Anyone Who Knows Me, Should Learn To Know Me Again ― Maulana Rumi
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
30
September 2023
“Anyone who knows me, should learn to know me
again;
For, I am like the Moon,
you will see me with a new face every day.”
― Maulana Rumi
The beauty
of this quote lies in its continuity. Life is in a state of flux. So is an
individual.
September
30 Is The Birth Anniversary Of The Great Persian Poet And Mystic Jalaluddin
Rumi Balkhi
-----
"What
I'm today/ I may be different tomorrow/ With surety, I can say/ As I oscillate
between joy and sorrow." These pithy words of the American poet and sage,
Walt Whitman are comparable to those of Rumi. Here, change is not a frivolous
quality or trait. It's a sign of evolution.
Lord Byron
put it succinctly when he wrote of his beloved, "Her everyday
unpredictability lends to her desirability." It's like "Kabhi
Yak-B-Yak Taghaful, Kabhi Yak-B-Yak Tavajjoh/ Mujhe Aazma Raha Hai Koi Rukh
Badal-Badal Ke" (At times indifference, at times looking askance/
Someone is testing me with a change of stance).
Rumi's
change may not always be a change in appearance- that lacks profundity- but
evolution of spirit and betterment of self. One must understand the backdrop of
this thought.
It was the
time, when Jalaluddin Rumi was trying to reconcile to the permanent loss of his
mentor and soulmate Shams Tabrizi. He (Rumi) went into a state of deep
depression. Then one night, he saw Shams in his dream. Shams urged him to move
on, evolve and learn to live with the loss. Rumi woke up and wrote this,
adding, " Till yesterday, I was different when I was with Shams/ Today,
I'm different without him."
We need to
change every moment, for, nothing is permanent. An evolving heart is a sign of
our cerebral presence and is like Rene Descartes' cogito, ergo sum (I think,
therefore, I'm). Otherwise, humans live and die without realizing that they had
the potential to improve and evolve till the very last moment.
So, there
must be qualitative changes happening all the time. With every new dawn, one
must be in a position to say that he's different from what he was, till
yesterday. This is a sign of positivism. "Zindagi Ek Hi Soorat Mein
Guzarti Nahin/ Kai Sooratein Chahiye Jeene Ke Liye" (A static life is
not worth-living/ Many phases are required to live). Keep changing, keep
evolving and keep imbibing new thoughts and ideas. This is the key to a
significant human existence. Embrace it wholeheartedly.
------
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://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/mystic-jalaluddin-maulana-rumi/d/130792
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