The Mystic Poet
“The garden of the world has no limits, except in your mind.”
- Rumi
Life
Jalal al-din Muhammad al-Balkhi, also known as Rumi, was born in 1207 in Balkh. He became a great Sufi mystic and poet. His father, Baha al-din Walad, was a religious scholar, and their family followed the Hanafi school of Islam. Due to the threat of Mongols, Baha al-din with his family left Balkh and moved on to Iran where they met Farid al-din then moved middle-east specifically Mecca, where they performed their Hajj and then shifted to Anatolia (aka Rum), here’s where the name “Rumi” comes from, then they moved to Syria. The family then moved to Konya after receiving a letter from the Seljuq ruler and enjoyed a peaceful and joyful life there. During this time Jalal al-din’s mother passed away in 1228 and then three years later Baha al-din also passed away.
During this time one of Baha al-din’s disciples arrives in Konya, he is known to be Burhan al-din Muhaqqiq. He was an ecstatic Sufi master and a family friend who went on to guide Rumi and become his Sheikh. He sent Rumi to Syria to study exoteric religious sciences and theology. He then goes on to surpass his father in terms of knowledge. It was at this moment that Burhan al-din started to teach Rumi the mystical Sufi path. Rumi also goes on to dive deeply into it and master it sooner.
The influence of Shams al-Din
Here, Something happens that turns Rumi’s life upside-down. One day Rumi and his companions were passing by and Shams al-din asked very powerful questions to Rumi since then Rumi and Shams al-din came close to each other leading to a strong religious relationship. This could also be said as the greatest religious/spiritual love story. some reports say Rumi and Shams would shut themselves into a room for weeks or months to discuss spirituality. Rumi also goes on to say
“Since I have become acquainted with you (Shams) these books have become lifeless in my eyes.”
During this time Rumi also discovers the power of music as a spiritual practice known as “Sama”. Shams and Rumi practice this tradition regularly and it has become a significant aspect of Rumi’s mysticism. Rumi is also sometimes found playing a musical instrument called rabab which is a kind of Violin but with no fingerboard.
It is in this period that Rumi starts writing poetry. Mainly the reason for composing the poetry was to convey the teachings of Shams to common people because his teachings were hard to grasp and understand. Rumi writes in his poem
“Shams-e Tabriz, through your sun we shine just like the moon”
For months the two mystics lived closely together, and Rumi neglected his disciples and family so that his scandalized entourage forced Shams to leave the town. It is also said that Sultan Walad eldest son of Rumi brought back Shams from Syria. The people of the town could not tolerate even more and one day Shams disappeared forever. Rumi’s heart is now broken and he becomes a reclusive person. Some accounts mention that Shams was murdered and Rumi’s son was involved in it too whereas some say that Shams left Rumi as the last mystic Sufi and then died in Tabriz. Yet to date, Shams’s death is a mystery and is not certain. His death now turns Rumi from a mystic scholar to an ecstatic lover.
Works/Poems
There are two major works of Rumi
- Divan-I Shams (Rumi’s Diwan)
This contains most of Rumi’s poems and is mainly dedicated to Shams al-din. Where he praises his master. This work contains one of the most famous lines of poetry. It is mostly based on “Love” The love is not quite common but yet very complex. The love he talks about is mainly the love between him and God that binds this universe.
2. The Masnavi
This is the most influential work of Rumi’s as it deals with all kinds of religious and spiritual topics from law to theology. It is accessible poetry in the form of stories and fables. The Masnavi, which shows all the different aspects of Sufism in the 13th century, often carries the reader away with loose associations of thought, so that one understands what subjects the master had in mind at a particular stage of his life.
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