Fundamentals of rumis th.., p.29
Fundamentals Of Rumis Thought, page 29
[23] Ibid., vol. I, 164.
[24] Ibid., vol. I, 324.
[25] Qur’an, 33:45.
[26] Aflaki, Manaqib al-Arifin, vol. I, 424.
[27] Ibid., vol. 1, 424.
[28] This famous book, Risale-i Sipehsalar, written in Persian by Majd al-Din Feridun, son of Ahmed, also called Sipehsalar, literally meaning commander, because he was actually a military commander in the Seljuk times, was translated into Turkish by three proficient persons. First by my teacher, Midhat Bahari, and by Ahmed Avni Konuk who is among the Mevlevi Gnostics and commentator to the Mesnevi and Fusus and more recently by Tahsin Yazıcı. The first two translations are in Turkish printed with Arabic letters while the translation of Tahsin Yazıcı was published in 1977 by the Tercüman newpaper’s 1001 Main Books series. Sipehsalar Feridun who died in 1312 is buried in Konya in Rumi’s shrine next to Rumi’s blessed father. Since Sipehsalar was in Rumi’s service for forty years (Midhat Bahari’s translation, p. 11) his book is very important in getting to know Rumi and explaining him. Therefore, let us study Rumi from this prime reference work that was written seven centuries ago and is still bringing Rumi’s holy fragrance to our day and let us not make up wrong tales about Rumi in our mind.
[29] A Prophetic tradition whose wording belongs to Muhammad, peace be upon him, and whose meaning comes from God.
[30]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 37.
[31]Divan-i Kabir, vol. IV, no. 2406.
[32]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 43.
[33]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1438.
[34] Ibid., vol. II, no. 890.
[35] Ibid., vol. V, no. 2492.
[36] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 2831.
[37]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 22 (Persian edition).
[38]Divan-i Kabir, vol. VI, no. 3038.
[39] Ibid., no. 3238.
[40] Ibid., no. 3238.
[41] Qur’an, 53:9.
[42]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1135.
[43] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 2978.
[44] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1282.
[45] Qur’an, 39:22.
[46]Mihrab: the place in the mosque where the prayer leader is positioned
[47]Divan-i Kabir, vol. V, no. 2336.
[48] Ibid., vol. I, no. 395.
[49] Ibid., vol. V, no. 2470.
[50] Ibid., no. 2627.
[51] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1129.
[52] Ibid., vol. I, no. 455.
[53] Qur’an, 17:22.
[54]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 2842.
[55]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1414.
[56] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1526.
[57]Qutb: (literally pole) the highest stage of sanctity amongst Muslim saints
[58] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1576.
[59] Ibid., no. 1459.
[60]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 90
[61] Qur’an, 17:44.
[62] Qur’an, 38:18-19.
[63] For the Hadith see Sulaiman bin Ahmad bin Ayyub al-Tabarani, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir (Mosul: Maktabat al-Ulum wa al-Hikam, vol. II, 245.
[64]Mesnevi, vol. III, no. 1019.
[65] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1011-1016.
[66] Ibid., vol. I, no. 2154.
[67] Ibid., vol. IV, no. 2827.
[68] The event is called Hani al-Jiz’ (the moaning of the date trunk). The Prophet used to give his a sermon leaning on a date trunk. The Companions cut a new one which the Prophet used to replace the other. During the sermon the old one mourned because of its separation from the Prophet. The story is narrated in its entirety in the collections of Hadith (See Muhammad bin Hibban al-Tamimi (d. 354 ah) Sahih Ibn Hibban. Ed. Shuayb al-Arnaout. (Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalah, 1993), vol. XIV, 435).
[69] Ibid., vol. I, no. 2113.
[70] Qur’an, 36:79.
[71] Qur’an, 36:82.
[72] Qur’an, 2:286.
[73]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1576.
[74] Ibid., vol. III, no. 1535.
[75] Ibid., no. 1540.
[76] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 3020.
[77] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 3020.
[78]Mesnevi, vol. VI, no. 971.
[79] Ibid., vol. I, no. 111.
[80] Ibid., vol. III, no. 14-15.
[81] Abu Abdullah Muhy al-Din Muhammad b. Ali Ibn al-Arabi, The Wisdom of The Prophets (Fusus al-Hikam), tr. Angela Culme-Seymour (Wiltshire: Beshara Publications, 1975), pp. 116 – 33.
[82] Al-Munawi, Muhammad Abd al-Rauf, Faydh al-Qadir (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-Tijariyyah, 1972) vol. VI, p. 180.
[83]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 333.
[84]Mesnevi, vol. I. no. 3-6.5.
[85] Qur’an. 16:15.
[86] Qur’an, 15:29.
[87] Qur’an, 26:38.
[88]Divan-i Kabir, vol. I, no. 188.
[89]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 112 – 15.
[90]Divan-i Kabir, vol. I, no. 207.
[91] See Michael H. Hart, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (New York: Kensington, 1992).
[92]Divan-i Kabir, vol. II, no. 901.
[93] Ibid., vol. II, no. 1137.
[94] Ibid., vol. I, no. 882.
[95]Mesnevi, vol. IV, no. 3844 – 3846.
[96] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 167 – 171.
[97] Ibid., no. 816.
[98] Ibid., vol. III, no. 3110 – 3129.
[99]Divan-i Kabir, vol. II, no. 1135.
[100] Ibid., vol. II, no. 792.
[101] Ibid., vol. I, no. 490.
[102]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 2556 – 2557.
[103]Divan-i Kabir, vol. V, no. 2578.
[104]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 1824.
[105] Ibid., vol. I, no. 1997.
[106] Qur’an, 57:4.
[107]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1098.
[108]Divan-i Kabir, vol. V, no. 2508.
[109]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 2882.
[110]Divan-i Kabir, vol. I, no. 441.
[111]Mesnevi, vol. II, no. 1416-1426.
[112] Ibid., vol. I, no. 316.
[113]Rubaiyat in Divan-i Kabir, vol. VIII, no. 664.
[114] Ibid., no. 1473.
[115] Ibid., no. 1828.
[116] Ibid., no. 1249.
[117]Mesnevi, vol. II, no. 1361 – 1363.
[118] Ibid., vol. I, no. 333.
[119]Rubaiyat in Divan-i Kabir, vol. VIII, no. 418.
[120] Ibid., no. 311.
[121]Mesnevi, vol. II, no. 1083 – 1086.
[122] Ibid., no. 1353.
[123] Ibid., no. 23.
[124] Ibid., vol. II, no. 1614, 1619 – 1624.
[125]Mesnevi, vol. II, no. 1170 – 1186.
[126]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 3340.
[127] Ibid., vol. IV, no. 1947.
[128] Ibid., no. 2301.
[129] Ibid., no. 2557.
[130] Ibid., no. 1984 – 1989.
[131] Ibid., no. 2188.
[132] Ibid., no. 2181.
[133] Ibid., no. 2265.
[134] Ibid., vol. III, no. 2570 – 2588.
[135]Ibid., vol. I, no. 2329.
[136] Ibid., vol. IV, no. 1255.
[137] Ibid., no. 1408. Refers to the Qur’anic verse that addresses the Prophet, “If they turn away from you, say, ‘God is enough for me.’” (Qur’an, 9:129).
[138] Ibid., vol. II, no. 2328.
[139] See Qur’an, 18:65.
[140]Mesnevi., vol. II, no. 3262.
[141] Ibid., vol. IV, no. 3311 – 3313.
[142] Ibid., no. 3649.
[143] Ibid., vol. V, no. 3233.
[144]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1082.
[145] Ibid., vol. VII, no. 3134.
[146] Ibid., vol. III, no.1185.
[147] Ibid., vol. I, no. 172.
[148] Ibid., no. 464.
[149]Mesnevi, vol. VI, no. 3181.
[150] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 3708.
[151] Ibid., no. 3753.
[152] Qur’an, 23:14.
[153]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 3278.
[154]Divan-i Kabir, vol. VI, no. 2927.
[155]Faydh al-Qadir, vol. II, p. 224.
[156] Qur’an, 2:228.
[157]Mesnevi, vol V, no. 3881.
[158] Ibid., no. 3890.
[159] Ibid., no. 3947.
[160] Ibid., no. 1333.
[161] Ibid., no. 1365.
[162] For the whole story see, ibid, no. 957.
[163] Ibid., no. 3999.
[164] Qur’an, 95:4 – 5.
[165]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 2426 – 2435.
[166]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 97.
[167] The term Sharif means noble and is used as an honorific title for the Mesnevi in Turkish culture.
[168]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 2279.
[169]Divan-i Kabir, vol. IV, no. 1791.
[170] Years ago in a magazine, I read of the will of an English poet who said, “My most beautiful poem has been recorded on a gramophone record. It shall be played fifty years after my death.” This record was kept in the university library. Fifty years later, the newspapers announced that the record would be played. Lovers of poetry filled the university’s conference hall to listen to the most beautiful poem of this famous poet, many of whose poetry books have been published. The record, which had been carefully sealed and stored for fifty years, was put on a gramophone to be played for thousands of people holding their breath in the conference hall. But there was no sound from the record. A check of the record revealed that there was nothing recorded on it. After making everybody wait for fifty years, the poet wanted to say that the most beautiful poem is the one that is not verbalized but remains in the heart. He wanted to say it with a tongue that is beyond words and beyond letters. Rumi also maintains that the most beautiful poem is not the one that pours from the lips but the one that is felt at heart.
[171]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 733.
[172]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 1341.
[173] Qur’an, 31:19.
[174] Abu al-Khayr Isam al-Din Ahmad Taşköprüzade, Mawdhuat al-Ulum, tr. Kemaleddin Mehmed Efendi. (Dersaadet : Ikdam Matbaası, 1895), vol. II, 549.
[175] Related in Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri, al-Sahih (Cairo: Daru Ihya al-Kutub al-Arabiyyah, 1954), vol. II, 193.
[176] Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı, Mevlevilik Adab ve Erkanı (Istanbul: İnkılap ve Aka Kitabevleri, 1963), p. 50.
[177] Ismail Rusuhi Ankaravi, Risalah Hujjat al-Sama (Istanbul: Rıza Efendi Matbaası, 1869), p. 26.
[178] Ibid., pp. 13 – 14.
[179] Abu al-Barakat Nur al-Din Abd al-Rahman b. Ahmad b. Muhammad Jami, Nafahat al-Uns Min Hadarat al-Quds, tr. Mahmud B. Osman Lami’i Çelebi (Istanbul :Marifet Yayınları, 1289), p. 404.
[180] See Gölpınarlı, Mevlevi Adab ve Erkanı, p. 53.
[181]Risale-i Sipehsalar, p. 91.
[182] Aflaki, Manaqib al-‘Arifin, vol. I, p. 89.
[183] Najm al-Din al-Kubra, Mecmuat al-Resail, Ayasofya Kütüphanesi (Istanbul), Manuscript, no: 4821.
[184]Divan-i Kabir, vol. I, no. 338.
[185] Ibid., no. 339.
[186]Divan-i Kabir, vol. III, no. 1295.
[187] Ibid., vol. V, no. 2515.
[188] Qur’an, 52:48.
[189]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 3678.
[190] Ibid., no. 3676 – 3697.
[191]Divan-i Kabir, vol. VI, no. 2675.
[192] In Turkey
[193] Ismail Hakkı İzmirli, Yeni Ilm-i Kelam (Istanbul: Evkaf-i Islamiyye Matbaası, 1339 ah), 98.
[194] Ali ibn Uthman al-Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub (Istanbul, 1982), p. 87.
[195] Qur’an, 4:79.
[196]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 89.
[197] Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi, al-Sunan (Beirut: Dar al-Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, n.d.), vol. IV, 448, hadith no: 2139.
[198]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 601.
[199] Qur’an, 8:17.
[200]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 615 – 619.
[201] Ibid.
[202] This line refers to the Prophetic Tradition: “If you come across a scholar, a mature man, you have met a tree of paradise. Sit under that tree and eat from its spiritual fruits.”
[203]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 939 – 943.
[204] Rusuhi Ismail Ankaravi, Şerh-i Kebir-i Ankaravi ber Mesnevi-yi Ma’navi-i Mevlevi tr. Ismet Settarzade (Tehran: Chapkhaneh-e Mihan, 1970), vol. I, 308.
[205]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 1480 – 1482.
[206] Ibid., vol. I, no. 1487 – 1493.
[207]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 1496 – 1499.
[208] Ibid., vol. VI, no. 407 – 415.
[209] Ibid., no.1438 – 1443.
[210] Qur’an, 17:44.
[211]Mesnevi, vol. IV, no. 3636 – 3638.
[212]Arganun: organ, a musical instrument played especially in churches.
[213]Mesnevi, vol. IV, no. 3901 – 3906.
[214] Qur’an, 53:9. In the account of the Mi‘raj.
[215] Mehmed Fuad Köprülü included this in his Türk Edebiyatında ilk Mutasavvıflar (The First Sufis in Turkish Literature) (Ankara: Gaye Matbaacılık, 1981), pp. 217 – 30.
[216] Qur’an, 24:35.
[217]Divan-i Kabir, vol. VI, no. 2778.
[218]Mesnevi, vol. II, no. 1613.
[219] Abu al-Qasim Sharaf al-Din Omar b. Ali Ibn al-Faridh, Ta’iyyah al-Kubra (Cairo: al-Maktaba al-Azhariyyah, 1319), no. 652 – 54.
[220] Sa’d al-Din Mahmud b. Abd al-Karim b. Yahya Shabastari, Gulshan-i Raz,ed. Ali Muhammadzade Qurban (Baku: Ferhengistan-i Ulum-i Jumhuri, 1972), no.98 – 105.
[221]Mesnevi, vol. I, no.1121 – 1135.
[222] Qur’an, 6:103.
[223]Mesnevi, vol. VI, no. 2356 – 2357.
[224] Ibid., no. 2353 – 2355.
[225]Mesnevi, vol. I, no. 601 – 602.
[226] Dear readers, I had to write so much on this issue, making it quite involved, in order to prove that Rumi did not believe in reincarnation. For this matter to be understood better, I briefly mentioned the belief of dawriyya and wahdat al-wujud. I gave examples from Rumi and other poets. All these different issues and illustrations are for the sole purpose of eliminating un-Islamic beliefs that are very misleading. If I have erred, I ask God and you to forgive me. (ŞC)
[227] Shabastari, Gulshan-i Raz, no. 362 – 63.
[228] See Qur’an, 36:26.
[229] See Qur’an, 51:22; Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 1734 – 1743.
[230] See Qur’an, 36:78.
[231]Mesnevi, vol. V, no. 1772 – 1779.
CHAPTER III
Rumi’s Influence
Rumi has gained recognition far beyond all other people of heart, thinkers, and poets in the Islamic world. Whenever you take any book about Sufism in your hand or whenever you encounter people speaking of matters concerning Sufism, you surely will come across Rumi’s couplets, views, and opinions. Rumi is known not only in Turkey and other Islamic countries, but he also is recognized in the West, in books about Sufism that are written in Western languages. Rumi is loved by everyone since he is a great spiritual guide and a perfect human being who knew how to express his feelings and opinions sincerely without any ostentation and arrogance, the way he felt them in his heart. Both his Mesnevi and Divan-i Kabir, as well as others of his works, have become sources of divine wisdom, a spring of gnosis for every believer who loves God and the truth and has a share in divine love. For centuries his books have been speaking to every poet, every writer, every sensitive person, and to every dervish no matter what order they belong to. Since Rumi loves all people, he has opened up his blessed heart to everybody. He addresses everyone in his writings. Everyone, according to his or her talents, understanding, taste, and inclination, benefits from Rumi and finds himself or herself in Rumi’s feelings and ideas.
