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

Abstract

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.