The Universality Of Rumi's Poetry

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 9 November 2024 I fully agree with Ali Hammoud that, "Extracts of his (Rumi's) poetry abound in popular culture, many of which are either blatant forgeries or grossly inaccurate translations." Social media is chock-a-block with quotes and couplets of Rumi and Ghalib which they never penned! So many substandard and spurious quotes and couplets in abysmal Hindi, English and Urdu are nonchalantly attributed to these two unfortunate legends! Despite that, Rumi is globally popular and perhaps more quotable than even the Bard of Avon. Rumi's poetry is not just confined to love, though love was the leitmotif of his poetry. Rumi was a mystic as well as a moralist master (Khymer in Pahlavi). His entire oeuvre is soaked in divinity and didactic wisdom (Moh'az in Persian mysticism). Here's an example: Kôtâh Kûnad Zamâneh În Damdameh Râ, / Va-Z-Ham Be-Darad Ghûrgh-È Fanâ În Rameh Râ./ Andar Sar-È Har Kasî Qhûrûr-Îst Valî,/ Sîlîy-È Ajal Qafâ Zanad În-Hameh Râ (Time bringeth swift to end/ The rout men keep;/ Death’s wolf is nigh to rend/ These silly sheep./ See, how in pride they go/ With lifted head,/ Tell Fate with a sudden blow/ Smiteth them dead)......Ruba'ie no. 65. Rumi urges humans to define everything anew and afresh. Just ruminate over this quote, "Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth." What we call 'creating a new narrative' in today's organizational and corporate parlance was echoed centuries ago in Rumi's exhortation. The quote by Rumi, "Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth," urges us to break free from the narratives that society imposes upon us and to discover and embrace our own unique journey in life. Rumi encourages us to not settle for the stories and expectations that have been passed down to us, and instead, to create our own path and forge our own destiny. This quote serves as a reminder to not be confined by the limitations of traditional narratives, but rather to explore our own desires, talents, and passions in order to uncover the extraordinary within ourselves. It empowers us to challenge conventions, embrace our individuality, and strive for greatness in our own unique way. Rumi's words inspire us to break free from the narratives that confine us and afford us the opportunity to construct our own inspiring and meaningful narrative, becoming the heroes of our own stories because Zindagi Bah Zindagi Bishtar Manjer Mi Shud (Life keeps leading to more life). So, one must drop the old and embrace the new. Iqbal, who considered Rumi as his Ruhani Ustad (soul master), said the same thing in Urdu, "Dayaar-e-Ishq Mein Apna Maqaam Paida Kar/ Naya Zamana, Nai Subh-O-Shaam Paida Kar" (Javed Ke Naam, on receiving his son's maiden hand-written letter from London). Because of this ever-fresh continuity and novelty, Rumi remains relevant even after 800 years. En passant, he was born in 1207 (Sept. 30) and left the earthly theatre in 1273 (December 17). His poetry has Cleopatra's eternal youthfulness and is aglow with the tenderness of love and longing (not worldly). Lastly, Rumi’s truths, his wisdom, his openness, do not emerge from Islam, are not the product of the life Rumi lived through Islam. Rather, they exist in a realm outside of religion. Reynold A Nicholson, the greatest western scholar of Rumi and Iqbal's professor of Persian at Cambridge, rightly defined Rumi as "A transcendental poet unfettered by strict religiosity." My ex-Muslim friend at Oxford once told me, "I abhor Islam but I love Rumi because of the universality of his poetry." I concur with her. ----- 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://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/universality-rumi-poetry/d/133970 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