Last 5 year I met a friend who advised me not to conceal my feelings.. he told me: If you like someone tell him that even the postman, It just makes you bloom..

He advised me that I overcome feelings of arrogance inside me, and let the feelings of love that take place in your heart..

In the heat of the moment, the radio from one of the balconies overlooking the one of the oldest and most beautiful streets of Damascus, the music blares eastern Blues, the song says: you may not understand today or tomorrow but eventually life will reveal why you went through everything you did.

What happened that day, as I had other cosmic signal invite me to change my way of life, and the beginning of a journey to find my inner peace..

I have decided to follow the teachings of my friend, it was for me as a spiritual teacher coming into different planet and different time..I met my friend on one of the old library shelves in the old city of Damascus, its title aroused my curiosity: 40 rules of adoration. I read the introduction to the book and moved off-hand to the rule Forty to get to know my new friend he told that „A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.“

If you ask me today, after years of meeting my friend, and despite years of war inflicted upon the shoulders of young people, if you ask me, did you find your inner peace, I say yes and I am trying to reveal more, I also taken with my friend shams of Tabriz lesson and rules of an ancient philosophy of living away and free out of the life temptations and lies.. But today in different Place in Germany searching for a new Home like the one my Friend told me about, asking myself for many times if that is worth to be free but then I will remind myself for what I am looking for.

I wanted to share with you here the rules that I learned from my friend Shams of Tabriz in his „40 Rules of Love“:
The 1st insight

How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we.

The 2nd insight

The path to the Truth is a labour of the heart, not of the head. Make your heart your primary guide! Not your mind. Meet, challenge and ultimately prevail over your nafs (self, psyche, soul) with your heart. Knowing your ego will lead you to the knowledge of God.

The 3rd insight

You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly His abode is, there is only one place to look for him: in the heart of a true lover.

The 4th insight

Intellect and love are made of different materials. Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing, but love dissolves all tangles and risks everything. Intellect is always cautious and advises, ‘Beware too much ecstasy’, whereas love says, ‘Oh, never mind! Take the plunge!’ Intellect does not easily break down, whereas love can effortlessly reduce itself to rubble. But treasures are hidden among ruins. A broken heart hides treasures.

The 5th insight

Most of problems of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstanding. Don’t ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of love, language, as we know it becomes obsolete. That which cannot be put into words can only be grasped through silence.

The 6th insight

Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is the best to find a person who will be your mirror. Remember only in another person’s heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you.

The 7th insight 

Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

The 8th insight

Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to look at the end of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.

The 9th insight

East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll travel the whole wide world and beyond.

The 10th insight  

The midwife knows that when there is no pain, the way for the baby cannot be opened and the mother cannot give birth. Likewise, for a new self to be born, hardship is necessary. Just as clay needs to go through intense heat to become strong, Love can only be perfected in pain.

The 11th insight 

The quest for love changes us. There is no seeker among those who search for love who has not matured on the way. The moment you start looking for love, you start to change within and without.

The 12th insight 

There are more fake gurus and false teachers in this world than the number of stars in the visible universe. Don’t confuse power-driven, self-centered people with true mentors. A genuine spiritual master will not direct your attention to himself or herself and will not expect absolute obedience or utter admiration from you, but instead will help you to appreciate and admire your inner self. True mentors are as transparent as glass. They let the light of God pass through them.

The 13th insight

Try not to resist the changes, which come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?

The 14th insight

God is busy with the completion of your work, both outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably moving toward perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture.

The 15th insight

It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God.

To be continued! We will publish part 2 and 3 soon.

Ressource:

Shames of Tabriz 40 daily insights of love: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shams_Tabrizi#40_Rules_of_Love