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In a 13th-century world fractured by the brutality of the Mongol invasions, Jalal al-Din Rumi emerged not merely as a scholar, but as a revolutionary of the heart who argued that love is the fundamental architect of the universe. A Persian theologian turned mystic, Rumi occupies a singular space in intellectual history as the bridge between orthodox Islamic law and the fluid, experiential reality of Sufism. He is historically defined by his prolific output following the disappearance of his spiritual mentor, Shams Tabrizi, resulting in over 65,000 verses of poetry.
Poet · Jurist
Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–1273) was a 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic whose influence transcends borders and centuries. Born in Balkh and settling in Konya (modern-day Turkey), Rumi transformed from a sober orthodox jurist into an ecstatic master of divine love after his encounter with the wandering dervish Shams Tabrizi. He is best known for the *Masnavi*, a massive six-volume poem often called "the Quran in Persian," which weaves folklore, scripture, and philosophy to map the soul's journey back to God. As the spiritual inspiration behind the Mevlevi Order, or "Whirling Dervishes," Rumi emphasized that the physical universe is a reflection of the Divine and that love is the only force capable of bridging the gap between the two. His work remains a vital spiritual guide, championing the dissolution of the ego to reveal the truth within.
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"When thou seest my hearse, cry not, ‘parted! parted!’Union and meeting are mine in that hour.If thou commit to the grave, say not ‘farewell! farewell!’For the grave is a curtain hiding the communion of Paradise. p. 141, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"The men of God are like fishes in the ocean; they pop up into view on the surface here and there and everywhere, as they please. Nur Elmessiri, "A feather on the breath of God" in Al-Ahram Weekly Online, no. 385 Issue (9-15 July 1998)"
"The seed of the spirit sown beneath this water and clay (the body)Becomes not a tree until it reach Thy spring. p. 61, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love."
"Hearken to the reed-flute, how it discoursesWhen complaining of the pains of separation;'Ever since they tore me from my osier-bed,My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears.I burst my breast striving to give vent to sighs,And to express the pangs of yearning for my home;He who abides far away from his home,Is ever longing for the day he shall return.' p. 37 (Whinfield)"
"The Sufi is hanging on to Muhammad, like Abu Bakr. Ibrahim Gamard, Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses — Annotated and Explained (2004) p. 171"
"O brave friend, grasp His skirt,Who is removed alike from the world above and below;Who will abide with thee in the house and abroadWhen thou lackest house and homeHe will bring forth peace out of perturbationsAnd when thou art afflicted, will keep His promise. p. 61 (Whinfield)"
"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself. I, 1389"
"When the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray."
"Whoever enters the Way without a guide will take a hundred years to travel a two-day journey. III, 588 (tr. W. C. Chittick, 1983)"
"We have a way from this visible world to the Unseen, for we are the companions of religion's messenger.We have a way from the house to the garden, we are the neighbor of the cypress and jasmine.Every day we come to the garden and see a hundred blossoms.In order to scatter them among the lovers, we will our robes to overflowing...Behold our words! They are the fragrance of those roses--we are the rosebush of certainty's rosegarden. "The Beloved's Beloved" (tr. Chittick)"
"Tis marvellous by what way thou wentest from the worldThou didst strongly shake thy wings and feathers and having broken thy cageDidst ae to the air and journey towards the world of soul.Thou wert a favourite falcon kept in captivity by an old womanWhen thou heard’st the falcon-drum, thou didst fly away into the void. p. 6, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"For this cause, O son, the Prince of men declared'The majority of those in Paradise are the foolish'.Cleverness is as a wind raising storms of prideBe foolish, so that your heart may he at peace. p. 7 (Whinfield)"
"Thou, nearer to me than I to myself. "Presence", no. 513 Compare: "More within us than we within ourselves." — Giordano Bruno"
"The fire of Love cooks meEvery night it drags me to the Tavern.It seats me with the People of the TavernSo that no one except the People of the Tavern will know me. "The States of the Lover" (tr. Gamard and Farhadi)"
"O indestructible Love! O divine minstrelThou art both stay and refuge; a name equal to thee I have not found. p. 78, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"Maybe you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots."
"Camille and Kabir Helminski, Rumi Daylight: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance (1990)"
"Love of God cuts short reasonings, O beloved,For it is a present refuge from perplexities.Through love bewilderment befalls the power of speechIt no longer dares to utter what passes;Therefore it closes lips from saying good or badSo that its treasure may not escape it. p. 135 (Whinfield)"
"Why, when God’s earth is so wide, have you fallen asleep in prison? p. 32, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"Union exists beyond all thought and speechBetween great Allah and the soul of each. p. 137 (Whinfield)"
"Our wakefulness fetters our spirits,Then our souls are a prey to various whims,Thoughts of loss and gain and fears of misery.They retain not purity nor dignity nor lustre,Nor aspiration to soar heavenwards.That one is really sleeping who hankers after each whimAnd holds parley with each fancy. p. 52 (Whinfield)"
"All creatures are enslaved to thought,For this cause are they sad at heart and sorrowful. p. 147 (Whinfield)"
"Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably."
"Alas for this life so light, beware of this slumber so heavy,O soul seek the Beloved,O friend seek the FriendO watchman be wakeful; it behoves not a watchman to sleep. p. 88, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"The spirit ever leads to haunts of holy men,The flesh would cast thee in the pit of sin again.Beware! Feed thou thy soul with love from holy ground;Make haste! seek means of grace from one who grace hath found. p. 69 (Redhouse)"
"When you see anyone complainingof such and such a person's ill-nature and bad temper,know that the complainant is bad-tempered,forasmuch as he speaks ill of that bad-tempered person,because he alone is good-tempered who is quietly forbearingtowards the bad-tempered and ill-natured. IV, 771-4 (tr. Helminski, 1996)"
"The philosopher denies the existence of the DevilAt the same time he is the Devil’s laughing-stock.If thou hast not seen the Devil, look at thyself,Without demon’s aid how came that blue turban on thy brow. pp. 83-4 (Whinfield)"
"Reason is powerless in the expression of Love."
"O Thou, Who art exempt from ‘us’ and ‘we’Who pervadest the spirits of all men and women;When man and woman become one, thou art that one.When their union is dissolved, lo Thou abidest.Thou hast made these ‘us’ and ‘we’ for that purposeTo wit, to play chess with them by thyself. p. 80 (Whinfield)"
"How many letters thou writest with Thy Almighty penThrough marvelling thereat stones become as wax;These letters exercise and perplex reason,Write on, O skilful Fair-writer,Imprinting every moment on Not-being the fair formsOf the world of ideals to confound all thought. p. 42 (Whinfield)"
"They say ‘What is love?’ Say ‘renunciation of will’Whoso has not escaped from will, no will has he. p. 105, Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz (Nicholson)"
"Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there."
"I want a heart which is split, part by part, because of the pain of separation from God, so that I might explain my longing and complaint to it. Fethullah Gülen, "Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi" in The Fountain, no. 24 (July-September 2004)"
Quick answers about Rumi.
Rumi's contributions are critical because he dismantled the rigid barriers between religious intellect and spiritual intuition, proposing that music, poetry, and dance (Sama) are valid methodologies for accessing truth. His philosophy of 'unity of being' challenges modern alienation by asserting that every human is a mirror of the Divine, requiring only the polishing of the heart to reflect God's light.
To apply Rumi's teachings, one must practice 'active surrender,' viewing personal suffering not as meaningless pain but as the cracking of the shell that encloses understanding. His work suggests replacing the desire for control with the discipline of listening, using the metaphor of the reed flute to empty oneself of the ego so that the breath of life may flow through unimpeded.
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"Rumi remains the eternal host of the human spirit, reminding us that 'the wound is the place where the Light enters you."