أيها العاشق، سلِّم نفسَك للحب.

— أبو الحسن الشُّشْتَري

Yā ayyuhā al-‘āshiq, sallim nafsaka lil-ḥubb.

(O you who have fallen in love,
give yourself up to it).

— Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shushtarī

O you who have fallen in love, give yourself up to it. Let it consume you, let it transform you. Love is not a thing to be measured or restrained—it is a fire that refines, a sea that drowns the self, leaving only the beloved.

Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari, the wandering dervish, knew this well. He surrendered to love, not as a fleeting passion but as a path to the Divine. To love truly is to let go of fear, to step beyond the limits of the self, and to embrace what is written in the heart.

So, love as if nothing else matters. Love with all that you are.
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Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shushtarī

He was Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Numayrī al-Shushtarī, born in 610 AH / 1213 CE in Shushtar, Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain).

He was one of the great Sufis of the Maghreb and Al-Andalus. He was a disciple of Abu Sa’id al-Baji and later joined the Shadhili Order under the guidance of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili. He was also influenced by his teacher Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi.

He traveled through the Maghreb, living in Ceuta, Tunisia, Béjaïa, Fez, and Marrakesh, before settling in Egypt, where his influence spread widely in Sufi circles.

He passed away in 668 AH / 1269 CE in Damietta, Egypt, where he was buried. His tomb remains a site of pilgrimage for seekers of spiritual wisdom.

His Poetry and Philosophy of Love:
Fanā’ fi’l-Maḥbūb (فَنَاءٌ فِي ٱلْمَحْبُوب).

Al-Shushtarī was a renowned Sufi poet, blending classical Arabic with local dialects. He taught a philosophy of annihilation in divine love, Fana fi’l Mahboob, believing that love is the highest path to God.

يا أيها العاشق، سلِّم نفسَكحب هو الطريق الأسمى إلى الله.