The 13th century was a turbulent period in Anatolia, rife with religious clashes, political disputes and endless power struggles. In the West, the Crusaders, on their way to Jerusalem, occupied and sacked Constantinople, leading to the partition of the Byzantine Empire. In the East, highly disciplined Mongol armies swiftly expanded under the military genius of Genghis Khan. In between, different Turkish tribes fought among themselves while the Byzantines tried to recover their lost land, wealth and power. It was a time of unprecedented chaos when Christians fought Christians, Christians fought Muslims, and Muslims fought Muslims. Everywhere one turned, there was hostility and anguish, and an intense fear of what might happen next.
In the midst of this chaos lived a distinguished Islamic scholar, known as Jalal Al-Din Rumi. Nicknamed Mawlana -Our Master- by many, he had thousands of disciples and admirers from all over the region and beyond, and was regarded as a beacon to all Muslims.
In 1244, Rumi met Shams - a wandering dervish with unconventional ways and heretical proclamations. Their encounter altered both their lives. At the same time it marked the beginning of a solid, unique friendship that Sufis in the centuries to follow likened to the meeting of two oceans. By meeting this exceptional companion, Rumi was transformed from a mainstream cleric to a committed mystic, passionate poet, advocate of love and originator of the ecstatic dance of the whirling dervishes, daring to break free of all conventional rules.
In an age of deeply-embedded bigotries and clashes, he stood for a universal spirituality, opening his doors to people of all backgrounds. Rumi stood up for an inner-oriented jihad where the aim was to struggle against and ultimately prevail over one's ego, nafs.
Not everyone welcomed these ideas, however, just as not everyone opens their hearts to love. The powerful spiritual bond between Shams and Rumi became the target of rumor, slander and attack. They were misunderstood, envied, vilified, and ultimately betrayed by those closest to them. Three years after they met, they were tragically separated.
But the story didn't end there.
In truth, there never was an end. Almost eight hundred years later the spirits of Shams and Rumi are still alive today, whirling amid us somewhere...
Longlisted for 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
"In The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak has woven a wonderful tale of love and spiritual longing, brilliantly exploring the universal desire for intimacy— with another human being, as well as with the divine. It is provocative in the best sense of that term, a rare novel that succeed in illuminating the mystical aspects of daily existence, a novel of intelligence as well as heart, with wisdom that infuses every page."
-- Roland Merullo, author of A Little Love Story and Breakfast with Buddha
"The Forty Rules of Love is a wise, joyous page-turner... and one that speaks urgently to our war-ravaged times."
-- Thrity Umrigar, author of The Space Between Us
"How can I love well? With The Forty Rules of Love, you can pour out your heart, break out of your stuck places, mysteriously fall in love, and find the deep joy of freedom."
-- Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
Praise from the United States and England for The Forty Rules of Love:
“A captivating and wise book... The tale of the fated meeting, spiritual companionship and tragic parting [of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz] is beautifully recounted in The Forty Rules of Love... Shafak draws on facts from Rumi and Shams’ biographies and brings them to life with deft storytelling.”
-- The Associated Press
“A gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book...<The past and the present fit together beautifully in a passionate defense of passion itself.”
-- The Times (U.K.)
“As in her previous book, The Bastard of Istanbul, Shafak, a courageous, best-selling Turkish writer, boldly links East and West in converging narratives... Infused with Sufi mysticism and Rumi’s incomparable lyrics, and sweetly human in its embrace of our flaws and feelings, Shafak’s shrewd, seductive, and affecting novel brilliantly revives the traditions of Shams and Rumi, and daringly illuminates the differences between religion and spirituality, censure and compassion, fear and love of life in our own violent world.”
-- ALA Booklist
“Colorfully woven and beguilingly intelligent.”
-- The Daily Telegraph (U.K.)
“In this appealing fable, Turkish author Elif Shafak toggles between characters from different times: a modern American housewife and a thirteenth-century poet…The universal theme is the struggle between the rational mind and the aching heart. Shafak’s heroine yields to the latter and never looks back.”
-- More Magazine
“As Turkey’s bestselling female writer, Shafak is a brave champion of cosmopolitanism, a sophisticated feminist, and an ambitious novelist who infuses her magical-realist fiction with big, important ideas... Her new novel seems, in part, an effort to imagine an Islamic past that is consonant with contemporary values.”
-- The New Republic
“With its timely, thought-provoking message, The Forty Rules of Love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon...”
-- The Independent (U.K.)
“In her poetic new novel, Elif Shafak captures two parallel journeys towards Love – one set in modern times and another in the thirteenth-century, between Sufi masters Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. The intersection between these two narratives reveals important lessons about self, selflessness, and Divine submission.”
-- Altmuslimah.com
“In The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak has woven a wonderful tale of love and spiritual longing. Moving effortlessly back and forth between demons and saints, modern life and the thirteenth century, ordinary people and legendary souls, she does a brilliant job of exploring the universal desire for intimacy—with another human being, as well as with the divine. Eminently readable, and provocative in the best sense of that term, this is one of those rare novels that succeeds in illuminating the mystical aspects of daily existence. Best of all, Shafak accomplishes that with a spiritually mature open-mindedness that refuses easy answers and exclusivity. I admired this novel greatly for its intelligence as well as its heart and for the wisdom that infuses every page.”
-- Roland Merullo, author of A Little Love Story and Breakfast with Buddha
“How can I love well? With The Forty Rules of Love, you can pour out your heart, break out of your stuck places, mysteriously fall in love, and find the deep joy of freedom.”
-- Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
