The Ineluctable Chords of Forty and Ella’s Journey from Nausea to Madhab-i-Ishq to Eudaimonia: Prismatic Effects of Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love

Yıl 2022, Sayı: 1, 47 - 54, 21.02.2022

Najmul Huda Tareq

Öz

Elif Shafak’s novella, The Forty Rules of Love, published in March 2009, explores the identity of
one’s existence through a spiritual transformation. Sufi mysticism, which Ella has discovered, transports her on
an adventurous and exotic voyage of life. In this incredibly positive tale, a sense of belonging and purpose in
one’s life is instilled in the mind of the readers. A jar of Love will never be able to contain or define Love.
Everything about it is limitless and brimming with Rahma (mercy). It is a narrative of a lost soul discovering
serenity in Love, exploring the meaning of life, and re-inventing why she is still living. The recompensation for
every annihilation is a cleansing of the soul, according to Sufism. Through the prism of Sufism, this paper seeks
to understand Ella’s transition from Nausea to Madhab-i-Ishq to Eudaimonia and to bridge several of Tabrizi’s
rules with Islamic beliefs and understanding.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sufism, Shafak, Forty, Eudaimonia, Nausea, Islam, Madhab, Love

Kaynakça

• Eliot, T. S. “The Hollow Man.” T.S. Eliot, Collected Poems: 1909-1962. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963.
• Hayat, Usman. “Finding Rumi in Turkey.” Dawn. Com. 10 Feb. 2015. <www.dawn.com/news/1162724>.
• Rumi. Daylight: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance by Jelaluddin Rumi (1999–11-01). Trans. Camille Helminski and Kabir Helminski. London: Shambhala Publications Inc, 2000.
• ———. Love Is My Savior: The Arabic Poems of Rumi (Arabic Literature and Language). Eds. Trans. Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony Lee. Michigan: Michigan State UP, 2016.
• Sahih Al-Bukhari. “7405: Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed) - تاب ك يد توح ال .“Sunnah.Com. <sunnah.com/bukhari:7405>. Accessed on 16 Sept. 2021.
• Sahih Muslim. “2573:The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship - تاب ك بر ال لة ص وال ب واآلدا “Sunnah.Com. < sunnah.com/muslim:2573>. Accessed on 17 Sept. 2021.
• Shafak, Elif. The Forty Rules of Love. London: Penguin, 2015.
• Star, Jonathan. Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved. New York: Penguin, 1997.
• The Bible. “Exodus 24:18 (NIV).” <www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2024%3A18&version=NIV>. Accessed on 1 Sept. 2021.
• The Quran.“Al-Baqarah-186, Surah The Cow Verse-186 /.” Trans. Arthur John Arberry. <en.noblequran.org/quran/surah-al-baqarah/ayat-186>. Accessed on 17 Sept. 2021.
• ———. “The Quranic Arabic Corpus: Translation.” Corpus.Quran.Com, <corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=50&verse=16>. Accessed on 17 Sept. 2021.