Rumi (1207-1273)
Rumi was born as the son of Bahā al-Din Valad on September 30th, 1207. His family moved from the city of Balkh (of modern-day Afghanistan) to Konya of modern-day Turkey due to the Mongol invasion. When Rumi’s father passed, Rumi became his successor as a Sufi religious scholar and teacher at the age of 27 (Sufi is a sect of Islam). In this time he met and married his first wife Gowhar Khâtun.
After his father’s death, Rumi continued to study but had no specific teacher highlighted. Instead he took sabbatical to Damascus, an Islamic-speaking (instead of the Persian-speaking Konya) where he studied more intensive law and religion.
He returned to Konya in his early thirties and his first wife passed. He was left with his sons Alâ al-Din and Sultan Calad ages seven and eight. When they were teenagers, Rumi sent them to Damascus for a similar education. Rumi’s second wife, Kerrâ Khâtun was a widow, as Rumi was a widower. Together they had a son, Alem Chelebi, and a daughter, Maleke Khâtun.
Shams al-Dīn of Tabīz, a famous Muslim teacher, became the religious instructor to Rumi. There is a myth, that when Shams and Rumi first met (When Rumi was 37), Shams asked what Rumi was doing, and Rumi replied, proud of his studies, “Something you would understand.” Shams then threw Rumi’s books into a fountain where Rumi raced to save them, discovering that they were dry. Rumi asks, “What is this?” and Shams replies, “Something you would not understand. There is a second version of the story where instead of Rumi’s books not becoming wet when thrown into the fountain, they catch on fire.
The historical story of their meeting entails Shams coming up to Rumi after encountering his large troop of scholarly followers. Shams asks why studying of books is so important and Rumi scoffs “to know the religious laws and precepts.” Shams claims that it is superficial, and informs Rumi that knowledge is the tool to lead you to what is real. He then quotes to Rumi, a passage from another famous poet, Sanā, “Ignorance is far superior to that knowledge which does not free you of you.”
Either way, this was a changing point for Rumi, and, although the details are not clear Rumi turned away from teaching the texts of Mohammad, and to creating his own about love and wisdom. Rumi’s disciples were angry that Shams changed Rumi, and plotted against Shams, thus Rumi lost his best friend and mentor, as Shams fled Konya for his life.
In reply to this, Rumi created lengthy lyrics about separation and longing to reunite. Rumi then eventually realized that he had become a new Shams, a mind reflecting the Supreme. In succession, two of Rumi’s disciples followed the same path.
Rumi died December 17, 1273 in Konya of an illness.
After his father’s death, Rumi continued to study but had no specific teacher highlighted. Instead he took sabbatical to Damascus, an Islamic-speaking (instead of the Persian-speaking Konya) where he studied more intensive law and religion.
He returned to Konya in his early thirties and his first wife passed. He was left with his sons Alâ al-Din and Sultan Calad ages seven and eight. When they were teenagers, Rumi sent them to Damascus for a similar education. Rumi’s second wife, Kerrâ Khâtun was a widow, as Rumi was a widower. Together they had a son, Alem Chelebi, and a daughter, Maleke Khâtun.
Shams al-Dīn of Tabīz, a famous Muslim teacher, became the religious instructor to Rumi. There is a myth, that when Shams and Rumi first met (When Rumi was 37), Shams asked what Rumi was doing, and Rumi replied, proud of his studies, “Something you would understand.” Shams then threw Rumi’s books into a fountain where Rumi raced to save them, discovering that they were dry. Rumi asks, “What is this?” and Shams replies, “Something you would not understand. There is a second version of the story where instead of Rumi’s books not becoming wet when thrown into the fountain, they catch on fire.
The historical story of their meeting entails Shams coming up to Rumi after encountering his large troop of scholarly followers. Shams asks why studying of books is so important and Rumi scoffs “to know the religious laws and precepts.” Shams claims that it is superficial, and informs Rumi that knowledge is the tool to lead you to what is real. He then quotes to Rumi, a passage from another famous poet, Sanā, “Ignorance is far superior to that knowledge which does not free you of you.”
Either way, this was a changing point for Rumi, and, although the details are not clear Rumi turned away from teaching the texts of Mohammad, and to creating his own about love and wisdom. Rumi’s disciples were angry that Shams changed Rumi, and plotted against Shams, thus Rumi lost his best friend and mentor, as Shams fled Konya for his life.
In reply to this, Rumi created lengthy lyrics about separation and longing to reunite. Rumi then eventually realized that he had become a new Shams, a mind reflecting the Supreme. In succession, two of Rumi’s disciples followed the same path.
Rumi died December 17, 1273 in Konya of an illness.