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.

Humanity is fine art of skilled penmanship 

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.

What does patience mean?

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.

Your heart is your guide.

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

God is in the heart of a true lover.

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?

Let life live through you

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.

Learn to love God's creations.

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."

Intellect and Love: The difference

﻿A heart filled with love is like a phoenix that no cage can imprison﻿

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.

How do you see yourself?

Traces the parallel stories of unhappily married professional reader Ella Rubinstein's fascination with the story of Shams of Tabriz and the 13th-century transformation of Rumi into a mystic and poet.

books

Books

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER *One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World'* "Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough . . ." Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work. It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heartbreakingly explored. . . 'Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love' Metro 'Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent' Daily Telegraph 'The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself' The Times

Elif Shafak is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Elif Shafak has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Elif Shafak's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

How do you see yourself?

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