Prelude

In the prelude to Eckhart’s practical mysticism in “Part I,” a relatively lengthy section was devoted to answering the question of whether or not Eckhart can be considered to be a mystic. In the current introduction to the investigation of Rumi’s practical teachings, however, there seems to be no need for such a discussion as his status as a mystic has scarcely been doubted. Much as with the Dominican Meister, Rumi was a multifaceted individual. He was not only a scholar with considerable expertise in the various branches of the Islamic sciences, such as jurisprudence, theology, Quranic hermeneutics, hadith studies, and Arabic grammar, but he was also an eloquent preacher, a prolific poet with prodigious talent and imagination, and, of course, an experienced Sufi. Despite all of these pursuits, what became ultimately dominant in Rumi’s personality was the mystical aspect. This shows a divergence from the example of his father, Baha’ al-Din Walad (d. 1231), who, as an Islamic “scholar” (Ar.:‘ālim; plural: ‘ulamāʼ ) and preacher, was persistent in seeking to remain within the category of ‘ulamāʼ rather than being regarded as a Sufi, despite his strong mystical tendencies.1 Rumi’s works, especially those created after his encounter with the enigmatic Sufi Shams al-Din Tabrizi (d. c.1248; see Appendix 1 below), are replete with vibrant passages indicating his first-hand mystical experiences. Also, some tales in his Mathnawī, which Rumi regarded as “the very marrow of our inward state,” are what appear to be detailed accounts of his own visionary experiences.2 Not only is the fact that Rumi should be regarded as a mystic hardly questionable, but he was also one of the most prominent and influential Sufis of his time. Rooted in the ascetic movement within the Islamic tradition in the seventh and eighth centuries, Sufism developed considerably until the end of the eleventh century, by which time a significant body of mystical traditions had been accumulated.3 Around the beginning of the twelfth century, this accrual of mystical ideas and practices, on the one hand, and the increasing interest in Sufism among Muslims which resulted from its extension into different strata of Muslim society, on the other, paved the way for a fundamental expansion of Sufism along institutional, intellectual, and artistic lines.4 Rumi came to prominence within this historical backdrop, wherein a talented Sufi could hold immense influence on Islamic spiritual discourse in a variety of Muslim territories. He

personally contributed significantly to the intellectual and artistic development of Sufism, and the Mevlevi order (or Mawlawiyya), which would arrive in his wake, also took part in the institutional expansion of Sufism. Rumi’s magnum opus, the Mathnawī, which is regarded by some Rumi scholars as an encyclopedia of Sufism and a compendium of all mystical findings within the Islamic tradition,5 was a timely answer to the contemporary thirst for a didactic Sufi work. It was capable of presenting the main aspects of Sufi tradition that had already been developed before Rumi’s time in a compelling and fascinating way, and hence, brought him great popularity within Sufi circles.6 As a matter of fact, most of the doctrines and practices presented in Rumi’s mysticism can be traced back through the rich tradition of Sufi literature prior to him. In most cases, he is not a revolutionary theorist, a notable exception to this is his formulation of a theory of evolution. Yet his distinctiveness lies mainly in his artistic flair and the captivating rhetoric of his representations, in which he weaves various mystical themes into accounts of his own genuine experience of mystical love. Besides utilizing various poetic and stylistic methods, some of which were Rumi’s own inventions, especially those innovations can be found in his Dīvān,7 his mode of representation, particularly in his didactic works, features the use of images and anecdotes rather than discursive argumentation as tools for convincing the audience. In addition, his employment of short and long stories, sometimes with astonishing detail, through which Rumi extracts subtle mystical hints and lessons from the ordinary and even crass happenings of everyday life, and his expertise in the investigation and discovery of the different aspects and layers of man’s soul, all combine to make his presentation more attractive, effective and memorable.8 Such a vibrant presentation of Sufism in the fertile soil of the thirteenth century Islamic world, combined with his friendly relations with powerful statesmen in Anatolia such as Mu‘in al-Din Parvana (d. 1277),9 fostered Rumi’s mystical position during his own time in a dramatic manner. Despite the fact that the Mongol invasion of Persia in the early thirteenth century, in which key Khorasani Sufis such as Farid al-Din ‘Attar and Najm al-Din Kubra (d. 1221) were killed, caused a disturbance in the activity of the Khorasani trend of Sufism, the Persian-speaking lands of the Seljuks of Rum provided the opportunity for the most prominent representative of this trend to bring this school of Sufism to the summit.10