Fundamentals of Rumi's Thought

*[A5+] Paperback - 359 pages,
by Shaykh Sefik Can,
Foreword by M. Fethullah Gulen,
Published by Mevlana University.




Description :


There are numerous translations of Mawlana Rumi’s, may Allah be pleased with him, poetry into English, but there was still a need for a book on Rumi’s life and personal character in English. Almost all the translators were Westerners who were mere observers of Sufism and the Mevlevi order. “Rumi : A Mevlevi Perspective” stands apart from all other books on Rumi as it has been written by someone who is our contemporary and someone who has devoted a lifetime to the poetry of Rumi. The book is written by Sefik Can, the most authoritative spiritual figure on the subject and the head (ser-tariq) of the Mevlevi order in Turkey as of 2004, and has been translated by Zeki Saritoprak and Cuneyt Eroglu.


The foreword, written by M. Fethullah Gulen, provides a good summary of the main ideas in the book. Both the foreword and the book try to make it clear that while many enjoy the poetry of Rumi, in many cases, the reader does not pay much attention to the source of his poetry, the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of Islam. This is unfortunate and misleading. This book establishes the strong connection between Rumi’s poetry and Rumi’s utmost respect and love for the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by presenting samples of his poetry. In fact, Rumi says,



                              “I am the soil under the feet of Muhammad.”



The book contains numerous anecdotes, some with references, which shed light on aspects of Rumi’s colourful personality. In the narration of his life, the book provides some interesting details. It is suggested in the book that the death of Shams, in whose persona Rumi first found the light of the Beloved, might have had something to do with the fact that Rumi did not have a close relationship with his eldest son. Another important person in Rumi’s life was his father, Baha al-Din Valad. Rumi’s father was a prominent Islamic scholar, while his son, Rumi, was anything but a scholar. As I read the book I came to an understanding that after the death of his father, Rumi started searching for a path for himself. But the path he chose for himself was not the path of his father. In fact, Rumi had distaste for the sort of encyclopedic knowledge of God that his father had pursued. Rumi longed for an ever-present and imminent experience of God. “The knowledge of the heart is not learnt from books” is how the author expresses it, while Rumi states, “Love shies away from the light of reason.” _{---Nuri Delen}.







Table of Contents :


---Foreword,
---Acknowledgement.


Chapter [I]: The Political and Philosophical Situation of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire during Rumi’s Life,
---Intellectual Environment of the Anatolian Seljuks during Rumi’s Time,
------Pre-thirteenth Century Conceptual Differences within Muslim Communities,
------The Origins of Sufism before Rumi,
---Rumi’s Life,
------Titles,
------Ancestry,
------Parents,
------Rumi’s marriage,
------Family and children,
------Dwelling in Konya,
------Rumi’s works,
------Commentaries on the Mesnevi,
------Turkish Translations of the Mesnevi,
---The Death of Rumi’s Father,
------Rumi’s Spiritual Guide after his Father’s Death,
------Rumi’s Meeting with Shams,
------Rumi after the Disappearance of Shams,
------Shaykh Salah al-Din of Konya, the Zarqubi or Goldsmith,
------Husam al-Din Chelebi
------Rumi’s Migration to the World of Eternity.

Chapter [II]: Rumi’s Personality and Views,
---A Peculiarity about Rumi’s Life,
---Rumi’s Inner and Outer Characteristics,
---Asceticism and Ecstasy,
---Tawhid (Unity of God) and Ittihad (Union with God),
---“There is nothing on earth or in the heavens that does not praise God.”,
---Love,
---Belief and Unbelief,
---Salvation,
---Reason,
---Beauty,
---Women,
---Poetry,
---Music and Whirling Ceremonies,
---Sorrow,
---Free Will,
---Reincarnation.

Chapter [III]: Rumi’s Influence,
---Rumi’s Influence on Turkish Poets,
---Rumi’s Influence on Muslim Philosophers,
---A Comparison between Rumi and Plato,
---Rumi’s Influence in the West.

Chapter [IV]: Rumi’s Sufi Order and His Approach to Orders,
---The Mevlevi Order,
---Rumi and Islamic Law.


---Epilogue,
---Bibliography,
---Author’s Biography,
---Notes,
---Index.






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*Dimensions : 22.7 x 15cm.