Rumi

Who is Rumi?

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was a 13th-century Persian-language poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic. He was born in Balkh (in the historical Persianate world, in present-day Afghanistan) and his family migrated westward, eventually settling in Konya in Anatolia, then part of the Sultanate of Rum — the source of the name 'Rumi.' His life was transformed by his encounter with the wandering dervish Shams-e Tabrizi, whose disappearance inspired much of Rumi's most passionate poetry. His major works, written in Persian, include the vast Masnavi-ye Ma'navi, a spiritual epic of some 25,000 verses, and the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. His teachings emphasize divine love, unity, and the soul's longing for the divine. The Mevlevi Sufi order, known for the whirling dervishes, was founded by his followers. Today Rumi is among the most widely read poets in the world, and his legacy is claimed across the Persian-speaking world including Iran.

Sources: Rumi, Masnavi-ye Ma'navi (13th century) · Franklin D. Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, 2000 · Encyclopaedia Iranica, entry 'Rumi'