"Remebered Music
Tis said, the pipe and lute that charm our ears
Derive their melody from rolling spheres;
But Faith, o’erpassing speculation’s bound,
Can see what sweetens every jangled sound.
We, who are parts of Adam, heard with him
The song of angels and of seraphim.
Our memory, though dull and sad, retains
Some echo still of those unearthly strains.
Oh, music is the meat of all who love,
Music uplifts the soul to realms above.
The ashes glow, the latent fires increase:
We listen and are fed with joy and peace."
Rumi, J.-D. (2022) Rumi. [edition unavailable]. Ixia Press. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/3762606 (Accessed: 10 July 2024).
I started reading about Rumi as part of my religious journey after Shaazia became ill. It helped me keep going, and now it helps me connect with all my surroundings. I want to stay away from some doctrines that are in stark contrast with my core beliefs of how life should be lived. In my searches, I came across Rumi.
Rumi was a 13th century (1207-1273) Muslim poet, jurist, theologian and Sufi mystic. he was regarded as one of the greatest Sufi spiritual masters and poets, famous for his epic Masnavi-i Manavi.
Sufism, or Tasawwuf, is the mystical and spiritual side of Islam. It sees the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the perfect example of God’s morality. Sufis join different groups or orders, each led by a grand master, where they focus on perfecting their worship.
Sufism is seen as a peaceful, apolitical form of Islam, ideal for fostering interfaith dialogue and cultural harmony. It symbolizes tolerance, humanism, and non-violence.
Sufi whirling, practiced by the Mevlevi order, is a dance aiming to reach spiritual perfection by shedding egos, focusing on God, and spinning in circles, symbolizing planets orbiting the sun
At 12, Rumi, born in a Muslim meat-eating world, wrote:
‘Shadeed-az-kwa nee ast munazin
Ya rafeer ul-qist amnazeer
Choon ke ast shadaaz raftam ke azdaan
Wahen ul-khirama, za dizt’un bu’azir’?
(I have existence and I value it so much/ So have all the beings on earth and they too, try to preserve it/ Then, how can I kill even the tiniest creature/ Just to satiate my palate?).
Rumi believed all lives were sacred, even lifeless stones. He avoided meat, milk, and animal sacrifices. In Turkish, he said, “Look at all animals as you look at humans,” fostering empathy and the sanctity of life. He stressed that our diet influences our behavior, with consuming animals making us act like slaughterers.
Rumi believed all lives were sacred, even lifeless stones. He avoided meat, milk, and animal sacrifices.
He said, “Look at all animals as you look at humans,” fostering empathy and the sanctity of life. He stressed that our diet influences our behavior, with consuming animals making us act like slaughterers. -Reading this almost made me emotional.
"The Marriage of True Minds
” Happy the moment when we are seated in the palace, thou and I,
With two forms and with two figures but with one soul, thou and I.
The colours of the grove and the voices of the birds will bestow immortality
At the time when we shall come into the garden, thou and I.
The stars of Heaven will come to gaze upon us:
We shall show them the moon herself, thou and I.
Thou and I, individuals no more, shall be mingled in ecstasy,
Joyful and secure from foolish babble, thou and I.
All the bright-plumed birds of Heaven will devour their hearts with envy In the place where we shall laugh in such a fashion, thou and I.
This is the greatest wonder, that thou and I, sitting here in the same nook,
Are at this moment both in ‘Irāq and Khorāsān, thou and I."
Rumi, J.-D. (2022) Rumi. [edition unavailable]. Ixia Press. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/3762606 (Accessed: 10 July 2024).