Who Is Rumi?
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī is one of the greatest, most valued and distinguished Persian poet, jurist, theologian and Sufi mystic. In Iran, he is popularly known as Mowlana and Mowlana Jala-ad-Din Rumi in Afghanistan and Turkey. Since the 19th century, his fame has spread steadily to the western world, where he is simply known as Rumi.
Jalal al-Din Rumi, the Persian Sufi Sage and Poet, was born in the province of Balkh on the 30th of September, 1207. His proper name was also “Khudawandagar” meaning “Lord“. In his poetry, he used the pen-name “khamush” (meaning “silent”) and from the 15th century came to be known as Mowlawi, the term deriving from his earlier title of Mulla-yi rum, “the learned master of Anatolia”. His disciples, such as Ahmad Aflaki called him “The Greatest Mystery of God” (sirr Allah al-a’zam), while the Persian speaking world usually refers to him as Mowlana.
Rumi’s masterpiece is Masnavi I Ma’navi in 6 volume written in Farsi, with subjects covered from Perfect Man (when a person completely remove his/her ego wishes he/or she becomes one with God) to accounts of the famous saints and prophets of Islam, Christianity and Judaism; told in the symbolic and allegorical form to deeply mystical interpretations of life and a renewed call to faith. The quality of the writing is best described as ecstatic prose verse. They are rich in detail about the cultural life of the period.
Throughout the Masnavi I Ma’navi, Rumi is elegantly telling simple stories from his time, stories from holy books, stories from his own creative mind or everyday events to conclude his fascinating messages that explain very complex subjects of understanding oneself and the universe in a crystal clear way that is easy to understand for its readers.
Rumi’s Love
Rumi dedicates numerous discussions about Love and qualities of Love throughout his Masnavi I Manavi and Divan e Shams. Rumi talks about Divine Love.
Rumi’s Love is a strong type of love that is non-sexual and is flowing through not only man but in every single being and matter in the universe. This is the indescribable force that evolves everything to a better self with the ultimate goal of merging them with the beloved God.
Rumi’s Mausoleum
Rumi passed away in Konya on 17 December 1273 after a period of illness; his body was interred beside that of his father. His epitaph reads:
Here is a video from his tomb and museum site in Konya…