Who is a Sufi? A Sufi is a member of an Islamic religious group that attempts to become united with God by living a simple life by praying and meditating and can also be a roaming Dervish. A Dervish is a member of a Muslim religious order (Sufi), noted for devotional exercises. He is one who whirls or dances with abandonment.
Shams Tabriz was one such person, who was both a Sufi and a Dervish. He was the spiritual teacher and advisor of Rumi. He lived at the end of the twelfth century. Shams made forty observations about the nature of love. Each one is a treasure and a starting point for self-reflection.
It is 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. Remembering, 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.
How to interpret this wisdom
We all claim to love God and know that he is never wrong. However, when we look at others, how quick are we to blame others for various misdeeds and actions. We consider ourselves above blame. Let us pause and look at someone, who has upset us. What is it that we see? We see ourselves in that person and therefore we must now examine our feelings. Do we love ourselves, and feel the same way for others, if do then the feeling of atmabhava, is developing in us.
So, it comes to love, serve and give dear one and that is exactly what our Gurus tell us. We have to apply it in our daily life.
Aim Hrim Klim