What is Love? Timeless Wisdom of Shams-e Tabrizi
🌹 What Is Love? 7 Timeless Lessons from Shams of Tabrizi
In our modern world, love is often mistaken for desire, attachment, or fleeting emotions. We chase it, define it, fear it, and yet deeply long for it. But centuries ago, a wandering mystic named Shams of Tabrizi offered a completely different perspective—one that saw love not as emotion, but as divine transformation.
Through his profound teachings, particularly the Forty Rules of Love, Shams reshaped the heart of Jalaluddin Rumi, awakening him to the mysteries of the soul. For Shams, love was not a feeling—it was a path to God.
If you’ve ever asked, “What is love, truly?”, here are seven spiritual lessons from Shams of Tabrizi that will illuminate your heart.
❤️ 1. Love Is the Path to the Divine
“Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation.”
To Shams, love was not merely human connection—it was the mirror of divine love. Every act of real love—whether for a person, a tree, a poem, or a sunset—was a sacred encounter that led back to the Creator.
In Sufi mysticism, God is often referred to as the Beloved, and love becomes the seeker’s journey home. It’s not about possession, but presence. Not desire, but devotion.
When you love purely, you’re not moving away from God—you’re moving toward Him.
🔥 2. True Love Burns the Ego
“The path to the truth is a labor of the heart, not of the head. Make your heart your primary guide—not your mind.”
The ego (or nafs in Sufi terms) is the single greatest barrier to spiritual love. According to Shams, real love is not supposed to comfort you. It’s supposed to transform you.
When love enters your life, it often shatters illusions, melts pride, and confronts your fears. Why? Because only through fire can the gold of the soul be purified.
If your love is making you softer, more truthful, and more humble—then it’s doing divine work.
🧘 3. Love Is Surrender, Not Control
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you.”
Modern love often seeks to control: We want guarantees, labels, and outcomes. But Shams invites us into a deeper truth: Love is not possession—it is surrender.
To truly love is to let go. To allow the other to be free. To allow yourself to be changed by the current, not fight it. Real love doesn’t force. It flows.
The moment we let go of needing love to look a certain way, it begins to show us its true face.
🌿 4. Love Awakens the Soul
“Whatever happens to you, don’t fall into despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path.”
Love isn’t only found in joy—it’s often revealed through pain. Shams believed that both the bliss and the ache of love awaken the soul.
When we fall in love, when we lose it, when we long—it opens up parts of us we never knew existed. Love teaches. It deepens. It expands us.
And when we are broken by love, it is only so we can be rebuilt from truth.
🕊️ 5. Love Speaks Most Loudly in Silence
“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”
Shams reminds us that the essence of love isn’t always found in words, gestures, or promises. Often, it is most alive in quiet presence, unspoken glances, and shared stillness.
In a world of constant communication, we forget that real connection lives in the soul—not the screen. True love doesn't need to be said every minute. It simply is.
🌌 6. Love Is Not Found Outside—It’s Discovered Within
“The universe is one being. Everything and everyone is interconnected through an invisible web.”
Most of us seek love outside of ourselves—in people, relationships, or recognition. But Shams flips the search inward.
Love, he says, is already within you, placed there by the Divine. When you quiet your mind and awaken your heart, you begin to see that love surrounds you—through people, nature, and moments of stillness.
You don't need to find love. You need to remember it.
🧡 7. Love Is the Only True Religion
“God does not look at your outer forms, but at the love within your love.”
Perhaps Shams’ boldest teaching is this: Love is the highest spiritual path.
He believed that beyond religions, labels, and doctrines, what truly matters is how we love. Not just romantic love, but how we treat strangers, animals, nature—even those who hurt us.
To Shams, compassion, forgiveness, and kindness are acts of worship. The mosque is the heart. The prayer is love.
✨ Final Reflection: Love as the Fire of Truth
Shams of Tabrizi didn’t teach love through books. He taught it through presence, silence, and transformation. His meeting with Rumi sparked one of the greatest poetic awakenings in history—and it was all fueled by the mystery of divine love.
So what is love?
- It is not a feeling you chase, but a flame you nurture.
- Not a person you possess, but a light that moves through you.
- Not an answer you find, but a path you walk.
Let Shams’ words remind you: Love is not what you fall into. Love is what you become.
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