How Rumi's Introspective Silence Can Teach Us A Lot in These Artificial Times

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 28 June 2022 Whether It's A News Channel, Portal, Newspaper Or Any Medium, It's Often A Gush Of Thoughtless Words Main Points: 1. Too many words have eclipsed, nay engulfed, thoughts and thoughts sprout from the seeds of silence 2. Words give you a temporary euphoria but silence gives you eternal bliss. 3. Your intelligent silence can save many lives. ------ This is how it always is when I finish a poem. A great silence overcomes me and I wonder why I ever thought to use language. Rumi There is a way between voice and presence, where information flows. In disciplined silence it opens; with wandering talk it closes. Rumi Rumi's aforementioned quotes on silence have always moved me beyond words. These are not mere quotes but didactic lessons to be learnt from a great sage's unfathomable well of nous. At this moment, when the world has become so boisterous, humans need introspective/contemplative silence. Too many words have eclipsed, nay engulfed, thoughts and thoughts sprout from the seeds of silence. Whether it's a news channel, portal, newspaper or any medium, it's often a gush of thoughtless words. There's a new controversy or incident every day just because we've no control on our words. We've become too voluble. This volubility has become our liability. Now more than ever do we all need silence to understand our humane side and avoid all inanities that have obscured our true selves. Rumi further says in one of his Masnavis that words give you a temporary euphoria but silence gives you eternal bliss. “Hurt by my beloved's words, I chose silence to answer “(Rumi to Shams Tabriz). Had Nupur Sharma chosen to keep mum, she'd not have had to see this upheaval and global turmoil, caused by her impulsive reply. Even Muhammad says in one of his dubious and plagiarised Hadees (I already read this in the Assyrian Book of Wisdom, predating Islam by minimum three centuries): Your intelligent silence can save many lives. We all have an itch to blurt it out as most of us are motor-mouths. Seldom, if ever, are we bothered about the (dire) consequences our thoughtless words can cause. Psychologists believe that we often speak because we've nothing better to say or think. So, whatever garbage we've on our mind is poured out through the most inane words or lifeless symbols, read emojis in current context of conversation. People have become so impoverished from the perspective of words that in this age of social media, whenever someone dies, thousands of most stupid RIP messages flood your screen. Instead of writing simple ' my deepest condolences to the bereaved family,' brainless people routinely write 'May his 'soul' Rest in Peace.' No one knows what happens when one dies. It's the END. So, why should people use a litany of useless, perfunctory and monotonous words like rest in peace and soul? Our religious proclivity to use PBUH (peace be upon him) also suffers from this Volubility Syndrome. Rumi says, “When someone departs, I say nothing. Two pearls silently roll down my cheeks." And here, people are wishing the departed person to rest in peace! Where? Do you've any sense and significance of the words you're using? Recently, an 'educated' lady wrote: May his soul rip! I wanted to add 'apart' to it, but refrained, lest it should be called Black Humour. I generally never say or write anything when one's no more because I know that mere words cannot justify a genuine sense of sorrow, loss and sadness. Ergo, there's no need to jump onto the bandwagon of professional mourners and Rudalis. So, it's time to exercise silence, meditative silence at that and try to make this world a tad less chaotic and vociferous. ---- 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 world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/rumi-introspective-silence-artificial-times/d/127342 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism