Undoubtedly, Mevlânâ Celaleddin Rumî is one of the greatest philosophers of not only his time but also modern world. His teachings exceed the age, and clear the path of people who have been lost in the fast and busy lives of our modern world.
His Life
Mevlânâ Celaleddin Rumî was born in today’s Tajikistan borders in 1207 and was the child of a theologian. The Khwarazmshahs’ Emperor (Harzemşahlar) had a thought about Mevlânâ’s father. Mevlânâ’s father defended thinkings, separate from philosophy, that could bring good to people. For this reason, Mevlânâ’s father, Bahaeddin Veled, had a disagreement with the Khwarazmshahs Emperor and then he left his country. After a while, he regarded the communities as places to support himself where he could share his own thoughts. Finally, he came to Konya and eventually died there. After that, Mevlânâ replaced his father and continued to perpetuate the same school of thought for ages.
The name Mevlânâ was given him when he started to teach in Konya. His real name is Muhammed Celaleddin. This name Mevlânâ has been used throughout the ages by people who loves Mevlânâ and his ideas. Mevlânâ’s father was the first guru of Mevlânâ. His father encouraged Mevlânâ to follow Allah’s path and to turn him to Sufism. After Mevlânâ moved to Konya, thanks to his father, he attended a meeting in the palace of the Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat. After Sultan Alaeddin listened him, he started to adopt Mevlânâ’s thoughts and his admiration increased. He also began to say that he felt very close to the religion.
Images from the Mevlana Museum in Konya.
Mevlânâ lost his father when he was young. Under these circumstances, he felt incomplete and he visited many places to sustain himself with knowledge. First, he went to Aleppo and Damascus for education. He finished his education there and met a great theologian. Mevlânâ began to write his thoughts down after having met with many different theologians. These important writings come down to us as “Mesnevi.” While he was completing “Mesnevi,” he also conducted simultaneously different activities. In other words, he completed the writings while he was in the bath, in bed, or while traveling. The Mesnevi were finished between 1264 and 1268.
Mevlânâ suddenly became ill. People who heard about the disease visited him in order to be able to hear beautiful prayers. Mevlânâ said to his friends and family that they should not feel sorry for his death, but they also could not accept the separation. He advised all Muslims about taking less food, need less sleep, doing less talking, and repenting from sin. He wished for all people to be good. At the same time, Mevlânâ reminded people of the existence and uniqueness of Allah. He passed away with a smile on a Sunday in 1273.
Mevlana dervishes dancing in the museum, Konya.
The Works of Mevlânâ:
- Mesnevi: Muslims rank this only after the holy books. It was written in Persian.
- Divan-ı Kebir: One of the most comprehensive diwan works of Islamic poetry. It was written Persian, but there are also Turkish, Greek, and Arabic translations included.
- Fih-i Mah Fih: A work of preaching and advice.
- Mecalis-i Seb’a: This work was created from 7 khutbah in Persian and Arabic. It is mostly religious content.
Famous Quotes:
- Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I will meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about.
- The wound is the place where the Light enters you.
- The cure for pain is in the pain.
