For other uses, see Rumi (disambiguation) .

Rm

Artistic depiction of Rumi, 1980

Title Mevln, Mawln,[1] Mevlev, Mawlaw
Born 30 September 1207
Wakhsh,[2][3] or Balkh[4] Khwarezmian Empire( Iran )
Died 17 December 1273 (age 66)
Konya, Sultanate of Rum
Resting place Tomb of Mevlana Rumi,Mevlana Museum, Konya, Turkey
Ethnicity Persian
Era Islamic Golden Age
Region Khwarezmian Empire(Balkh: 12071212, 12131217;Samarkand: 12121213)[5][6]
Sultanate of Rum (Malatya: 12171219; Akehir: 12191222; Larende: 12221228; Konya:
12281273)[5]
Religion Islam
Denomination Sunni (Sufism)
Jurisprudence Hanafi
Main Sufi poetry, Hanafi jurisprudence
interest(s)
Notable Sufi whirling, Muraqaba
idea(s)
Notable Mathnaw-ye ma'naw, Dwn-e Shams-e Tabrz, Fhi m fhi
work(s)
Sufi order Mevlevi

Influencedby
Muhammad, Al-Ghazali, Muhaqqeq Termezi, Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Attr, San', Abu Sa'd Abulayr,
araqn, Bayazd Bistm, Sultan Walad, amse Tabrz
Influenced
 Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Abdolhossein Zarrinkoob, Abdolkarim Soroush, Hossein
Elahi Ghomshei, Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Jall ad-Dn Muhammad Rm (Persian: ) , also known as Jall ad-Dn

Muhammad Balkh () , Mevln/Mawln (, "our master"), Mevlev/Mawlaw
(, "my master"), and more popularly simply as Rumi (30 September 1207 17 December
1273), was a 13th-century Persian[1][7] Sunni[8] Muslim poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian,
and Sufi mystic.[9] Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians,
Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia
have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries.[10] His poems have
been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats.
Rumi has been described as the "most popular poet"[11] and the "best selling poet" in the United
States.[12][13]

Rumi's works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and
Greek,[14][15][16] in his verse.[17][18] His Mathnaw, composed in Konya, is considered one of the
greatest poems of the Persian language.[19][20] His works are widely read today in their original
language across Greater Iran and the Persian-speaking world.[21][22] Translations of his works are
very popular, most notably in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United States, and South Asia.[23] His poetry
has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, as well as the
literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Urdu,
Pashto, and Bengali.

Name

He is most commonly called Rumi in English. His full name is Jall ad-Dn Muammad Balkh
(Persian: ) or Jall ad-Dn Muammad Rm () . The words
Jalal ad-Din mean 'Glory of the Faith' in the Arabic language. Balkh and Rm are his nisbas,
meaning "from Balkh" and "from Rm" (Persian and Turkish name for Roman Anatolia),
respectively. According to the authoritative Rumi biographer Franklin Lewis of the University of
Chicago, "[t]he Anatolian peninsula which had belonged to the Byzantine, or eastern Roman
empire, had only relatively recently been conquered by Muslims and even when it came to be
controlled by Turkish Muslim rulers, it was still known to Arabs, Persians and Turks as the
geographical area of Rum. As such, there are a number of historical personages born in or
associated with Anatolia known as Rumi, a word borrowed from Arabic literally meaning
"Roman," in which context Roman refers to subjects of the Byzantine Empire or simply to people
living in or things associated with Anatolia.[24]
He is widely known by the sobriquet Mawln/Moln[1][5] (Persian: Persian
pronunciation:[mouln]) in Iran and popularly known as Mevln in Turkey.[25] Mawln ( )is
a term of Arabic origin, meaning "our master."

The terms Mawlaw/Molavi (Persian) and Mevlevi (Turkish), also of Arabic origin, mean "my
master" and are more often used for him.[26]

Life

Jalal ad-Din Rumi gathers Sufi

mystics.


Double-page illuminated frontispiece,

1st book (daftar) of the Collection of
poems ( Masnavi-i ma'navi ), 1461
manuscript

Bowl of Reflections with Rumi's

poetry, early 13th century. Brooklyn
Museum.

Rumi was born to native Persian-speaking parents,[17][18][27] originally from the Balkh, in present-
day Afghanistan. He was born either in Wakhsh,[3] a village located on the Vakhsh River in the
greater Balkh region in present-day Tajikistan,[3] or in the city of Balkh, located in present-day
Afghanistan.[4][28]

Greater Balkh was at that time a major centre of Persian culture[20][27][29] and Sufism had
developed there for several centuries. The most important influences upon Rumi, besides his
father, were the Persian poets Attar and Sanai.[30] Rumi expresses his appreciation: "Attar was
the spirit, Sanai his eyes twain, And in time thereafter, Came we in their train"[31] and mentions in
another poem: "Attar has traversed the seven cities of Love, We are still at the turn of one
street".[32] His father was also connected to the spiritual lineage of Najm al-Din Kubra.[10]
He lived most of his life under the Persianate[33][34][35] Seljuq Sultanate of Rum, where he
produced his works[36] and died in 1273AD. He was buried in Konya and his shrine became a
place of pilgrimage.[37] Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the
Mevlevi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its Sufi dance
known as the Sama ceremony. He was laid to rest beside his father, and over his remains a
splendid shrine was erected. A hagiographical account of him is described in Shams ud-Din
Ahmad Aflki's Manqib ul-rifn (written between 1318 and 1353). This hagiographical account
of his biography needs to be treated with care as it contains both legends and facts about
Rumi.[38] For example, Professor Franklin Lewis, University of Chicago, in the most complete
biography on Rumi has a separate section for the hagiographical biography on Rumi and actual
biography about him.[39]

Rumi's father was Bah ud-Dn Walad, a theologian, jurist and a mystic from Balkh, who was also
known by the followers of Rumi as Sultan al-Ulama or "Sultan of the Scholars." The popular
hagiographer assertions that have claimed the family's descent from the Caliph Abu Bakr does
not hold on closer examination and is rejected by modern scholars.[39][40][41] The claim of
maternal descent from the Khwarazmshah for Rumi or his father is also seen as a non-historical
hagiographical tradition designed to connect the family with royalty, but this claim is rejected for
chronological and historical reasons.[39][40][41] The most complete genealogy offered for the family
stretches back to six or seven generations to famous Hanafi Jurists.[39][40][41]

We do not learn the name of Baha al-Din's mother in the sources, but only that he referred to her
as "Mmi" (Colloquial Persian for Mma)[42] and that she was a simple woman and that she lived
in the 13th century. The mother of Rumi was Mu'mina Khtn. The profession of the family for
several generations was that of Islamic preachers of the liberal Hanafi rite and this family tradition
was continued by Rumi (see his Fihi Ma Fih and Seven Sermons) and Sultan Walad (see Ma'rif
Waladi for examples of his everyday sermons and lectures).

When the Mongols invaded Central Asia sometime between 1215 and 1220, Baha ud-Din Walad,
with his whole family and a group of disciples, set out westwards. According to hagiographical
account which is not agreed upon by all Rumi scholars, Rumi encountered one of the most
famous mystic Persian poets, Attar, in the Iranian city of Nishapur, located in the province of
Khorsn. Attar immediately recognized Rumi's spiritual eminence. He saw the father walking
ahead of the son and said, "Here comes a sea followed by an ocean." He gave the boy his
Asrrnma, a book about the entanglement of the soul in the material world. This meeting had a
deep impact on the eighteen-year-old Rumi and later on became the inspiration for his works.

From Nishapur, Walad and his entourage set out for Baghdad, meeting many of the scholars and
Sufis of the city.[43] From Baghdad they went to Hejaz and performed the pilgrimage at Mecca.
The migrating caravan then passed through Damascus, Malatya, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri and
Nigde. They finally settled in Karaman for seven years; Rumi's mother and brother both died
there. In 1225, Rumi married Gowhar Khatun in Karaman. They had two sons: Sultan Walad and
Ala-eddin Chalabi. When his wife died, Rumi married again and had a son, Amir Alim Chalabi, and
a daughter, Malakeh Khatun.

On 1 May 1228, most likely as a result of the insistent invitation of 'Al' ud-Dn Key-Qobd, ruler
of Anatolia, Baha' ud-Din came and finally settled in Konya in Anatolia within the westernmost
territories of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rm.

Baha' ud-Din became the head of a madrassa (religious school) and when he died, Rumi, aged
twenty-five, inherited his position as the Islamic molvi. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed
Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in the Shariah as well as the Tariqa,
especially that of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practised Sufism as a disciple of Burhan
ud-Din until the latter died in 1240 or 1241. Rumi's public life then began: he became an Islamic
Jurist, issuing fatwas and giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. He also served as a Molvi
(Islamic teacher) and taught his adherents in the madrassa.

During this period, Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.

It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi on 15 November 1244 that completely
changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic.

Shams had travelled throughout the Middle East searching and praying for someone who could
"endure my company". A voice said to him, "What will you give in return?" Shams replied, "My
head!" The voice then said, "The one you seek is Jalal ud-Din of Konya." On the night of 5
December 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went
out, never to be seen again. It is rumoured that Shams was murdered with the connivance of
Rumi's son, 'Ala' ud-Din; if so, Shams indeed gave his head for the privilege of mystical
friendship.[44]

Rumi's love for, and his bereavement at the death of, Shams found their expression in an
outpouring of lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams
and journeyed again to Damascus. There, he realised:

Why should I seek? I am the same as

He. His essence speaks through me.
[45]
I have been looking for myself!


Mewlana had been spontaneously composing ghazals (Persian poems), and these had been
collected in the Divan-i Kabir or Diwan Shams Tabrizi. Rumi found another companion in Sala
ud-Din-e Zarkub, a goldsmith. After Salah ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favourite student,
Hussam-e Chalabi, assumed the role of Rumi's companion. One day, the two of them were
wandering through the Meram vineyards outside Konya when Hussam described to Rumi an idea
he had had: "If you were to write a book like the Ilhnma of Sanai or the Mantiq ut-Tayr of
'Attar, it would become the companion of many troubadours. They would fill their hearts from
your work and compose music to accompany it." Rumi smiled and took out a piece of paper on
which were written the opening eighteen lines of his Masnavi, beginning with:

Listen to the reed and the tale it tells,

How it sings of separation... [46]

Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next twelve years of his life in Anatolia
dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi, to Hussam.

In December 1273, Rumi fell ill; he predicted his own death and composed the well-known
ghazal, which begins with the verse:

How doest thou know what sort of king I have within me as companion?
Do not cast thy glance upon my golden face, for I have iron legs. [47]

Rumi died on 17 December 1273 in Konya; his body was interred beside that of his father, and a
splendid shrine, the Yeil Trbe (Green Tomb, ; today the Mevlna Museum), was
erected over his place of burial. His epitaph reads:

When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of
men. [48]

Georgian Queen Grc Hatun was a patron and a close friend of Rumi. She was the one who
sponsored the construction of his tomb in Konya.[49] The 13th century Mevlna Mausoleum, with
its mosque, dance hall, dervish living quarters, school and tombs of some leaders of the Mevlevi
Order, continues to this day to draw pilgrims from all parts of the Muslim and non-Muslim world.
Jalal al-Din who is also known as Rumi, was a philosopher and mystic of Islam. His doctrine
advocates unlimited tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through
love. To him and to his disciples all religions are more or less truth. Looking with the same eye on
Muslim, Jew and Christian alike, his peaceful and tolerant teaching has appealed to people of all
sects and creeds.

Teachings

A page of a copy c. 1503 of the

Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i .

The general theme of Rumi's thought, like that of other mystic and Sufi poets of Persian literature,
is that of tawhid union with the Beloved, from whom he sees himself as being cut off and
aloof. His longing and desire to attain it is evident in the following poem from his book the
Masnavi:[50]
 I died to the mineral state and became a plant,

I died to the vegetable state and reached animality,

I died to the animal state and became a man,
Then what should I fear? I have never become less from dying.
At the next charge (forward) I will die to human nature,
So that I may lift up (my) head and wings (and soar) among the
angels,
And I must (also) jump from the river of (the state of) the angel,
Everything perishes except His Face,
Once again I will become sacrificed from (the state of) the angel,
I will become that which cannot come into the imagination,
Then I will become non-existent; non-existence says to me (in
tones) like an organ,
Truly, to Him is our return.

The Masnavi weaves fables, scenes from everyday life, Qur'anic revelations and exegesis, and
metaphysics into a vast and intricate tapestry.[51] In the East, it is said of him that he was "not a
prophet but surely, he has brought a scripture."

Rumi believed passionately in the use of music, poetry and dance as a path for reaching God. For
Rumi, music helped devotees to focus their whole being on the divine and to do this so intensely
that the soul was both destroyed and resurrected. It was from these ideas that the practice of
whirling Dervishes developed into a ritual form. His teachings became the base for the order of
the Mevlevi, which his son Sultan Walad organised. Rumi encouraged Sama, listening to music
and turning or doing the sacred dance. In the Mevlevi tradition, sam represents a mystical
journey of spiritual ascent through mind and love to the Perfect One. In this journey, the seeker
symbolically turns towards the truth, grows through love, abandons the ego, finds the truth and
arrives at the Perfect. The seeker then returns from this spiritual journey, with greater maturity, to
love and to be of service to the whole of creation without discrimination with regard to beliefs,
races, classes and nations.

In other verses in the Masnavi, Rumi describes in detail the universal message of love:

The lovers cause is separate from all other causes

Love is the astrolabe of God's mysteries. [52]


Rumi's favourite musical instrument was the ney (reed flute).[11]

Major works

An Ottoman era manuscript depicting

Rumi and Shams-e Tabrizi .

Rumi's poetry is often divided into various categories: the quatrains (rubayt) and odes (ghazal)
of the Divan, the six books of the Masnavi. The prose works are divided into The Discourses, The
Letters, and the Seven Sermons.

Poetic works

Manawye Ma'naw
Mevlna Museum , Konya, Turkey

Rumi's major work is the Manawye Ma'naw (Spiritual Couplets; ) , a six-volume

poem regarded by some Sufis[53] as the Persian-language Qur'an. It is considered by many to be
one of the greatest works of mystical poetry.[54] It contains approximately 27,000 lines of Persian
poetry.[55]
Further information: Masnavi
 Rumi's other major work is the Dwn-e Kabr (Great Work) or Dwn-e Shams-e Tabrz (The
Works of Shams of Tabriz; ) , named in honour of Rumi's master Shams. Besides
approximately 35000 Persian couplets and 2000 Persian quatrains,[56] the Divan contains 90
Ghazals and 19 quatrains in Arabic,[57] a couple of dozen or so couplets in Turkish (mainly
macaronic poems of mixed Persian and Turkish)[58][59] and 14 couplets in Greek (all of them in
three macaronic poems of Greek-Persian).[60][61][62]
Further information: Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi

Prose works
Fihi Ma Fihi (In It What's in It, Persian: ) provides a record of seventy-one talks and
lectures given by Rumi on various occasions to his disciples. It was compiled from the notes of
his various disciples, so Rumi did not author the work directly.[63] An English translation from the
Persian was first published by A.J. Arberry as Discourses of Rumi (New York: Samuel Weiser,
1972), and a translation of the second book by Wheeler Thackston, Sign of the Unseen (Putney,
VT: Threshold Books, 1994). The style of the Fihi ma fihi is colloquial and meant for middle-class
men and women, and lack the sophisticated wordplay.[64]

Majles-e Sab'a (Seven Sessions, Persian: ) contains seven Persian sermons (as
the name implies) or lectures given in seven different assemblies. The sermons themselves give a
commentary on the deeper meaning of Qur'an and Hadeeth. The sermons also include
quotations from poems of Sana'i, 'Attar, and other poets, including Rumi himself. As Aflak
relates, after Shams-e Tabrz, Rumi gave sermons at the request of notables, especially Salh al-
Dn Zarkb. The style of Persian is rather simple, but quotation of Arabic and knowledge of
history and the Hadith show Rumi's knowledge in the Islamic sciences. His style is typical of the
genre of lectures given by Sufis and spiritual teachers.[65]

Makatib (The Letters, Persian: )is the book containing Rumi's letters in Persian to his
disciples, family members, and men of state and of influence. The letters testify that Rumi kept
very busy helping family members and administering a community of disciples that had grown up
around them. Unlike the Persian style of the previous two mentioned works (which are lectures
and sermons), the letters is consciously sophisticated and epistolar, which is in conformity with
the expectations of correspondence directed to nobles, statesmen and kings.[66]

Religious outlook

It is undeniable that Rumi was a Muslim scholar and took Islam seriously. Nonetheless, the depth
of his spiritual vision extended beyond narrow sectarian concerns. One rubaiyat reads:
 On the seekers path, wise men and fools are one.

In His love, brothers and strangers are one.

Go on! Drink the wine of the Beloved!
In that faith, Muslims and pagans are one.[67]

Quatrain 305

According to the Quran, Prophet Muhammad is a mercy sent by God to the Aalameen (to all
creation), including humanity overall.[68] In regards to this, Rumi states:

"The Light of Muhammad does not abandon a Zoroastrian or Jew in the world.
May the shade of his good fortune shine upon everyone! He brings all of those
[69]
who are led astray into the Way out of the desert."

Rumi, however, asserts the supremacy of Islam by stating:

"The Light of Muhammad has become a thousand branches (of knowledge), a

thousand, so that both this world and the next have been seized from end to end.
If Muhammad rips the veil open from a single such branch, thousands of monks
[70]
and priests will tear the string of false belief from around their waists."

Many of Rumi's poems suggest the importance of outward religious observance and the primacy
of the Qur'an.[71]

Flee to God's Qur'an, take refuge in it

there with the spirits of the prophets merge.
The Book conveys the prophets' circumstances
[72]
those fish of the pure sea of Majesty.

Rumi states:
 I am the servant of the Qur'an as long as I have life.
I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one.
If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings,
[73]
I am quit of him and outraged by these words.

Rumi also states:

"I "sewed" my two eyes shut from [desires for] this world and the next this I
learned from Muhammad." [74]

On the first page of the Masnavi, Rumi states:

"Hadha kitbu 'l- mathnawy wa huwa uSlu uSli uSli 'd-dn wa kashshfu 'l-
qur'n."
"This is the book of the Masnavi, and it is the roots of the roots of the roots of the
[75]
(Islamic) Religion and it is the Explainer of the Qur'n."

Seyyed Hossein Nasr states:

One of the greatest living authorities on Rm in Persia today, Hd H'ir, has

shown in an unpublished work that some 6,000 verses of the Dwn and the
Mathnaw are practically direct translations of Qur'nic verses into Persian
poetry. [76]

Rumi states in his Dwn:

The Sufi is hanging on to Muhammad, like Abu Bakr.[77]

His Masnavi contains anecdotes and stories derived largely from the Quran and the hadith, as
well as everyday tales.

Legacy

Rumi's poetry forms the basis of much classical Iranian and Afghan music (Eastern-Persian,
Tajik-Hazara music). Contemporary classical interpretations of his poetry are made by
Muhammad Reza Shajarian, Shahram Nazeri, Davood Azad (the three from Iran) and Ustad
Mohammad Hashem Cheshti (Afghanistan). To many modern Westerners, his teachings are one
of the best introductions to the philosophy and practice of Sufism. In the West Shahram Shiva
has been teaching, performing and sharing the translations of the poetry of Rumi for nearly
twenty years and has been instrumental in spreading Rumi's legacy in the English-speaking parts
of the world. Pakistan's National Poet, Muhammad Iqbal, was also inspired by Rumi's works and
considered him to be his spiritual leader, addressing him as "Pir Rumi" in his poems (the honorific
Pir literally means "old man", but in the Sufi/mystic context it means founder, master, or
guide).[78]

Shahram Shiva asserts that "Rumi is able to verbalise the highly personal and often confusing
world of personal growth and development in a very clear and direct fashion. He does not offend
anyone, and he includes everyone.... Today Rumi's poems can be heard in churches,
synagogues, Zen monasteries, as well as in the downtown New York art/performance/music
scene."

According to Professor Majid M. Naini,[79] "Rumi's life and transformation provide true testimony
and proof that people of all religions and backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony.
Rumis visions, words, and life teach us how to reach inner peace and happiness so we can
finally stop the continual stream of hostility and hatred and achieve true global peace and
harmony.

Rumi's work has been translated into many of the world's languages, including Russian, German,
Urdu, Turkish, Arabic, Bengali, French, Italian, and Spanish, and is being presented in a growing
number of formats, including concerts, workshops, readings, dance performances, and other
artistic creations.[80] The English interpretations of Rumi's poetry by Coleman Barks have sold
more than half a million copies worldwide,[81] and Rumi is one of the most widely read poets in
the United States.[82] Shahram Shiva book "Rending the Veil: Literal and Poetic Translations of
Rumi" (1995, HOHM Press) is the recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award.
Recordings of Rumi poems have made it to the USA's Billboard's Top 20 list. A selection of
American author Deepak Chopra's editing of the translations by Fereydoun Kia of Rumi's love
poems has been performed by Hollywood personalities such as Madonna, Goldie Hawn, Philip
Glass and Demi Moore.

There is a famous landmark in Northern India, known as Rumi Gate, situated in Lucknow (the
capital of Uttar Pradesh) named for Rumi.

Rumi and his mausoleum on the

reverse of the 5000 Turkish lira
banknotes of 19811994

Rumi and his mausoleum were depicted on the reverse of the 5000 Turkish lira banknotes of
19811994.[83]

Iranian world

Say it in Persian although in Arabic might sounds better Love however, has its
own many other dialects

These cultural, historical and linguistic ties between Rumi and Iran have made Rumi an iconic
Iranian poet, and some of the most important Rumi scholars including Foruzanfar, Naini,
Sabzewari, etc., have come from modern Iran.[84] Rumi's poetry is displayed on the walls of many
cities across Iran, sung in Persian music,[84] and read in school books.[85]

Mewlew Sufi Order

Main articles: Mevlevi Order and Sama (Sufism)

The Mewlew Sufi order was founded in 1273 by Rumi's followers after his death.[86] His first
successor in the rectorship of the order was "Husam Chalabi" himself, after whose death in 1284
Rumi's younger and only surviving son, Sultan Walad (died 1312), popularly known as author of
the mystical Manaw Rabbnma, or the Book of the Rabab was installed as grand master of the
order.[87] The leadership of the order has been kept within Rumi's family in Konya uninterruptedly
since then.[88] The Mewlew Sufis, also known as Whirling Dervishes, believe in performing their
dhikr in the form of Sama. During the time of Rumi (as attested in the Manqib ul-refn of Aflk),
his followers gathered for musical and "turning" practices.

According to tradition, Rumi was himself a notable musician who played the robb, although his
favourite instrument was the ney or reed flute.[89] The music accompanying the sam consists of
settings of poems from the Manaw and Dwn-e Kabr, or of Sultan Walad's poems.[89] The
Mawlawyah was a well-established Sufi order in the Ottoman Empire, and many of the members
of the order served in various official positions of the Caliphate. The centre for the Mevlevi was in
Konya. There is also a Mewlew monastery (, dargh) in Istanbul near the Galata Tower in
which the sam is performed and accessible to the public. The Mewlew order issues an
invitation to people of all backgrounds:

Come, come, whoever you are,

Wanderer, idolater, worshiper of fire,
Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,

Come, and come yet again.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.[90]

Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey.

During Ottoman times, the Mevlevi produced a number of notable poets and musicians, including
Sheikh Ghalib, Ismail Rusuhi Dede of Ankara, Esrar Dede, Halet Efendi, and Gavsi Dede, who are
all buried at the Galata Mewlew Khna (Turkish: Mevlevi-Hane) in Istanbul.[91] Music, especially
that of the ney, plays an important part in the Mevlevi.

With the foundation of the modern, secular Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk removed
religion from the sphere of public policy and restricted it exclusively to that of personal morals,
behaviour and faith. On 13 December 1925, a law was passed closing all the tekkes (dervish
lodges) and zwiyas (chief dervish lodges), and the centres of veneration to which visits (ziyrat)
were made. Istanbul alone had more than 250 tekkes as well as small centres for gatherings of
various fraternities; this law dissolved the Sufi Orders, prohibited the use of mystical names, titles
and costumes pertaining to their titles, impounded the Orders' assets, and banned their
ceremonies and meetings. The law also provided penalties for those who tried to re-establish the
Orders. Two years later, in 1927, the Mausoleum of Mevlna in Konya was allowed to reopen as a
Museum.[92]

In the 1950s, the Turkish government began allowing the Whirling Dervishes to perform once a
year in Konya. The Mewln festival is held over two weeks in December; its culmination is on 17
December, the Urs of Mewln (anniversary of Rumi's death), called abe Ars ()
(Persian meaning "nuptial night"), the night of Rumi's union with God.[93] In 1974, the Whirling
Dervishes were permitted to travel to the West for the first time. In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed the
"The Mevlevi Sama Ceremony" of Turkey as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity.[94]

Religious denomination

According to Edward G. Browne, the three most prominent mystical Persian poets Rumi, Sanai
and Attar were all Sunni Muslims and their poetry abounds with praise for the first two caliphs
Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattb.[95] According to Annemarie Schimmel, the tendency among
Shia authors to include leading mystical poets such as Rumi and Attar among their own ranks,
became stronger after the introduction of Twelver Shia as the state religion in the Safavid Empire
in 1501.[96]

Eight hundredth anniversary celebrations

In Afghanistan, Rumi is known as Mawln, in Turkey as Mevlna, and in Iran as Molav.

At the proposal of the Permanent Delegations of Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey, and as approved
by its Executive Board and General Conference in conformity with its mission of constructing in
the minds of men the defences of peace, UNESCO was associated with the celebration, in 2007,
of the eight hundredth anniversary of Rumi's birth.[97] The commemoration at UNESCO itself took
place on 6 September 2007;[4] UNESCO issued a medal in Rumi's name in the hope that it would
prove an encouragement to those who are engaged in research on and dissemination of Rumi's
ideas and ideals, which would, in turn, enhance the diffusion of the ideals of UNESCO.[28]

The Afghan Ministry of Culture and Youth established a national committee, which organised an
international seminar to celebrate the birth and life of the great ethical philosopher and world-
renowned poet. This grand gathering of the intellectuals, diplomats, and followers of Mewlana
was held in Kabul and in Balkh, the Mewlana's place of birth.[98]

On 30 September 2007, Iranian school bells were rung throughout the country in honour of
Mewlana.[99] Also in that year, Iran held a Rumi Week from 26 October to 2 November. An
international ceremony and conference were held in Tehran; the event was opened by the Iranian
president and the chairman of the Iranian parliament. Scholars from twenty-nine countries
attended the events, and 450 articles were presented at the conference.[100] Iranian musician
Shahram Nazeri was awarded the Lgion d'honneur and Iran's House of Music Award in 2007 for
his renowned works on Rumi masterpieces.[101] 2007 was declared as the "International Rumi
Year" by UNESCO.[102][103]

Also on 30 September 2007, Turkey celebrated Rumis eight-hundredth birthday with a giant
Whirling Dervish ritual performance of the sam, which was televised using forty-eight cameras
and broadcast live in eight countries. Ertugrul Gunay, of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
stated, "Three hundred dervishes are scheduled to take part in this ritual, making it the largest
performance of sema in history."[104]

Mawlana Rumi Review

The Mawlana Rumi Review[105] (ISSN 2042-3357) is published annually by The Centre for Persian
and Iranian Studies at the University of Exeter in collaboration with The Rumi Institute, Nicosia,
Cyprus, and Archetype Books,[106] Cambridge.[106] The first volume was published in 2010, and it
has come out annually since then. According to the principal editor of the journal, Leonard
Lewisohn: "Although a number of major Islamic poets easily rival the likes of Dante, Shakespeare
and Milton in importance and output, they still enjoy only a marginal literary fame in the West
because the works of Arabic and Persian thinkers, writers and poets are considered as negligible,
frivolous, tawdry sideshows beside the grand narrative of the Western Canon. It is the aim of the
Mawlana Rumi Review to redress this carelessly inattentive approach to world literature, which is
something far more serious than a minor faux pas committed by the Western literary
imagination."[107]

Gallery


A verse from the Koran: "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort"

Disciples laid next to each other

Internal jubba with secret tawiz codes

A copy of the Mathnawi

Lineage in the form of calligraphy

Tasbeeh for zikir



Tributes to Maulana Rumi - the lower frame is an excerpt from a poem

Tomb and Turban

See also

Seljuk Sultanate of Rm
Great Seljuk Empire
On Persian culture
Persian philosophy
Persian mysticism
List of Persian poets and authors
Persian people
Mastan Ensemble
Tajik people
Persian literature
Spiritual Islam
Sufism
Other
Blind men and an elephant

Sant Mat
Rumi experts
William Chittick Fatemeh Keshavarz

Badiozzaman Forouzanfar Majid M. Naini

Hossein Elahi Ghomshei Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Shahram Shiva Franklin Lewis

Hamid Algar Franois Ptis de la Croix

Rahim Arbab Annemarie Schimmel

Kabir Helminski Abdolkarim Soroush

 Dariush Shayegan Abdolhossein Zarinkoob
English translators of Rumi poetry
A.J. Arberry Nader Khalili

William Chittick Franklin Lewis

Ravan A. G. Farhadi Majid M. Naini

Daniel Ladinsky Reynold A. Nicholson

Shahram Shiva James W. Redhouse

Interpreters of Rumi
Coleman Barks

Shahram Shiva

Omer Tarin
Movies
Rumi: The Wings of Love

Shams & Rumi: The Fragrance of Axis Mundi

The Veil of the Temple

Rumi: Poet of the Heart

Handelsmannen och papegojan

Rumi Returning: The Triumph of Divine Passion

Music set to Rumi's poems
Symphony No. 3 (Szymanowski)

Shohreh Moavenian

Amire Bi Gazand

References

1. ^ a b c Ritter, H.; Bausani, A. "Jall al-Dn Rm b. Bah al-Dn Suln al-ulam Walad b.
usayn b. Amad hab." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E.
Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2007. Brill Online. Excerpt: "known by the
sobriquet Mewln, persian poet and founder of the Mewlewiyya order of dervishes"

2. ^ William Harmless, Mystics, (Oxford University Press, 2008), 167.

3. ^ a b c Annemarie Schimmel, "I Am Wind, You Are Fire," p. 11. She refers to a 1989 article by
Fritz Meier:

Tajiks and Persian admirers still prefer to call Jalaluddin 'Balkhi' because his
family lived in Balkh, current day in Afghanistan before migrating westward.
However, their home was not in the actual city of Balkh, since the mid-eighth
century a center of Muslim culture in (Greater) Khorasan (Iran and Central Asia).
Rather, as Meier has shown, it was in the small town of Wakhsh north of the Oxus
that Baha'uddin Walad, Jalaluddin's father, lived and worked as a jurist and
preacher with mystical inclinations. Franklin Lewis, Rumi : Past and Present,
East and West: The Life, Teachings, and Poetry of Jall al-Din Rumi , 2000, pp.
4749.

Lewis has devoted two pages of his book to the topic of Wakhsh, which he states has been
identified with the medieval town of Lwkand (or Lvakand) or Sangtude, which is about 65
kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, the capital of present-day Tajikistan. He says it is on the east
bank of the Vakhshb river, a major tributary that joins the Amu Dary river (also called Jayhun,
and named the Oxus by the Greeks). He further states: "Bah al-Din may have been born in
Balkh, but at least between June 1204 and 1210 (Shavvl 600 and 607), during which time Rumi
was born, Bah al-Din resided in a house in Vakhsh (Bah 2:143 [= Bah' uddn Walad's] book,
"Ma`rif."). Vakhsh, rather than Balkh was the permanent base of Bah al-Din and his family until
Rumi was around five years old (mei 1635) [= from a book in German by the scholar Fritz Meier
note inserted here]. At that time, in about the year 1212 (A.H. 608609), the Valads moved to
Samarqand (Fih 333; Mei 2930, 36) [= reference to Rumi's "Discourses" and to Fritz Meier's
booknote inserted here], leaving behind Ba al-Din's mother, who must have been at least
seventy-five years old."

4. ^ a b c "UNESCO: 800th Anniversary of the Birth of Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi-Rumi" .

UNESCO. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2014. The prominent Persian language poet,
thinker and spiritual master, Mevlana Celaleddin Belhi-Rumi was born in 1207 in Balkh, presently
Afghanistan.

5. ^ a b c H. Ritter, 1991, DJALL al-DN RM, The Encyclopaedia of Islam (Volume II: C-G), 393.

6. ^ C. E. Bosworth, 1988, BAL, city and province in northern Afghanistan, Encyclopaedia

Iranica: Later, suzerainty over it passed to the Qar ety of Transoxania, until in 594/1198 the
Ghurid Bah-al-Dn Sm b. Moammad of Bmn occupied it when its Turkish governor, a
vassal of the Qar ety, had died, and incorporated it briefly into the Ghurid empire. Yet within a
decade, Bal and Terme passed to the Ghurids rival, the razmh Al-al-Dn Moammad,
who seized it in 602/1205-06 and appointed as governor there a Turkish commander, ari or
Jafar. In summer of 617/1220 the Mongols first appeared at Bal.

7. ^ Franklin D. Lewis, "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The life, Teaching and poetry of
Jalal Al-Din Rumi", Oneworld Publication Limited, 2008 p. 9: "How is that a Pesian boy born
almost eight hundred years ago in Khorasan, the northeastern province of greater Iran, in a region
that we identify today as n Asia, but was considered in those days as part of the greater Persian
cultural sphere, wound up in central Anatolia on the receding edge of the Byzantine cultural
sphere"

8. ^ The Complete Idiot's Guide to Rumi Meditations , Penguin Group, p.48

9. ^ Annemarie Schimmel, "The Mystery of Numbers",Oxford University Press, Apr 7, 1994. p. 51:
"These examples are taken from the Persian mystic Rumi's work, not from Chinese, but they
express the yang-yin [sic] relationship with perfect lucidity."

10. ^ a b Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "Islamic Art and Spirituality", Suny Press, 1987. p. 115: "Jalal al-
Din was born in a major center of Persian culture, Balkh, from Persian speaking parents, and is
the product of that Islamic Persian culture which in the 7th/13th century dominated the 'whole of
the eastern lands of Islam and to which present day Persians as well as Turks, Afghans, Central
Asian Muslims and the Muslims of the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent are heir. It is precisely in this
world that the sun of his spiritual legacy has shone most brillianty during the past seven
centuries. The father of Jalal al-Din, Muhammad ibn Husayn Khatibi, known as Baha al-Din Walad
and entitled Sultan al-'ulama', was an outstanding Sufi in Balkh connected to the spiritual lineage
of Najm al-Din Kubra."

11. ^ a b Charles Haviland (2007-09-30). "The roar of Rumi800 years on" . BBC News.
Retrieved 2007-09-30.

12. ^ Ciabattari, Jane (21 October 2014). "Why is Rumi the best-selling poet in the US?" .
Retrieved 2016-08-22.

13. ^ Tompkins, Ptolemy (2002-10-29). "Rumi Rules!" . Time. ISSN0040-781X . Retrieved

2016-08-22.

14. ^ , . 1993. . 10.1819: 322.

15. ^ Meyer, G. 1895. Die griechischen Verse in Rabbnma. Byzantinische Zeitschrift 4: 401
411.

16. ^ "Greek Verses of Rumi & Sultan Walad" . uci.edu. 22 April 2009. Archived from the
original on 13 December 2013.
17. ^ a b Annemarie Schimmel, The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rumi,
SUNY Press, 1993, p. 193: "Rumi's mother tongue was Persian, but he had learned during his
stay in Konya, enough Turkish and Greek to use it, now and then, in his verse."

18. ^ a b Franklin Lewis: "On the question of Rumi's multilingualism (pages 31517), we may still
say that he spoke and wrote in Persian as a native language, wrote and conversed in Arabic as a
learned "foreign" language and could at least get by at the market in Turkish and Greek (although
some wildly extravagant claims have been made about his command of Attic Greek, or his native
tongue being Turkish) (Lewis 2008:xxi). (Franklin Lewis, "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West:
The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi," One World Publication Limited, 2008).
Franklin also points out that: Living among Turks, Rumi also picked up some colloquial
Turkish.(Franklin Lewis, "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry
of Jalal al-Din Rumi," One World Publication Limited, 2008, p. 315). He also mentions Rumi
composed thirteen lines in Greek (Franklin Lewis, "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The
Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi," One World Publication Limited, 2008, p. 316).
On Rumi's son, Sultan Walad, Franklin mentions: Sultan Walad elsewhere admits that he has
little knowledge of Turkish(Sultan Walad): Franklin Lewis, "Rumi, "Past and Present, East and
West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi," One World Publication Limited, 2008,
p. 239) and Sultan Valad did not feel confident about his command of Turkish(Franklin Lewis,
Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2000, p. 240)

19. ^ Louis Gardet, "Religion and Culture" in the The Cambridge History of IslamPart VIII:
Islamic Society and Civilization, edited by P. M. Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis,
Cambridge University Press (1977), p. 586: "It is sufficient to mention 'Aziz al-Din Nasafi, Farid al-
Din 'Attar and Sa'adi, and above all Jalal al-Din Rumi, whose Mathnawi remains one of the purest
literary glories of Persia"

20. ^ a b C.E. Bosworth, "Turkmen Expansion towards the west" in UNESCO HISTORY OF
HUMANITY, Volume IV, titled "From the Seventh to the Sixteenth Century", UNESCO Publishing /
Routledge, p. 391: "While the Arabic language retained its primacy in such spheres as law,
theology and science, the culture of the Seljuk court and secular literature within the sultanate
became largely Persianized; this is seen in the early adoption of Persian epic names by the Seljuk
rulers (Qubd, Kay Khusraw and so on) and in the use of Persian as a literary language (Turkmen
must have been essentially a vehicle for everyday speech at this time). The process of
Persianization accelerated in the 13th century with the presence in Konya of two of the most
distinguished refugees fleeing before the Mongols, Bah' al-Dn Walad and his son Mawln Jall
al-Dn Rm, whose Mathnaw, composed in Konya, constitutes one of the crowning glories of
classical Persian literature."
21. ^ "Interview: 'Many Americans Love Rumi...But They Prefer He Not Be Muslim' " .
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2016-08-22.

22. ^ "INTERVIEW: A mystical journey with Rumi" . Asia Times. Retrieved 2016-08-22.

23. ^ "Dvn-i Kebr Jall al-Dn Rm" . OMI Old Manuscripts & Incunabula. Retrieved
2016-08-22.

24. ^ Franklin Lewis (2008). Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and
Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi. One World Publication Limited. p.9.

25. ^ But also Celleddin Muhammed Belhi, Celleddin Muhammed Rmi, and Mevlevi in Modern
Turkish.

26. ^ Jall al-Dn Rm (Maulana), Ibrahim Gamard, "Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories,
Poems, and Discourses, Annotated & Explained," SkyLight Paths Publishing, Feb 1, 2004.

27. ^ a b Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "Islamic Art and Spirituality," Suny Press, 1987. p. 115: "Jalal al-
Din was born in a major center of Persian culture, Balkh, from Persian speaking parents, and is
the product of that Islamic Persian culture which in the 7th/13th century dominated the 'whole of
the eastern lands of Islam and to which present day Persians as well as Turks, Afghans, Central
Asian Muslims and the Muslims of the Indo-Pakistani and the Muslims of the Indo-Pakistani
subcontinent are heir. It is precisely in this world that the sun of his spiritual legacy has shone
most brilliantly during the past seven centuries. The father of Jalal al-Din, Muhammad ibn Husayn
Khatibi, known as Baha al-Din Walad and entitled Sultan al-'ulama', was an outstanding Sufi in
Balkh connected to the spiritual lineage of Najm al-Din Kubra."

28. ^ a b "UNESCO. Executive Board; 175th; UNESCO Medal in honour of Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din
Balkhi-Rumi; 2006" (PDF) . UNESDOC UNESCO Documents and Publications. October 2006.
Retrieved 25 June 2014.

29. ^ Franklin D. Lewis, "Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The life, Teaching and poetry of
Jalal Al-Din Rumi", Oneworld Publication Limited, 2008 p. 9: "How is that a Persian boy born
almost eight hundred years ago in Khorasan, the northeastern province of greater Iran, in a region
that we identify today as Central Asia, but was considered in those days as part of the greater
Persian cultural sphere, wound up in central Anatolia on the receding edge of the Byzantine
cultural sphere"

30. ^ Maqsood Jafr, "The gleam of wisdom", Sigma Press, 2003. p. 238: "Rumi has influenced a
large number of writers while on the other hand he himself was under the great influence of Sanai
and Attar.
31. ^ A. J. Arberry, "Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam",Courier Dover Publications, Nov
9, 2001. p. 141

32. ^ Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam's
Mystical Tradition" HarperCollins, Sep 2, 2008. page 130: "Attar has traversed the seven cities of
Love, We are still at the turn of one street!"

33. ^ Grousset, Rene, The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, (Rutgers University
Press, 2002), 157; "...the Seljuk court at Konya adopted Persian as its official language.".

34. ^ Amad of Nide's "al-Walad al-Shafq" and the Seljuk Past, A. C. S. Peacock, Anatolian
Studies, Vol. 54, (2004), 97; With the growth of Seljuk power in Rum, a more highly developed
Muslim cultural life, based on the Persianate culture of the Great Seljuk court, was able to take
root in Anatolia

35. ^ Carter Vaughn Findley, The Turks in World History, Oxford University Press, Nov 11, 2004.
p. 72: Meanwhile, amid the migratory swarm that Turkified Anatolia, the dispersion of learned
men from the Persian-speaking east paradoxically made the Seljuks court at Konya a new center
for Persian court culture, as exemplified by the great mystical poet Jelaleddin Rumi (120773).

36. ^ Barks, Coleman, Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing, HarperCollins,
2005, p. xxv, ISBN 978-0-06-075050-3

37. ^ Note: Rumi's shrine is now known as the Mevlna Museum in Turkey

38. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2000.

How is it that a Persian boy born almost eight hundred years ago in Khorasan, the
northeastern province of greater Iran, in a region that we identify today as Central
Asia, but was considered in those days as part of the Greater Persian cultural
sphere, wound up in Central Anatolia on the receding edge of the Byzantine
cultural sphere, in which is now Turkey

39. ^ a b c d Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008
(revised edition). pp. 9092: "Baha al-Dins disciples also traced his family lineage to the first
caliph, Abu Bakr (Sep 9; Af 7; JNO 457; Dow 213). This probably stems from willful confusion
over his paternal great grandmother, who was the daughter of Abu Bakr of Sarakhs, a noted jurist
(d. 1090). The most complete genealogy offered for family stretches back only six or seven
generations and cannot reach to Abu Bakr, the companion and first caliph of the Prophet, who
died two years after the Prophet, in C.E. 634 (FB 56 n.3)."
40. ^ a b c H. Algar, BAH-AL-DN MOAMMAD WALAD , Encyclopedia Iranica. There is no
reference to such descent in the works of Bah-e Walad and Mawln Jall-al-Dn or in the
inscriptions on their sarcophagi. The attribution may have arisen from confusion between the
caliph and another Ab Bakr, ams-al-Aemma Ab Bakr Saras (d. 483/1090), the well-known
Hanafite jurist, whose daughter, Ferdows tn, was the mother of Amad ab, Bah-e
Walads grandfather (see Forznfar, Resla, p. 6). Tradition also links Bah-e Walads lineage to
the razmh dynasty. His mother is said to have been the daughter of Al-al-Dn Moammad
razmh (d. 596/1200), but this appears to be excluded for chronological reasons (Forznfar,
Resla, p. 7)

41. ^ a b c (Ritter, H.; Bausani, A. "Jall al- Dn Rm b. Bah al-Dn Suln al-ulam Walad b.
usayn b. Amad hab ." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E.
Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. Excerpt: "known by the
sobriquet Mawln (Mevlna), Persian poet and founder of the Mawlawiyya order of dervishes"):
"The assertions that his family tree goes back to Ab Bakr, and that his mother was a daughter of
the hwrizmshh Al al-Dn Muammad (Aflk, i, 89) do not hold on closer examination (B.
Furznfarr, Mawln jall Dn, Tehrn 1315, 7; Alna Sharatmadr, Nad-i matn-i mathnaw,
in Yaghm, xii (1338), 164; Amad Aflk, Ariflerin menkibeleri, trans. Tahsin Yazc, Ankara 1953,
i, nsz, 44).")

42. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008
(revised edition). p. 44:Baha al-Dins father, Hosayn, had been a religious scholar with a bent for
asceticism, occupied like his own father before him, Ahmad, with the family profession of
preacher (khatib). Of the four canonical schools of Sunni Islam, the family adhered to the
relatively liberal Hanafi rite. Hosayn-e Khatibi enjoyed such renown in his youthso says Aflaki
with characteristic exaggerationthat Razi al-Din Nayshapuri and other famous scholars came to
study with him (Af 9; for the legend about Baha al-Din, see below, The Mythical Baha al-Din).
Another report indicates that Baha al-Dins grandfather, Ahmad al-Khatibi, was born to Ferdows
Khatun, a daughter of the reputed Hanafite jurist and author Shams al-Aemma Abu Bakr of
Sarakhs, who died circa 1088 (Af 75; FB 6 n.4; Mei 74 n. 17). This is far from implausible and, if
true, would tend to suggest that Ahmad al-Khatabi had studied under Shams al-Aemma. Prior to
that the family could supposedly trace its roots back to Isfahan. We do not learn the name of
Baha al-Dins mother in the sources, only that he referred to her as Mama (Mami), and that she
lived to the 1200s. (p. 44)

43. ^ Ahmed, Nazeer, Islam in Global History: From the Death of Prophet Muhammed to the First
World War, p.58, Xlibris Corporation (2000), ISBN 978-0-7388-5962-0

44. ^ "Hz. Mawlana and Shams" . semazen.net.

45. ^ The Essential Rumi. Translations by Coleman Barks, p. xx.

46. ^ Helminski, Camille. "Introduction to Rumi: Daylight" . Archived from the original on July
16, 2011. Retrieved 2007-05-06.

47. ^ Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (1987). Islamic Art and Spirituality . SUNY Press. p.120. ISBN978-
0-88706-174-5.

48. ^ Mevlna Jalal al-din Rumi

49. ^ H. Crane "Notes on Saldjq Architectural Patronage in Thirteenth Century Anatolia," Journal
of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, v. 36, n. 1 (1993), p. 18.

50. ^ Ibrahim Gamard (with gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1930 British translation). The
Mathnaw-y Ma`naw - Rhymed Couplets of Deep Spiritual Meaning of Jalaluddin Rumi.

51. ^ Maulana Rumi (25 May 2011). The Masnavi I Ma'navi of Rumi: Complete 6 Books .
CreateSpace. ISBN978-1-4635-1016-9. Retrieved 28 September 2011.

52. ^ Naini, Majid. The Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of
Love.

53. ^ Abdul Rahman Jami notes:

What can I say in praise of that great one?
He is not a Prophet but has come with a book;
The Spiritual Masnavi of Mowlavi
Is the Qur'an in the language of Pahlavi (Persian).

(Khawaja Abdul Hamid Irfani, "The Sayings of Rumi and Iqbal", Bazm-e-Rumi, 1976.)

54. ^ J.T.P. de Bruijn, "Comparative Notes on Sanai and 'Attar", The Heritage of Sufism, L.
Lewisohn, ed., p. 361: "It is common place to mention Hakim Sana'i (d. 525/1131) and Farid al-
Din 'Attar (1221) together as early highlights in a tradition of Persian mystical poetry which
reached its culmination in the work of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi and those who belonged to the
early Mawlawi circle. There is abundant evidence available to prove that the founders of the
Mawlawwiya in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries regarded these two poets as their most
important predecessors"

55. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008
(revised edition). p. 306: "The manuscripts versions differ greatly in the size of the text and
orthography. Nicholsons text has 25,577 lines though the average medieval and early modern
manuscripts contained around 27,000 lines, meaning the scribes added two thousand lines or
about eight percent more to the poem composed by Rumi. Some manuscripts give as many as
32,000!"

56. ^ Franklin D. Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teaching, and Poetry of
Jall al-Din Rumi, rev. ed. (2008). p. 314: The Foruzanfars edition of the Divan-e Shams
compromises 3229 ghazals and qasidas making a total of almost 35000 lines, not including
several hundred lines of stanzaic poems and nearly two thousand quatrains attributed to him

57. ^ Dar al-Masnavi Website, accessed December 2009 : According to the Dar al-Masnavi
website: In Forznfar's edition of Rumi's Divan, there are 90 ghazals (Vol. 1, 29;Vol. 2, 1; Vol. 3,
6; Vol. 4, 8; Vol. 5, 19, Vol. 6, 0; Vol. 7, 27) and 19 quatrains entirely in Arabic. In addition, there
are ghazals which are all Arabic except for the final line; many have one or two lines in Arabic
within the body of the poem; some have as many as 913 consecutive lines in Arabic, with
Persian verses preceding and following; some have alternating lines in Persian, then Arabic;
some have the first half of the verse in Persian, the second half in Arabic.

58. ^ Mecdut MensurOghlu: The Divan of Jalal al-Din Rumi contains 35 couplets in Turkish and
Turkish-Persian which have recently been published me (Celal al-Din Rumis turkische Verse:
UJb. XXIV (1952), pp. 106115)

59. ^ Franklin D. Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teaching, and Poetry of
Jall al-Din Rumi, rev. ed. (2008): "a couple of dozen at most of the 35,000 lines of the Divan-I
Shams are in Turkish, and almost all of these lines occur in poems that are predominantly in
Persian"

60. ^ Dedes, D. 1993. [Poems by Rumi]. Ta Istorika 10.1819: 3

22.

61. ^ http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/Play/rumiwalad.htm

62. ^ Franklin D. Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teaching, and Poetry of
Jall al-Din Rumi, rev. ed. (2008): "Three poems have bits of demotic Greek; these have been
identified and translated into French, along with some Greek verses of Sultan Valad. Golpinarli
(GM 416417) indicates according to Vladimir Mir Mirughli, the Greek used in some of Rumis
macaronic poems reflects the demotic Greek of the inhabitants of Anatolia. Golpinarli then argues
that Rumi knew classical Persian and Arabic with precision, but typically composes poems in a
more popular or colloquial Persian and Arabic.".

63. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West The Life, Teachings, and Poetry
of Jalal al-Din Rumi, Oneworld Publications, 2000, Chapter 7.

64. ^ As Safa points out (Saf 2:1206) the Discourse reflect the stylistics of oral speech and lack
the sophisticated word plays, Arabic vocabulary and sound patterning that we would except from
a consciously literary text of this period. Once again, the style of Rumi as lecturer or orator in
these discourses does not reflect an audience of great intellectual pretensions, but rather middle-
class men and women, along with number of statesmen and rulers (Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past
and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008 (revised edition). p. 292)

65. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008
(revised edition). p. 293

66. ^ Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2008
(revised edition). p. 295:In contrast with the prose of his Discourses and sermons, the style of
the letters is consciously sophisticated and epistolary, in conformity with the expectations of
correspondence directed to nobles, statesmen and kings"

67. ^ Rumi: 53 Secrets from the Tavern of Love, trans. by Amin Banani and Anthony A. Lee, p. 3

68. ^ Verse (21:107) English Translation

69. ^ Ibrahim Gamard, Rumi and Islam , p.163

70. ^ Ibrahim Gamard, Rumi and Islam , p.177

71. ^ Lewis 2000, pp.407408

72. ^ Lewis 2000, p.408

73. ^ Ibrahim Gamard, Rumi and Self Discovery , Dar al Masnavi

74. ^ Ibrahim Gamard (2004), Rumi and Islam , SkyLight Paths, p.169

75. ^ About the Masnavi , Dar Al-Masnavi

76. ^ Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "Rumi and the Sufi Tradition," in Chelkowski (ed.), The Scholar and
the Saint, p. 183

77. ^ Quoted in Ibrahim Gamard, Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and
Discourses Annotated and Explained, p. 171.

78. ^ Said, Farida. "REVIEWS: The Rumi craze" . Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
Retrieved 2007-05-19.
79. ^ "index" . naini.net.

80. ^ "Rumi Network by Shahram Shiva The World's Most Popular Website on Rumi" .
rumi.net.

81. ^ "University of Tehran" . ut.ac.ir.

82. ^ Curiel, Jonathan, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer, Islamic verses: The influence of
Muslim literature in the United States has grown stronger since the Sept. 11 attacks (February 6,
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84. ^ a b Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2000.

85. ^ See for example 4th grade Iranian school book where the story of the Parrot and Merchant
from the Mathnawi is taught to students

86. ^ "Sufism" . gmu.edu.

87. ^ ISCAThe Islamic Supreme Council of America Archived August 27, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine.

88. ^ "Mevlna Celleddin Rumi" . Retrieved 2007-05-19.

89. ^ a b "About the Mevlevi Order of America" . hayatidede.org.

90. ^ Hanut, Eryk (2000). Rumi: The Card and Book Pack: Meditation, Inspiration, Self-discovery.
The Rumi Card Book . Tuttle Publishing. xiii. ISBN978-1-885203-95-3.

91. ^ Web Page Under Construction

92. ^ Mango, Andrew, Atatrk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey, (2002), ISBN
978-1-58567-011-6.

93. ^ Kloosterman Genealogy, Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi

94. ^ The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony UNESCO.

95. ^ Edward G. Browne, A Literary History of Persia from the Earliest Times Until Firdawsh, 543
pp., Adamant Media Corporation, 2002, ISBN 978-1-4021-6045-5, ISBN 978-1-4021-6045-5 (see
p.437)

96. ^ Annemarie Schimmel, Deciphering the Signs of God, 302 pp., SUNY Press, 1994, ISBN 978-
0-7914-1982-3, ISBN 978-0-7914-1982-3 (see p.210)
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Zaman Gazetesi" . zaman.com.

98. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" . mfa.gov.af.

99. ^

100. ^ Int'l congress on Molana opens in Tehran

101. ^ Iran Daily Arts & Culture 10/03/06 Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback
Machine.

102. ^ CHN | News

103. ^ "Podcast Episode: Living Dialogues: Coleman Barks: The Soul of Rumi (Thought-Leaders
in Transforming Ourselves and Our Global Community with Duncan Campbell, Visionary
Conversationalist, Living Dialogues.com" . personallifemedia.com.

104. ^ tehrantimes.com, 300 dervishes whirl for Rumi in Turkey

105. ^ "Mawlana Rumi Review" . facebook.com.

106. ^ a b "archetypebooks.com" . archetypebooks.com.

107. ^ Lewisohn, Leonard. "Editor's Note" . Mawlana Rumi Review.

Further reading

English translations
Ma-Aarif-E-Mathnavi A commentary of the Mathnavi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (R.A.), by
Hazrat Maulana Hakim Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (D.B.), 1997.

The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi, by William Chittick, Albany: SUNY
Press, 1983.

The Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of Love, by Majid
M. Naini, Universal Vision & Research, 2002 ISBN 978-0-9714600-0-3 www.naini.net

The Mesnevi of Mevlna Jellu'd-dn er-Rm. Book first, together with some account of the
life and acts of the Author, of his ancestors, and of his descendants, illustrated by a selection of
characteristic anecdotes, as collected by their historian, Mevlna Shemsu'd-dn Ahmed el-Eflk
el-'Arif , translated and the poetry versified by James W. Redhouse, London: 1881. Contains the
translation of the first book only.
 Masnav-i Ma'nav, the Spiritual Couplets of Mauln Jallu'd-din Muhammad Rm,
translated and abridged by E. H. Whinfield, London: 1887; 1989. Abridged version from the
complete poem. On-line editions at sacred-texts.com , archive.org and on wikisource.

The Masnav by Jallu'd-din Rm. Book II, translated for the first time from the Persian into
prose, with a Commentary, by C.E. Wilson, London: 1910.

The Mathnaw of Jallu'ddn Rm, edited from the oldest manuscripts available, with critical
notes, translation and commentary by Reynold A. Nicholson, in 8 volumes, London: Messrs
Luzac & Co., 19251940. Contains the text in Persian. First complete English translation of the
Mathnaw.

Rending The Veil: Literal and Poetic Translations of Rumi, translated by Shahram Shiva
Hohm Press, 1995 ISBN 978-0-934252-46-1. Recipient of Benjamin Franklin Award.

Hush, Don't Say Anything to God: Passionate Poems of Rumi, translated by Shahram Shiva
Jain Publishing, 1999 ISBN 978-0-87573-084-4.

The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks with John Moyne, A. J. Arberry, Reynold
Nicholson, San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1996 ISBN 978-0-06-250959-8; Edison (NJ) and New
York: Castle Books, 1997 ISBN 978-0-7858-0871-8. Selections.

The Illuminated Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, Michael Green contributor, New York:
Broadway Books, 1997 ISBN 978-0-7679-0002-7.

The Masnavi: Book One, translated by Jawid Mojaddedi, Oxford World's Classics Series,
Oxford University Press, 2004 ISBN 978-0-19-280438-9. Translated for the first time from the
Persian edition prepared by Mohammad Estelami with an introduction and explanatory notes.
Awarded the 2004 Lois Roth Prize for excellence in translation of Persian literature by the
American Institute of Iranian Studies.

Divani Shamsi Tabriz, translated by Nevit Oguz Ergin as Divan-i-kebir, published by Echo
Publications, 2003 ISBN 978-1-887991-28-5.

The rubais of Rumi: insane with love, translations and commentary by Nevit Oguz Ergin and
Will Johnson, Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59477-183-5.

The Masnavi: Book Two, translated by Jawid Mojaddedi, Oxford World's Classics Series,
Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-921259-0. The first ever verse translation of the
unabridged text of Book Two, with an introduction and explanatory notes.

Mystical Poems of Rumi, Translated by A. J. Arberry, (University of Chicago Press, 2009)

The quatrains of Rumi: Complete translation with Persian text, Islamic mystical commentary,
manual of terms, and concordance, translated by Ibrahim W. Gamard and A. G. Rawan Farhadi,
2008.

The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of ECS+A+IC Poems, translations by Coleman Barks,
Harper One, 2002.

The Hundred Tales of Wisdom, a translation by Idries Shah of the Manqib ul-refn of Aflk,
Octagon Press 1978. Episodes from the life of Rumi and some of his teaching stories.

Rumi: 53 Secrets from the Tavern of Love: Poems from the Rubaiyat of Mowlana Rumi,
translated by Amin Banani and Anthony A. Lee (White Cloud Press, 2014) ISBN 978-1-940468-00-
6.

Life and work

Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim, "The metaphysics of Rumi: A critical and historical sketch ", The
Institute of Islamic Culture, 1959. ISBN 978-8-17435-475-4

Fatemeh Keshavarz, "Reading Mystical Lyric: The Case of Jalal al-Din Rumi ", University of
South Carolina Press, 1998. ISBN 978-1-57003-180-9.

Mawlana Rumi Review mawlanarumireview.com . An annual review devoted to Rumi.

Archetype , 2010. ISBN 978-1-901383-38-6.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Art and Spirituality, Albany: SUNY Press, 1987, chapters 7 and
8.

William Chittick, The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi: Illustrated Edition, Bloomington: World Wisdom,
2005.

Annemarie Schimmel, The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rumi, Albany:
SUNY Press, 1993.

Majid M. Naini, The Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of
Love , Universal Vision & Research, 2002, ISBN 978-0-9714600-0-3

Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld Publications, 2000. ISBN
978-1-85168-214-0

Leslie Wines, Rumi: A Spiritual Biography, New York: Crossroads, 2001 ISBN 978-0-8245-
2352-7.

Rumi's Thoughts, edited by Seyed G Safavi, London: London Academy of Iranian Studies,
2003.

efik Can, Fundamentals of Rumi's Thought: A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective, Sommerset (NJ):
The Light Inc., 2004 ISBN 978-1-932099-79-9.
 Rumi's Tasawwuf and Vedanta by R M Chopra in Indo Iranica Vol. 60

Athanasios Sideris, "Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi ", an entry on Rumi's connections to the
Greek element in Asia Minor, in the Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World Asia Minor , 2003.

Persian literature
E.G. Browne, History of Persia , four volumes, 1998 ISBN 978-0-7007-0406-4. 2,256 pages,
and twenty-five years in the writing.

Jan Rypka, History of Iranian Literature, Reidel Publishing Company; 1968 OCLC460598 .
ISBN 978-90-277-0143-5

"RUMI: His Teachings And Philosophy" by R.M. Chopra, Iran Society, Kolkata (2007).

External links

Works by Rumi at Project Gutenberg

Works by or about Rumi at Internet Archive

Works by Rumi at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Works by Rumi at Open Library

Dar al Masnavi , several English versions of selections by different translators.

Last edited 13 days agoby Capistranese