Rumi's Words of Wisdom Are Eternally Relevant
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
1 August 2024
Dar Jân-É Tô Jân-Îst Be-Jû Ân Jân Râ,
Dar Kûh-É Tô Kân-Îst Be-Jû Ân Kân Râ.
Sufi-É Ravandeh Ghar Tavâni Mî-Jûy,
Birûn Tû Majû, Ze Khûd Bejû Tô Ân-Râ
(Within thy soul a soul doth dwell:
Go, seek it well!
Within thy mountain is mine:
Get it for thine.
The Sufi seek as he doth go,
If thou canst so;
Search not for him thy self apart,
but search thy heart.)
Jalaluddin Rumi, Rubai 45
(From the Files)
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Sabat
Khan's nice article on Rumi's legacy in the modern world underlines the
great mystic's importance in these times when hatred has dethroned love and
fanaticism has eclipsed sense, sanity and sensibility. He wrote,
"Islam and other faiths
have all come around so recently
yet Love has no beginning or end.
You can't call the unbeliever an infidel
if he's been the latest victim of
love"
Humanity, at this juncture, is in need of
all-encompassing love as preached and propounded by Jalaluddin Rumi. See what's
happening across the world. Mankind is engaged in never-ending wars and
conflicts. Humans are hating humans. Our religions and religious beliefs are
wreaking havoc. None talks of universal love. If any sane person talks of love
and universal brotherhood, he's branded as a heretic or an iconoclast. He's an
outright anarchist. Even Rumi is called a heretic as he wrote, " If you
can't act like a heretic/ You can't reach the truth in Islam" (Reynold A
Nicholson, from 'Selected poems from 'Diwan-e-Shams Tabrizi'). It's said that
only a mystic (roughly a Sufi in Islamic context), whichever faith s/he may
belong to, understands the essence of a faith and Rumi was arguably the
greatest mystic the world has ever come across. He put love on the highest
pedestal and placed religion, holy books, rituals, customs, tenets and
doctrines below it. He writes,
"The man of God is not learned from
the book.
The man of God is beyond infidelity and
religion,
The man of God right and wrong are alike.
The man of God has ridden away from
Not-being,
The man of God is gloriously
attended."
Rumi was an eternal seeker and he urged
humans to seek because what you seek also seeks you. To quote Urdu poet Khaleel
Muzaffar, "Meri Justajoo Mein Thi
Jitni Shiddat / Milne Wale Ne Uss Se Kahin Zyada Dikhayee" (Whom I was
searching for/ Was more agog to meet me than I was). Rumi expressed this in his
inimitable style, "
تشنگان گر آب جویند از جهان
آب جوید هم به عالم تشنگان
Teshngān
Gar Āb Jooyand Az Jahān
Āb
Jooyad Ham Be Ālam Teshnegān
(Thirsty- people- in the world are looking
for water/ Water is also looking for the thirsty).
The entire philosophy of Rumi can be summed
up in one line: Seek and you'll succeed. Love and eventually you'll get it.
Rumi wanted all of us to be seekers and not mere believers; lovers and not
strangers or outsiders. Rumi's relevance is perennial and his influence on
mankind is eternal. Someone rightly said, " The more we become violent and
belligerent, the more we need Rumi's words of wisdom to stay calm and grounded.
"
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A regular
columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/rumi-wisdom-eternally-relevant/d/132838
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