Elif Shafak's Sufism in the forty rules of love

Abstract EN

An increasing interest in Mysticism is there in the world in general and the West in particular.

As literature is the mirror of life, this interest is reflected in the literary production of many writers.

Elif Shafak, the Turkish-American novelist is deeply influenced by the Mystic branch of Islam (Sufism), especially by the prominent Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi.

She has reflected this influence in her novel The Forty Rules of Love in 2009 as well as other famous novels.

The teachings of Sufism boosts love, peace, spiritual wisdom, and hope for all the humans without divisions of ethnicity, color, religion or race.

For that, Shafak adopted these concepts in her novels as she is deeply affected by Sufism, particularly, by Jalal al-Din Rumi.

This paper represents an attempt in examining Shafak's Sufism in The Forty Rules of Love.

It hypothesizes that Shafak has greatly displayed her influence by Sufism in this novel and it is a leading force in deciding the currents of events and characters' decisions and attitudes.