Sufi Discourse As Universal Humanism In Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules Of Love: A Discourse-analytical Reading
Auteurs : Chenni Dallel .
Résumé
Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love explores what it really means to be human regardless of cultural, religious, or historical differences. Rather than simply narrating the stories of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, the novel employs their mystical language to reflect on how to live a moral and balanced life. This article argues that the Sufi discourse in the narrative echoes humanist values that emphasize compassion, empathy, tolerance, and moral growth. By drawing on Sufi concepts and practices, Shafak provides a message that is anchored in a particular mystical tradition, while also rendering it accessible to a broad audience. This article employs Sufi hermeneutics and humanist theory in order to explore how the novel’s spiritual symbolism and moral teaching prompt its readers, especially those who have no acquaintance with Sufism, to think and explore beyond their respective cultures and religious traditions. Through close reading and discourse-oriented textual analysis of selected passages from The Forty Rules of Love, this article investigates the ways Shafak’s symbolic language and narrative choices express universal moral guidance. The findings demonstrate that Shafak transforms the wisdom of Sufi discourse into a universal humanist language.
Mots clés
Sufi language ; universal humanism ; Sufi hermeneutics ; ethical teachings ; spiritual symbolism
