Jalalud'din Rumi : Intermediary between East and West The 13th-century teachings of Jalalud'din Rumi, the Sufi Muslim philosopher from modern-day Afghanistan, are rich with wisdom to guide and open the hearts every human being. Rumi's insights on love, awareness of the things of the soul and tolerance, could extend a helping hand across the growing culture gap dividing the West and the Eastern Muslim world. Rumi wrote and taught that all religious groups are equal in the eyes of God. If he were alive in our modern time, he would have no qualm worshipping or praying in a church or synagogue instead of his own religious holy places. When we examine the philosophy revealed in his poetry, and his other writings, we see that Rumi taught people to look for their own individual relationship to God through existential and mystical means. Rumi’s deep love for all people and thing around him, without regard for what or who they were, illustrates that the West and East, the non-Muslims and Muslims are not as divided as many today believe. Originally trained in theology as a Muslim cleric, Rumi later became a mystical teacher, leader, and poet following an encounter with Shams in 1244 A.D. Rumi expressed his beliefs primarily through poetry, which often speak of honest compassion and infinite tolerance for individuals living outside of Islamic teachings. In spite of his religious Muslim upbringing, Rumi did not discriminate against people of other faiths or even agnostics. In an essay about his relationship with Jesus, Rumi wrote "He Was in No Other Place": “Cross and Christians, end to end, I examined. He was not on the Cross. I went to the Hindu temple, to the ancient pagoda. In none of them was there any sign. To the uplands of Herat I we... ... middle of paper ... ... or bad pay attention to how things blend (Rumi) Works Cited de Vitray-Meyerovitch, Eva. Rumi and Sufism, Sausalito: The Post Apollo Press. 1987 Jalalud'din Rumi, Fountain of Fire, trans Nader Khalili. Trzana, CA: Burning Gate Press 1994. Jalalud'din Rumi http://sevenpillarsjourney.org/additional-poetry/ March 12, 2014 Jalalud'din Rumi, Life and Death: http://www.rumi.org.uk/life&death.htm March 12, 2014 Jalalud'din Rumi, Rumi’s Poetry: ‘All Religions, All This Singing, One Song’ http://razarumi.com/rumis-poetry-all-religions-all-this-singing-one-song/ March 12, 2014 Jalalud'din Rumi , translated by Kabir Helminski. http://www.sourcetext.com/hupage/Rumi/rumi0.html March 12, 2014. Jalalud'din Rumi http://www.onejourney.net/the-living-book/jalal-al-din-rumi- 1207/22/quotations.html March 12, 2014 Shah, Idries. “The Way of the Sufi” The Octagon Press, London. 1980
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Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated
Murata, Sachiko. "Sufi Teachings in Neo-Confucian Islam." Indiana University. N.p., 25 Apr. 2005. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
On the Harmony of Religion and Philosophy gives us insight to the philosophical views of a certain sect of Islam, and how it influenced it 's followers to view the world around them. Although it is helpful, this is written from a very biased position and it cannot be said that the views of the author are the views of Muslim culture as a whole. There is a constant attack on another religious group throughout the article that helps us to understand what this specific sect deems right and wrong through comparison of the groups.
Al Ghazali a significant person in Islam has helped shape Islam to be what it is today - a living religious tradition for the lives of its adherents. His contribution to Islam though his theories, knowledge and works have left a positive impact upon the Islamic world that continues into the present. An everlasting impact upon the faith, Muslims and the expansion of Islam to be one of the most popular religious traditions in the present world for the lives of its adherents is seen as Al Ghazali’s
Keshavarz discuss the life and poems of Rumi. Rumi was inspired by his thoughts of spirituality, love, religion and the Sufi Traditions, where he observes how people relate one another. Tippett explains how Rumi utilized the community of the Whirling Dervishes by focusing on how people should stay centered while moving in their lives, learning from their experiences, which will help us grow and be a better person. Keshavarz points out that Rumi was inspired from the Islamic Traditions to write about how people should
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Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.