The Forty Rules of Love

David Rubenstein is a successful dentist and Ella’s husband. Although he seems to treat her well on the surface, he is unromantic, and Ella comes to learn that David is having affairs in secret. Leaving David helps Ella to realize how important romance is in her life.

Suleiman, known as “Suleiman the Drunk,” is a frequent patron of the local tavern run by Hristos. Many scorn Sulieman for being a Muslim who drinks wine, but when Rumi visits the tavern, he can see that there’s more to Suleiman than meets the eye.

Baba Zaman is the head of a dervish lodge, where Shams begins his spiritual journey, even though at times he seems like an unusual fit. Baba Zaman is hesitant to let Shams go, but he ultimately sends him to meet his destiny as the companion of Rumi.

Kerra is the second wife of Rumi. She converted from Christianity to Islam for him. Although she is generally supportive of her husband, she doesn’t know how to feel about the arrival of Shams and his peculiar influence over Rumi.

Jackal Head is a fearsome assassin who makes sure that no one leaves the local brothel in Konya. He becomes “the killer,” when he is hired to carry out the assassination of Shams.

Sheikh Yassin is the uncle of Baybars and the teacher of Hasam and several other students in Konya. He believes that he knows all the answers and is offended by the way that Shams challenges authority.

Baybars is the nephew of Sheikh Yassin and a violent guard in the city of Konya. He rapes and assaults Desert Rose, which is part of what motivates her to leave the brothel.

Sultan Walad is Rumi’s son and Aladdin’s older brother. Sultan Walad is loyal to his father, trying to understand Rumi’s new friendship with Shams rather than questioning it the way Aladdin does.

Magnolia is a gender-ambiguous character (sometimes referred to using the out-of-date term “hermaphrodite”) who works at the brothel where Desert Rose also works. She has feminine features but also has a mustache, and she doesn’t intervene when Desert Rose tries to escape.

Master Sameed is the head of a dervish lodge in Morocco. He helps Aziz break his addictions and learn about Sufism.

Orly is a twin with Avi, the two youngest children of Ella and David. She has bulimia, but Ella is so stressed with her own life that she doesn’t realize it.

Avi is a twin with Orly, the two youngest children of Ella and David.

Kaykhusraw II is a sultan who gets offended when he tries to pay Shams and Rumi for a spiritual dance they performed, and Shams returns the payment. This sets in motion the events that lead to Shams’s assassination.

Husam is a student of Sheikh Yassin who begins to doubt his teacher after Shams comes into the class and asks provocative questions.

Master Seyyid Burhaneddin is the one who initially writes a letter to Baba Zaman about the opportunity to find a spiritual partner for Rumi, which Shams volunteers for.

Hasan is a leper and beggar who is curious when he hears people coming to witness a sermon by Rumi. Shams gives Hasan a mirror as a gift.

Michelle is an assistant at the prestigious literary agency where Ella works as a part-time reader.

Spirit is the Rubenstein family’s old dog, whom Ella finds dead in the kitchen one day.

Aunt Esther is a relative of the Rubensteins who is visiting them when Jeannette breaks the news about planning to marry Scott.

Sesame is a large man who guards Desert Rose when she leaves the brothel to go see Rumi’s sermon.

Saladin is a goldbeater whose methodical rhythms help Rumi when he is grieving Shams’s death. Sultan Walad eventually marries Saladin’s daughter.

Hristos is the Christian bartender at a tavern that Suleiman frequents.

Margot is the first wife of Aziz. She was run over by a truck and died of her injuries.

A judge in Baghdad is the first of many figures in the novel to look down on Shams, in part because the judge believes he already knows everything about Islam and sharia that he needs to know.

Early on, Shams stays at an inn where the practical-minded innkeeper doesn’t understand the value of Shams’s spiritual wisdom.

A novice at the dervish lodge of Baba Zaman watches with fascination at Shams’s unconventional approach to Sufism.

Scott is Jeanette's boyfriend of eight months. Soon after the couple gets engaged, Jeannette breaks up with him without explanation.