“The Forty Rules of Love” by Elif Shafak beautifully weaves the principles of Sufi love and wisdom into its narrative. While the novel itself does not list all the rules in a simple, enumerated format, it embeds them within the storylines, revealing them through the experiences and dialogues of the characters, primarily through the spiritual bond between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. These rules are distilled from the teachings and poems of Rumi, interpreted and presented in the context of the novel. Here’s a list of the forty rules as they can be understood from the book.
Note: you may of course choose to substitute the word God with The Universe, The World, The Truth, Love or another representation of your own understanding:
1. How we see God directly reflects how we see ourselves.
2. The path to the Truth is the heart’s labor, not the head’s.
3. Knowledge acquired through the intellect but not through the heart is incomplete.
4. Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing.
5. Most world problems stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstandings.
6. Cleanliness is not half of faith; it is the whole of it.
7. Loneliness and solitude are two different things.
8. Whatever you are seeking is seeking you.
9. 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.
10. The quest for Love changes us.
11. Patience does not mean to endure passively.
12. In every religion there is love, yet love has no religion.
13. The human being has a unique place among God’s creation.
14. To love is to be God.
15. The whole universe is contained within a human being – you.
16. Hell is in the here and now.
17. The universe is a completely unique entity.
18. You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe.
19. If you want to change how others treat you, you should first change how you treat yourself.
20. Happiness is in God, and to find Him is to find the ultimate happiness.
21. Each and every reader comprehends the Holy Qur’an on a different level.
22. The world is erected upon the principle of reciprocity.
23. To strengthen your faith, you must soften inside.
24. The human being is a reflection of God.
25. There are more fake gurus and false teachers in this world than the number of stars in the visible universe.
26. Don’t be satisfied with stories of how things have gone with others.
27. All the universe is within you.
28. The only rules are those of love.
29. To God, nothing is mundane.
30. Judging a person does not define who they are; it defines who you are.
31. The past is an interpretation.
32. The true Sufi is such that he patiently endures even when he is unjustly accused, attacked, and condemned from all sides.
33. Blasphemy has always been the spiritual vocabulary of the oppressed.
34. Do not worry if all the candles in the world flicker and die.
35. God is busy completing your work outwardly and inwardly.
36. Mankind comes into the world briefly to experience attachment, love, and separation.
37. Destiny doesn’t mean that your life has been strictly predetermined.
38. Submission does not mean being weak or passive.
39. True wealth is the wealth of the soul.
40. Love is the water of life, and a lover is a soul of fire.
These “rules” serve as guiding principles for the characters as they navigate their journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening, and deepen the exploration of love, spirituality, and the essence of human experience.
