Elif Shafak quotes
1971 – · Medieval period, 13th century · Sufi mystic and spiritual teacher
About Elif Shafak
An elusive medieval Sufi, probably born near Tabriz c.1185 and disappearing around 1247–48. Best known through later accounts by Rūmī and followers; his teachings were preserved in compilations such as Maqālāt-i Shams. He emphasized direct spiritual realization, critiqued religious formalism, and advocated transformative divine love.
Works: Maqālāt-i Shams (discourses and recollections compiled by disciples)
Quotes
“The past is an interpretation. The future is an illusion. The world does not move through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead, time moves through and within us, in endless spirals. Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness. If you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and the future out of your mind and remain within the present moment.”
Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
MisattributedWhat we know
- What is documented
- Evidence indicates the wording is not found in authenticated medieval texts of Shams and is chiefly circulated in modern collections tied to the 'forty rules' motif.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution to Shams Tabrizi is apocryphal or unverified; the most plausible origin is modern literary sources rather than a direct medieval statement.
The passage urges living in the present as the path to illumination: time is felt inwardly, not as a straight line, and eternity as timelessness. These are Sufi-friendly themes, but the exact wording is modern and not reliably from Shams Tabrizi.