“I have no companion but Love,
no beginning, no end, no dawn.
The Soul calls from within me
‘You, ignorant of the way of Love,
set Me free.’” – Rumi

This quote from Rumi speaks to the boundless and eternal nature of Love as a force that transcends time, identity, and physical reality. Let’s break it down:

• “I have no companion but Love”: Rumi here is expressing a state of spiritual solitude, where Love is the only constant and true companion. In Sufi mysticism, Love is not just an emotion but a divine, omnipresent energy that connects all beings to the divine essence. Rumi suggests that Love is the highest form of relationship, a connection that surpasses all worldly attachments and possessions.
• “No beginning, no end, no dawn”: This part of the quote highlights the eternal and timeless nature of Love. Unlike the physical world, which is governed by linear time and cycles, Love exists beyond these constraints. It is not born and it does not die; it simply is. In this sense, Love is the ultimate reality, unbound by the limitations of the material world.
• “The Soul calls from within me: ‘You, ignorant of the way of Love, set Me free.’”: Rumi conveys a sense of internal struggle between the soul’s longing for divine union and the individual’s ignorance or disconnect from the true nature of Love. The Soul, in Sufi teachings, is the innermost essence of a person that yearns to reunite with its divine source. The call here is an invitation to transcend the limitations of the ego, which is often disconnected from the source of Love, and to awaken to a higher, more enlightened state of being. The “ignorance of the way of Love” refers to the human tendency to get lost in worldly distractions, forgetting that Love is the key to spiritual liberation.

At a deeper level, Rumi is urging us to shed the veils of the ego and embrace Love as the ultimate path to freedom and enlightenment. The Soul’s call is a reminder to align with our truest, most profound essence, which is Love itself. In his poetry, Rumi often emphasized that Love is not something external to us, but a force that is inherent in our being, waiting to be realized.

Ultimately, this quote reflects the Sufi belief that Love is both the means and the end of the spiritual journey — the key to setting the Soul free and realizing the oneness of all existence.