Who Rumi Was Not
Most reference books describe him as: “A Persian Mystic, and poet, who was born in 1207 and died in 1273.” What he says:
“I am neither Christian nor Jew
Neither Persian nor Moslem.
I am from neither the East nor West
Neither from land, nor from water.”
He is certainly rejecting the ideas that confine him in any particular location or religion:
“I am concealed, secret, sometimes,
Sometimes I appear, and become obvious.
Sometimes I am Muslim
Sometimes… Continue reading
Who Rumi Was
In the following quatrain, or rubai, he describes himself:
“My turban, my robe, my head,
They aren’t worth a dime.
Haven’t you heard of my fame in the universe?
I have been annihilated,
I am nothing
I am Absent.”
-R. 198 P. 162
“Annihilation, Nothingness, Absence”, when one searches for him, he is pointing where to look. Certainly it’s not in his robe or turban.
There is an… Continue reading
