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Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi

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I haven't yet sketched out a short biography about Rumi. It always feels a bit foolish to try to distill a rich, full life into just a few paragraphs, but it's especially difficult with Rumi since so much has been written about him and his life.

How about just a few interesting details about Rumi:

Rumi was born in Balkh, Afghanistan. While he was still a child his family moved all the way to Konya in Asia Minor (Turkey). They moved to flee from Mongol invaders who were beginning to sweep into Central Asia. Konya, far to the west of the invaded territories, became one of the major destinations for expatriates to settle, turning the city into a cosmopolitan center of culture, education, and spirituality.

In fact, Rumi wasn't the only famous Sufi teacher living in Konya at the time. The best known spiritual figure in Konya at the time was not Rumi, but the son-in-law of the greatly respected Sufi philosopher ibn 'Arabi. The wonderful Sufi poet Fakhruddin Iraqi also lived in Konya at the same time as Rumi.

"Rumi" was not his proper name; it was more of a nickname. Rumi means literally "The Roman." Why the Roman? Asia Minor (Turkey) was referred to as the land of the Rum, the Romans. The Byzantine Empire, which had only recently fallen, was still thought of as the old Eastern Roman Empire. Rumi was nicknamed the Roman because he lived in what was once the Eastern Roman Empire. ...But not everyone calls him Rumi. In Afghanistan, where he was born, they call him Balkhi, "the man from Balkh," to emphasize his birth in Afghanistan.

Rumi's father was himself a respected religious authority and spiritual teacher. Rumi was raised and educated to follow in his father's footsteps. And, in fact, Rumi inherited his father's religious school. But this was all along very traditional lines. Rumi was already a man with religious position when he first started to experience transcendent states of spiritual ecstasy. This created a radical upheaval, not only in himself, but also within his rather formal spiritual community as everyone tried to adjust to their leader's transformation.

One more note about Rumi's father: It was only after his death that some of the father's private writings were discovered, revealing that he himself was also a profound mystic, though he had kept this part of himself private, apparently even from his son Rumi.

Many of Rumi's poems make reference to the sun. This always has layered meaning for Rumi since he was deeply devoted to his spiritual teacher Shams of Tabriz... as the name Shams means "the sun." The sun for Rumi becomes the radiance of God shining through his beloved teacher.

The spiritual bond between Rumi and Shams was profound, but the two individuals were very different. Rumi was a member of the educated elite within the urban expatriate community, while Shams was a poor wandering mystic who rarely stayed in one place long. Shams would often disappear unexpectedly, then return months later. Many of Rumi's family and students were jealous of Shams, resenting the closeness he shared with their master. Finally, Shams disappeared, never to return. Many believe that he was actually kidnapped and murdered, possibly by Rumi's own sons!

You've heard of "whirling dervishes," right? Not all Sufis practice that spinning meditative dance. That is specific to the Mevlana Sufis, founded by -- yes, Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. The story is told that Rumi would circle around a column, while ecstatically reciting his poetry. The spinning is a meditation on many levels. It teaches stillness and centeredness in the midst of movement. One hand is kept raised to receive from heaven, the other hand is kept lowered to the earth, thus the individual becomes a bridge joining heaven and earth.

Poems by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi

	Ah, what was there in that light-giving candle that it set fire to the heart, and snatched the heart away?
	At night we fall into each other with such grace
	Body of earth, don't talk of earth
	By the God who was in pre-eternity living and moving and omnipotent, everlasting
	come
	During the day I was singing with you
	Fasting
	God is "what is nearer to you than your neck-vein,"
	How long will you say, "I will conquer the whole world
	I drink streamwater and the air
	I lost my world, my fame, my mind
	I regard not the outside and the words
	I smile like a flower not only with my lips
	I'm neither beautiful nor ugly
	If a blow comes to you from Heaven
	Inner Wakefulness
	Keep on knocking
	look at love
	Love is Here
	No end to the journey
	No One Here but Him
	Now comes the final merging
	On Love
	On the Night of Creation I was awake
	Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing
	Reason, leave now! You'll not find wisdom here!
	Sacrifice your intellect in love for the Friend:
	Secret Language
	Secretly we spoke
	Seeking the Source
	Seizing my life in your hands, you thrashed me clean
	Shall I tell you our secret?
	Suddenly, in the sky at dawn, a moon appeared
	That moon which the sky never saw
	The Absolute works with nothing
	The beauty of the heart
	The glow of the light of daybreak is in your emerald vault, the goblet of the blood of twilight is your blood-measuring bowl
	The grapes of my body can only become wine
	The minute I heard my first love story
	The minute I'm disappointed, I feel encouraged
	The real work belongs to someone who desires God
	The Sun Must Come
	This love sacrifices all souls, however wise, however "awakened"
	This moment
	Today I'm out wandering, turning my skull
	Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
	We are the mirror as well as the face in it
	What can I do, Muslims? I do not know myself
	What I want is to see your face
	Whoever finds love
	With Us
	You have fallen in love my dear heart
	You only need smell the wine
	Zero Circle
	A World with No Boundaries (Ghazal 363)
	You are closer to me than myself (Ghazal 2798)

Recommended Books

	Delicious Laughter: Rambunctious Teaching Stories from the Mathnawi of Jelaluddin Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks Amazon.com
	East Window: Poems from Asia, Translated by W. S. Merwin Amazon.com
	The Essential Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks Amazon.com
	A Garden Beyond Paradise: Love Poems of Rumi, by Jonathan Star / Shahram Shiva Amazon.com
	The Hand of Poetry: Five Mystic Poets of Persia, with Lectures by Inayat Khan, Translated by Coleman Barks Amazon.com
	Holy Fire: Nine Visionary Poets and the Quest for Enlightenment, Edited by Daniel Halpern Amazon.com
	The Illuminated Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks Amazon.com
	Love is a Stranger: Selected Lyric Poetry by Jelaluddin Rumi and Kabir, Translated by Kabir Helmiski Amazon.com
	Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, Translated by Daniel Ladinsky Amazon.com
	Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi: (3 book set), by Reynold A. Nicholson Amazon.com
	The Mathnawi: Rumi, Translated by E. H. Whinfield Amazon.com
	Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish & Hebrew Poems, Translated by Bernard Lewis Amazon.com
	Mystical Poems of Rumi: Volume 1, Translated by A. J. Arberry Amazon.com
	Mystical Poems of Rumi: Volume 2, Translated by A. J. Arberry Amazon.com
	One Source: A New Illuminated Rumi, by Michael Green / Translated by Coleman Barks Amazon.com
	Open Secret: Versions of Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks / Translated by John Moyne Amazon.com
	Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom, by Andrew Harvey / Eryk Hanut Amazon.com
	Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty, Edited by Alan Jacobs Amazon.com
	Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses Annotated & Explained, Translated by Ibrahim Gamard Amazon.com
	The Rumi Collection (Shambhala Library), by Kabir Helminski / Nevit Ergin Amazon.com
	Rumi Daylight: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance, by Camille Helminski / Kabir Helminski Amazon.com
	Rumi, A Spiritual Biogrpahy, by Leslie Wines Amazon.com
	Rumi: Dancing the Flame, Translated by Nader Khalili Amazon.com
	Rumi: Fountain of Fire, Translated by Nader Khalili Amazon.com
	Rumi: Hidden Music, Translated by Azima Melita Kolin / Translated by Maryam Mafi Amazon.com
	Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved, by Jonathan Star Amazon.com
	Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance , Edited by Camille Helmiski / Edited by Kabir Helminski Amazon.com
	Rumi's World: The Life and Work of the Great Sufi Poet, by Annemarie Schimmel Amazon.com
	Secret Language: Rumi A Celebration in Song (Music CD), by Ramananda Amazon.com
	The Soul is Here for its Own Joy: Sacred Poems from Many Cultures, Edited by Robert Bly Amazon.com
	The Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi, by Andrew Harvey Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Rumi On Fire http://www.rumionfire.com Translated sections of the Divan-e-Shams and the Mathnavi, a timeline of Rumi's life, and links.
	Dar Al Masnavi http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/ Scholarly translations of Rumi's Masnavi (Mathnawi) and Divan collections on-line with commentary.
	Jalaladdin Rumi: Poet of Universal Love http://www.ncethicalsociety.org/pnagy.rumi.d121403.shtml Biography of Rumi by Paul Nagy
	Life of Rumi http://www.armory.com/~thrace/sufi/life.html Brief biography with several poem selections.
	Rumi.org.uk http://www.rumi.org.uk/ Poetry by Rumi, biography, bibliography, discussion forum, daily poem.
	Rumi Network, by Shahram Shiva http://www.rumi.net/ Several verses by Rumi translated by Shahram Shiva, along with information about Rumi, a discussion forum, and more.
	Speaking of Faith: Unheard Cuts, Poetry of Rumi http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/rumi/poetry.shtml The text of several Rumi poems, with audio clips of the poems being read in the original Persian.
	Rumi Poetry Club http://www.rumipoetryclub.com/ A very nice, easy-to-navigate site with information about Rumi, an excellent list of resources and publications on Rumi, some poetry selections and more.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi

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