Quote by Sultan Walad: “The world is a shadow; cling not to its fleeting forms.”

This metaphor advises against becoming overly attached to material possessions or transient worldly experiences. It highlights the temporary nature of earthly life, urging focus on more enduring, spiritual realities and detachment from superficialities.

This teaching reflects the common Sufi perspective that worldly life is illusory and impermanent. Sultan Walad's writings aimed to guide devotees away from material attachments towards a deeper spiritual connection, aligning with broader Islamic ascetic traditions.

Persian Sufi poet born in 1226 in Larende, son of Rumi, who helped to systematise and spread his father's teachings and founded the Mevlevi Sufi order formally. His own poetry, though less celebrated than Rumi's, extends many of the same themes of divine love and spiritual longing.