The 40 Rules of Shams-i Tabrizi

One of the most influential Sufis and thinkers in Sufi history, Shams-i Tabrizi is renowned not only for his spiritual friendship with Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî but also for his wise sayings that have deeply resonated in hearts and minds. Among these sayings, one of the most well-known reflects his approach to the changing nature of life and his understanding of surrender to the divine order:

“Instead of resisting the changes that the Truth brings forth, surrender. Let life flow with you, not against you. Do not fear that my order is disrupted or that my life is turned upside down. How do you know that what seems like chaos is not better than what came before?”

This saying encapsulates the essence of Shams’s view of existence, placing at its center the idea that one must live in complete surrender to divine power. This understanding is also clearly evident in his most famous teaching, the “Forty Rules of Love”. These forty rules, shaped by Sufi thought, aim to guide the individual’s inner journey through themes such as love, surrender, humility, self-discipline, and the pursuit of truth. Each rule carries profound meaning in the context of personal transformation and the attainment of universal truth. Shams’s Forty Rules continue to echo not only in the intellectual world of Mevlânâ but also in the spiritual quests of modern humanity.

A Visual Representation of Shams-i Tabrizi (Generated by Artificial Intelligence.)

The Forty Rules of Shams-i Tabrizi^【1】 

Rule 1: The way we describe the Creator reflects how we see ourselves. If the word “God” evokes fear or shame, then you are mostly filled with fear and shame. But if the word “God” first brings to mind love, mercy, and compassion, then these qualities are abundant within you.

Rule 2: Walking the path of Truth is a matter of the heart, not the intellect. Let your heart be your guide, not the head on your shoulders. Be among those who know their soul, not those who suppress it!

Rule 3: The Qur’an can be read on four levels. The first is the literal meaning. The second is the inner meaning. The third is the innermost of the inner meanings. The fourth level is so profound that words fail to describe it.

Rule 4: You can find the attributes of God in every particle of creation, for He is not confined to mosques, churches, or shrines—He is present at every moment and in every place. No one who has seen Him has died without seeing Him, and no one who has seen Him has lived without being united with Him. Whoever finds Him remains with Him forever.

Rule 5: The chemistry of the intellect is different from the chemistry of love. The intellect is cautious; it takes steps with fear, warning itself to be careful. But is that how love behaves? Love says only one thing: Let go, let yourself be carried. The intellect is not easily broken, but love wears itself out, becomes shattered. Yet treasures and hidden riches lie among the ruins. All that is valuable resides in a broken heart!

Rule 6: Most of the conflicts, prejudices, and enmities in this world stem from language. Be yourself; do not get entangled in words. When it comes to love, language loses its power. The lover becomes speechless.

Rule 7: You cannot discover truth by isolating yourself alone in solitude, listening only to the echo of your own voice. You can see yourself fully only in the mirror of another human being.

Rule 8: No matter what befalls you, do not fall into pessimism. Even if all doors close, ultimately He will open for you a secret path unknown to others. Though you cannot see it now, behind narrow passages lie many gardens of paradise. Be grateful! It is easy to be grateful when you receive what you desire. But a Sufi can be grateful even when his wish remains unfulfilled.

Rule 9: Patience is not merely waiting passively—it is foresight. What is patience? It is seeing the rose when you look at the thorn, and seeing daylight when you look at the night. God sips patience from His lovers as sweet as rosewater and digests it. They know that the moon takes time to move from crescent to fullness.

Rule 10: No matter which direction you travel—east, west, north, or south—view every journey as an inward voyage! The one who journeys inward ultimately travels the entire earth.

Rule 11: The midwife knows that birth cannot occur without pain, and the baby cannot emerge from the mother’s womb without struggle. To allow a new and fresh version of yourself to emerge, you must be ready for hardship and suffering.

Rule 12: Love is a journey. Every traveler on this path, whether they wish it or not, is transformed from head to toe. No one who dives into these paths remains unchanged.

Rule 13: In this world, there are more false pilgrims, teachers, sheikhs, and dervishes than stars in the sky. A true guide directs you to look within yourself and discover the beauty hidden within your own soul—not to admire and idolize him.

Rule 14: Instead of resisting the changes that the Truth brings forth, surrender. Let life flow with you, not against you. Do not fear that my order is disrupted or that my life is turned upside down. How do you know that what seems like chaos is not better than what came before?

Rule 15: God is constantly engaged in completing each of us, inside and out. Each of us is an unfinished work of art. Every experience we endure and every trial we overcome is designed to heal our imperfections. The Lord works individually with our deficiencies, for the masterpiece called humanity strives for perfection.

Rule 16: It is easy to love God, who is perfect. The difficult task is to love flawed, mortal human beings—with their faults and virtues. Remember: a person can truly know something only to the extent that they love it. Therefore, you cannot truly know or love another as they deserve unless you love them for the sake of the Creator who made them.

Rule 17: True impurity is not external but internal; not on the surface but in the heart. All other stains, however vile they may seem, can be washed away with water. The only impurity that cannot be cleansed by washing is envy and ill will, which have hardened like oil in the heart.

Rule 18: The entire universe, with all its layers and complexities, is hidden within the human being. The devil is not a terrifying creature waiting outside to tempt you; he is a voice within you. Seek the devil within yourself, not in others. And remember: he who knows his soul knows his Lord. Only the one who struggles with himself, not with others, ultimately comes to know the Creator as a reward.

Rule 19: If you seek respect, attention, or love from others, you first owe these to yourself. It is impossible for someone who does not love themselves to be loved. If the world sends you thorns even though you love yourself, rejoice—because soon it will send you roses.

Rule 20: Worrying about where the path will lead is a futile effort. You are only responsible for taking the first step. The rest will come naturally.

Rule 21: We are all described by different qualities. Had God wished everyone to be identical, He would have made them so. To show no respect for differences and to impose your own truths upon others is an act of disrespect toward the sacred order of Truth.

Rule 22: When a true lover of God enters a tavern, it becomes his place of prayer. But when a hypocrite enters the same mosque, it becomes his tavern. In this life, it is not our actions or appearances that make the difference—it is our intention.

Rule 23: The life we live is like a colorful toy entrusted to our hands. Some take the toy so seriously that they cry and become distraught over it. Others pick it up, break it, and throw it away immediately. Some overvalue it; others undervalue it. Avoid extremes. The Sufi is neither excessive nor negligent. The Sufi always remains in the middle path.

Rule 24: Since humanity is the noblest of all creation, every step we take should reflect our role as God’s vicegerent on earth. Even if a person becomes poor, slandered, imprisoned, or enslaved, they must never abandon the dignity, clarity of vision, and inner peace befitting a vicegerent.

Rule 25: Do not search for paradise and hell in the afterlife. Both exist right here and now. Whenever you love someone selflessly, without conditions or bargaining, you are in paradise. Whenever you engage in conflict, fall into hatred, envy, or malice, you plunge headfirst into hell.

Rule 26: The universe is one single entity. Everything and everyone is connected by invisible threads. Never take pleasure in another’s suffering; never cause pain to someone, especially someone weaker than you. Remember: the sorrow of a single person on the other side of the world can make all humanity unhappy. And the happiness of one person can make every face smile.

Rule 27: This world is like a mountain: whatever you shout at it, it echoes back. If you speak a good word, a good word echoes. If you speak ill, ill returns to you. Therefore, if someone speaks badly of you, speak only good things about that person for forty days and forty nights. At the end of forty days, you will see that everything has changed. When your heart changes, the world changes.

Rule 28: The past is merely a fog cloud filling our minds. The future is a veil of illusion. We cannot know what lies ahead, nor can we change what has passed. The Sufi always lives in the truth of the present moment.

Rule 29: Destiny means that our lives are preordained. Therefore, saying “What can we do? Life is like this” and submitting passively is a sign of ignorance. Destiny does not determine the entire path, only the crossroads. The route is known, but every turn and detour belongs to the traveler. Thus, you are neither controlled by life nor helpless before it.

Rule 30: A true Sufi is one who, even when criticized, ridiculed, gossiped about, or falsely accused, never opens his mouth to speak a single bad word about anyone. The Sufi does not see faults; he covers them.

Rule 31: To draw near to God, one must have a heart as soft as velvet. Everyone learns to soften in some way—some through a tragedy, some through a fatal illness, some through the pain of separation, some through material loss. We all pass through trials that give us the chance to dissolve the hardness in our hearts. But some understand the wisdom in these trials and soften; others, alas, become harder.

Rule 32: Remove all veils between you one by one so that you may connect with God with pure love. Have rules, but do not use them to exclude or judge others. Above all, avoid idols, friend—and never turn your truths into idols! Let your faith be great, but do not use your faith to boast.

Rule 33: While everyone in this world strives to become something, be nothing. Let your destination be emptiness. A person should not differ from a pot. Just as the pot is defined not by its outer shape but by its inner emptiness, so too is a human being sustained not by the illusion of self but by the awareness of nothingness.

Rule 34: Surrender to Truth is neither weakness nor passivity. On the contrary, such surrender demands great strength. The one who surrenders stops struggling in turbulent and swirling waters; he lives on solid ground.

Rule 35: In this life, we progress only through opposites. The believer must meet the unbeliever within himself; the one who denies God must meet the believer within. A person advances gradually until reaching the station of the Perfect Human. Only by embracing opposites can one mature.

Rule 36: Do not fear deceit or traps. If others set traps for you or seek to harm you, God is setting traps for them. Those who dig pits fall into them themselves. This system operates on the principle of reciprocity. Not a single atom of good goes unrewarded, nor a single atom of evil unpunished. Not even a leaf stirs beyond His knowledge. Simply believe in this!

Rule 37: God is a master clockmaker who works with meticulous precision. He is so exact that everything happens at the perfect moment—not a second early, not a second late. For every human being, there is a time to fall in love and a time to die.

Rule 38: Is it ever too late to ask: Am I ready to change my life and transform myself? No matter your age or what you have endured, complete renewal is always possible. If even one day is an exact repetition of the last, what a waste! Every moment, every breath must bring renewal. To be born into a new life, you must die before you die.

Rule 39: Though points constantly change, the whole remains the same. For every thief who leaves this world, another thief is born. For every honest person who dies, another honest person takes their place. The whole is never broken. Everything remains in its proper place, and yet nothing is the same from one day to the next. For every Sufi who dies, another Sufi is born.

Rule 40: A life without love has been lived in vain. Do not ask whether you should pursue divine love, celestial love, or earthly love! Distinctions breed division. Love needs no label or qualification. Love is a world unto itself. Either you are at its center, or you are outside it, yearning for it.

The Life of Shams-i Tabrizi

Shamseddin Muhammad Tabrizi was an important Sufi born in the late 12th century in the city of Tabriz in Iran and lived during the 13th century. During his childhood and youth, he interacted with Sufi masters in various cities and was raised through direct heart-based training. He chose the path of inner contemplation and spiritual journey over traditional education, living a dervish’s life.

As a Sufi seeking truth, Shams traveled constantly, reaching Baghdad, Damascus, Mosul, Aleppo, and finally Konya. His encounter with Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî in Konya in 1244 became a turning point in both his own life and in Mevlânâ’s intellectual world. A deep and intense friendship developed between them, profoundly shaping Mevlânâ’s poetry and Sufi understanding.

Shams-i Tabrizi’s presence in Konya stirred strong reactions in the community, leading him to leave the city several times and return each time. In 1247, he suddenly disappeared. Accounts of his death vary: some sources claim he was murdered, while others suggest he resumed his travels. The site believed to be his tomb is known as the Shams-i Tabrizi Türbesi in Konya.