Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi and Sufism

Sufism as Islamic mysticism found a means of expression in medieval Turkish literature through a unique poetic form. The Sufis practiced poetry but not so much as a vehicle of creativity for expressing their ideas, thoughts and emotions, but rather they used it as an outlet for their religious passion.

Sufism is characterized by the concept of a union of the human being with the creator, God, through the power of love. The union is thought to be of the will and it is held that suffering, as well as love, was a necessary condition of the union.   Primarily Sufism evolved as a philosophical interpretation of the Islamic thoughts and developed side by side with growing rival force of orthodox religious beliefs expounded by dogmatic religious groups and by some specialized educational institutions. In terms of practicing and interpreting religious values and norms Sufism gave a moderate milieu and emerged as an outlook emanating from emancipation of the intellect.

Two great philosophers, Abu Nasr Al Farabi (872-950) and Ibne Sina (980-1037) gave impetus to the Sufi movement in the 9^th century. With the growth of Turkish power, Seljuk, and later Ottoman, in the Islamic world, the mystic movement became firmly established, and the takayas, or mystic circles, flourished in every corner of Anatolia.

The Sufi philosophy is based on the conviction that the only true existence is that of God, and that everything else in the universe is an image of God in different forms. The image closest to God's true identity is Man. "God could see Himself in Man, as we could see our own image in the pupils of our eyes reflected from a mirror." Truth (Existence), Beauty and Benevolence are attributes of God. Untruth (Void), Ugliness and Cruelty are temporary things, essential for the understanding of these attributes of God. If man wishes to reach true existence, which is union with God, he must strive to rid himself of the temporary attributes, and cultivate the Godly attributes. By exploratory ourselves we will discover these hidden within ourselves. It follows that introspection is the basis of much of the poems of the great Yunus Emre (? -1307) and other Sufi poets.

Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī and to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi has been judged as celeberated great Sufi poet of all ages. His name literally means "Majesty of Religion"; Jalal means "majesty" and Din means "religion". Rumi is a descriptive name meaning "the Roman" since he lived most parts of his life in Anatolia which had been part of the Byzantine Empire two centuries before. He  was born on  September 30, 1207 in Bulkh (in present-day Afghanistan), and died on December 17, 1273  in Konya, Seljuk Empire  (in present-day Turkey ).

The Mawlana's masterpiece is the Mathnavi, a paired rhyme epic of 25,700 verses compiled in six tones. It has been translated into many languages, the finest version being that of R.A Nicholson. The Mathnavi weaves fables, scenes from everyday life, Qur'anic revelations and exegesis, and metaphysics, into a vast and intricate tapestry. The Mathnavi was written in the form of poetry which included philosophical, mystical, and spiritual messages and could be considered allegories which carry deep spiritual and religious meanings.

The Maulana's lyricism has no equal. Composing his poems in Divan manner, he wrote in Persian, the "Latin" of his time. Such was the intensity of his emotions that occasionally he shattered the rigid canons of the classic form, even frequently writing free verse. Allegory and symbolism play large part in his work.

Maulana means that the universe is an endless place within the existence of God, and as a small part of the whole.  Man keeps that divine essence inside him by saying, -"You who search for God, it's you that you are searching for...." In Mawlana's vision there were two universes which coincided in Man - The Inner World and the Outer World: "The inner world was like an endless infinite ocean, which could only be felt and seen with the eyes of the heart, while the outer world was but like the passing foam which appears on the surface of the waves emanating from that ocean." According to him everything in the universe, every being, even matter itself - all are but manifestations of God and exist in God and are united in the Absolute.

The Maulana was a man filled with love, not only love of God, but a love for all humanity, people of every creed, colour and class." Lovers find secret places, inside this violent world, where they make transactions, with beauty." His famous "We love, that is why we are at peace." Verse was the quintessence of his philosophy and life. At that time it was believed that there were 72 races of mankind, and the Maulana ones said, "I am with 72 races of humanity." Maulana is spellbound and philosophic on his own idea: Reconciling to myself, I emerge into the world, /Bare of all thought, clear love in which /The sun on my doorstep dances to your drum ,/The ant walking into it is no less than you.'

Rumi is considered an example of "insan-e kamil" — the perfected or completed human being. In the East, it is said of him, that he was, "not a prophet — but surely, he has brought a scripture". The general theme of his thoughts, like that of the other mystic and Sufi poets of the Persian and Turkish literature, is essentially about the concept of Tawhīd (unity) and union with his beloved (the primal root) from which and or whom he has been cut and fallen aloof, and his longing and desire for reunite. According to Shahram Shiva (a performance poet and award-winning author, known for his rich and entrancing concerts of Rumi,) one reason for Rumi's popularity is that "Rumi is able to verbalize the highly personal and often confusing world of personal/spiritual growth and mysticism in a very forward and direct fashion. He does not offend anyone, and he includes everyone. The world of Rumi is neither exclusively the world of a Sufi, nor the world of a Hindu, nor a Jew, nor a Christian; it is the highest state of a human being — a fully evolved human. A complete human is not bound by cultural limitations; he touches every one of us. Today Rumi's poems can be heard in churches, synagogues, Zen monasteries, as well as in the downtown New York art/performance/music scene."

The religious and philosophic influence of Maulana spread over three continents, whilst in literature the poet's style was to become the model for all who aspired to the lyrical form. Through translations , Europe and the USA evinced great interest  in the Maulana , and the German poets Ruckert and Goethe, Urdu poet Muhammad Iqbal and Bengali poets Rabibndranath Tagore Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sattyendra Nath Dutt wrote many of their poems under Rumi's influence. Maulana's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. Throughout the centuries he has had a significant influence on Persian well as Urdu, Bengali  and Turkish literatures. In today's tough world, Rumi's ecstatic, sensual poetry of love and spiritual seeking is the planet's best-known voice of the tender, tolerant, sensual side of Islamic culture. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages in various formats, and BBC News has described him as the "most popular poet in America".

Dr Muhammad Abdul Mazid, former Secretary to the GoB and former Chairman NBR [email protected]