis ever doubt anything about Him?” Shams of Tabriz smiled a tired smile. “We do, and doubts are good. It means you are alive and searching.”
“Besides, one does not become a believer overnight. He thinks he is a believer; then something happens in his life and he becomes an unbeliever; after that, he becomes a believer again, and then an unbeliever again, and so on. Until we reach a certain stage, we constantly waver. This is the only way forward. At each new step, we come closer to the Truth.”