Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, better known as Rumi, was a great Persian poet and Sufi mystic of the 13th century. Centuries after his death, his work continues to influence countless individuals.
His life and teachings exemplify the universal values of tolerance, reason, and access to knowledge through love. His work was so profound that it transcended the boundaries of religion and race.
Today, Rumi’s poems are found in classical Iranian and Afghan music. In the West, his teachings provide a great introduction to the philosophy of Sufism.
His poems have been translated into many languages. His words and visions of inner peace and happiness are seen through the actions of performers and heard through the mouths of preachers.
Humble Beginnings of a Devoted Follower
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi was born on September 30, 1207. He was born in Balkh, now known as Afghanistan. His father, Bah?? al-D?n Walad, was a scholar and mystical theologian of great renown. In fact, at the time, his father was known as the king of scholars due to his devotion to knowledge.
When the Mongols invaded sometime between 1215 and 1220, Rumi and his family left Balkh, taking a group of disciples with them. They traveled through many Muslim lands to perform a pilgrimage—Baghdad, Damascus, Erzincan, Malatya, Sivas, Kayseri, Ni?de, and Mecca. They eventually settled in Konya, now part of Turkey.
Rumi was born into Islam and devoted himself to following the footsteps of the prophet Muhammad. He strived to follow the tenets of Islam. He would pray five times a day.
He would give alms and charity to those in need. He would fast for days during the Ramadan. At a young age, he practiced Sufism under the guidance of his father’s disciple. During this time, he learned as much as he could about spirituality and the spirit world.
When his father passed away, he became the head of the madrassa (religious school) and began teaching. He gained quite the reputation as he preached in the various mosques in the city. He eventually became a prominent figure in the field of religious science.
Turning into a Poet
At the age of 37, Rumi was already a reputable teacher and theologian. During this time, as he was visiting Syria, he met a wandering holy man by the name of Shamsuddin Tabrizi, better known as Shams. Their meeting would soon change the course of Rumi’s life.
Shams was a mystic, but wasn’t affiliated with any holy group. He had an irresistible personality, and he exposed Rumi to the mysteries of divine majesty and beauty.
Rumi came to understand the spiritual significance of his experience as a migrant. The two became very close friends, and for months they lived near each other.
Three years later, Shams mysteriously disappeared. It was only in the 20th century when it was revealed that he was murdered by the students of Rumi who did not approve of their closeness.
The loss devastated Rumi and fueled his desire for writing poems. He devoted the next ten years writing ghazals (Persian poems), referring to Shams every so often.
He even used “Shams” as his pen name in most of his poems, writing a compilation of ghazals called the D?v?n-e Shams. Here he expressed his experiences of love, longing, and loss, and would talk about the different stages of love.
Later on, he would meet a goldsmith by the name of Salah ud-Din-e Zarkub, who would become his companion. When Salah ud-Din-e Zarkub died, he took in a disciple named Hussam-e Chalabi.
Rumi continued to write until the end of his days.
Famous Works
Rumi greatest works were the Masnavi and the D?v?n-e Shams.
The Masnavi is a series of six poetic books that talk about reaching one’s goals by being truly in love with God. It is around 25,000 verses in length. Rumi started creating this epic at the age of 54. He continued composing until his death, leaving the sixth book incomplete.
The D?v?n-e Shams is a collection of poems that Rumi dedicated to Shams, his close friend and master. It includes different styles of poetry originally written in Arabic, Turkish, and Greek. It covers many topics but has familiar themes of longing, loss, love for God, and love for others.
Death
Rumi died on December 17, 1273. He was buried next to his father in Konya, Turkey. A grand tomb named the Melvana mausoleum was made for him.
It included a mosque, living quarters, and a dance hall. His death bed is considered a sacred place that is still visited by admirers from all around the world.
Here are some memorable quotes from Rumi:
Rumi Quotes
“Ignore those that make you fearful and sad.” – Rumi
“Knock. And he’ll open the door.” – Rumi
“What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi
“The very center of your heart is where life begins – the most beautiful place on earth.” – Rumi
“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be.” – Rumi
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi
“I found myself.” – Rumi
“Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.” – Rumi
“You’ve seen my descent. Now watch my rising.” – Rumi
“Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” – Rumi
“The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself, everything that you want you already are” – Rumi
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” – Rumi
“Your heart knows the way, run in that direction.” – Rumi
“This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.” – Rumi
“Be patient where you sit in the dark, the dawn is coming.” – Rumi
“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Rumi
“The quieter you become the more you are able to hear.” – Rumi
“Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” – Rumi
“Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah…it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.” – Rumi
“Why are you so enchanted by this world, when a mine of gold lies within you?” – Rumi
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?” – Rumi
“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.” – Rumi
“Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about.” – Rumi
“In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.” – Rumi
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi
“The lamps are different, but the light is the same.” – Rumi
“When you do things from the soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi
“There is a voice that doesn’t use words, listen.” – Rumi
“Love is the bridge between you and everything.” – Rumi
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi
“You have within you more love than you could ever understand.” – Rumi
“The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.” – Rumi
“Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open.” – Rumi
“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” – Rumi
“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi
“My soul is my guide.” – Rumi
“Two there are who are never satisfied — the lover of the world and the lover of knowledge.” – Rumi
“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” – Rumi
“Either give me more wine or leave me alone.” – Rumi
“The cure for pain is in the pain.” – Rumi
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” – Rumi
“Close your eyes. Fall in love. Stay there.” – Rumi
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” – Rumi
“Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.” – Rumi
“Raise your words not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers not thunder.” – Rumi
“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.” – Rumi
“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” – Rumi
“When the world pushes you to your knees, you’re in the perfect position to pray.” – Rumi
“Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.” – Rumi
“We are one. Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” – Rumi
“Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.” – Rumi
“Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom.” – Rumi
“My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.” – Rumi
“Actually, your soul and mine are the same, we appear and disappear in each other.” – Rumi
“Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” – Rumi
“Know that one day, your pain will become your cure.” – Rumi
“I closed my mouth and spoke to you in a hundred silent ways.” – Rumi
“A mountain keeps an echo deep inside. That’s how I hold your voice.” – Rumi
“What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.” – Rumi
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” – Rumi
“Study me as much as you like, you will not know me, for I differ in a hundred ways from what you see me to be. Put yourself behind my eyes and see me as I see myself, for I have chosen to dwell in a place you cannot see.” – Rumi
“That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.” – Rumi
“Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.” – Rumi
“I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.” – Rumi
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” – Rumi
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” – Rumi
“It’s your road and yours alone others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” – Rumi
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” – Rumi
“The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.” – Rumi
“Reason is powerless in the expression of love.” – Rumi
“This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love you are.” – Rumi
“If you find me not within you, you will never find me. For I have been with you, from the beginning of me.” – Rumi
“You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.” – Rumi
“Your heart is the size of an ocean. Go find yourself in its hidden depths.” – Rumi
“Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere, they are in each other all along.” – Rumi
“Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absentminded. Someone sober will worry about things going badly. Let the lover be.” – Rumi
“There is a force within that gives you life. Seek that.” – Rumi
“Shine like the universe is yours.” – Rumi
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi
“Silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.” – Rumi
“Love is the religion, and the universe is the book.” – Rumi
“Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” – Rumi
“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” – Rumi
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” – Rumi
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” – Rumi
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi
“My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.” – Rumi
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” – Rumi
“Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.” – Rumi
“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.” – Rumi
“Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” – Rumi
“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” – Rumi
“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” – Rumi
“Why do you stay in prison. When the door is so wide open?” – Rumi
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” – Rumi
“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” – Rumi
“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” – Rumi
“I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.” – Rumi
“Suffering is a gift. In it is hidden mercy.” – Rumi
“A thousand half-loves must be forsaken to take one whole heart home.” – Rumi
“We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.” – Rumi
