Moulana Rumi Balkhi

Moulana Muhammad Jalaluddin

Who was he and why is his message so important to humanity at this time in history? On 30 September 1207 CE or so tradition holds, in the small village of Waqsh, in the region of Balkh, in the Persian province of Khorasan a son was born to the mystic preacher Sheikh Baha'uddin Walad. His name was Muhammad Jalaluddin and he and his family shortly moved to Samarqand. There was much strife in that part of the world at that time and also Jenghis Khan’s Mongols were moving west. The family and many of Baha’uddin’s students went on the Hajj to Mecca after which they heard that the Mongols had sacked Samarqand and were besieging Bokhara. They settled in Damascus and the young Jalal studied with various teachers. Then the family slowly moved toward the Seljuk Kingdom of Rum in what is now Anatolia in Turkey. The Sultan of Konya invited the party to settle in his town to help make it the finest centre of crafts and learning in the region.

Jalal became a College Professor in Religious subjects and a Master to many students at the Konya Religious School. He was given the clerical title of Moula and so students called him Moulana or ‘our master.’ One day he met a mystic named Muhammad Shamsuddin of Tabriz. Shams was an attained Master of Sufism which is the path of Spiritual Knowledge under Divine Grace and Guidance. Between these two a river of Ashk flowed. This word means a form of energy flow much like that between lovers yet without the sensual connotations of the ordinary human being.

At some point Moulana became a true lover of God flowing from heart to heart with all he met. He went where he was guided and could be governed only by God. Still he was born a muslim and followed the muslim obligations while at the same time he was friendly with all faiths. Then one day Shams disappeared, some say by murder and others say he just went East. Jalal went into a state of despair which eventually matured into a raging passion and ferment in his spiritual heart. From this he started to recite the most amazing poetry and deep mystical teachings. They were written down and today there are a few translations of that original Persian into English. He is best known for the name the Arabs gave to the region – Rumi or ‘of Rum.’ Contemporary translations of his materials have pushed him to rise to the US best seller list in poetry. His message of loving cooperation and the foibles of human nature woven into his great work the Masnavi could be followed by all of us. Especially in this day of constant war and terrorism which is so like his own time of the 13th Century C.E.

Book reviews by Majid:

Rumi - Past and Present, East and West. The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi

by Franklin D. Lewis revised 2008.

A great source book of Rumi history, bibliography and folklore etc. Contains a lot of information about present day (2007) Rumi activity around the world but especially in North America. Ask your library to get this one for you or buy it yourself.

Fundamentals of Rumi's Thought - A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective

by Shefik Jan [QAS]-Light N.J. 2004

Written by the late Esoteric head of the Turkish Mevlevi Tarikat this is Rumi from the point of view of one who lived the mystical teachings of the great Master in his daily life. This may be regarded as a primer for those who wish to follow the Islamic path of the Whirling Dervishes and is a guide for all Muslims on the subject of Rumi's teachings about Al Quran and ideas like Wahdat al Wujud etc.

The Quatrains of Rumi - The Rubaiyat in Farsi and English

by Ibrahim Gamard and Rawan Farhadi -Sufi Dari Books, USA 2008

Ibrahim is a Mevlevi Sheikh living in California. This is the culmination of a 20 year project and includes extensive footnotes and annotations.

Listen - Commentary on the Spiritual Couplets of Mevlana Rumi

by Kenan Rifai, translated by Professor Victoria Holbrook - Fons Vitae 2011

Translation taken from the original Turkish Commentary and a new translation by Holbrook of the Persian text of Book 1 of the Mesnevi of Jalaloddin Rumi Balkhi. Its from Sohbet notes taken in the pre-Attaturk period in an Istanbul Tekke. Kenan Rifai (QAS) was a profound murshid with deep knowledge and this is in the religious style of the period (1908-1925) when he was Sheikh of the Altay Tekke. Note that the translator uses the word 'soul' to translate Nafs al-ammara and pay attention to her notes to get other subtleties.

Reflections on the Basmala - Sherif Chatalkaya.

Privately published, this is a full transcript of a series of Sohbets (Spiritual Discourses) from 2001 in Seattle, Washington, USA. Edited and annotated, its like having a Murshid speak in your inner ear. If you have never experienced this age old method of Sufi teaching then this book is for you. email the Rumi society for more info or look up Lulu Press.

Rumi's Secret - The Life of the Sufi Poet of Love - Brad Gooch.

Harper Collins 2017 - A well-researched biography of Moulana that takes you back to the tumultuous times of the Mongol invasions and massacres as well as the havens of learning and peace. Rumi lived in the borderland of the Muslim world in the city of Konya which was part of the Seljuk Kingdom that lay beside the waning Byzantine Empire. If you don't know the story of Rumi this book will really give vivid pictures of his life, family, and environment.

I must mention the book "Sultan Walad - In the Footsteps of Rumi and Shams" by Hulya Kuchuk and Ibrahim Gamard from Fons Vitae. Foreword by Professor Omid Safi. In the Mevlevi tradition Sultan Walad (Veled) is regarded as the gateway to Rumi's teaching and Shem's presence. He is buried alongside Moulana in the asit hane in Konya, Turkey.