The great poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, greatly known and beloved
around the world for his beautiful, mystical poetry, was born
in 1207, in Balkh (a historical city in Central Asia). His father,
Baha’ ad-Din Walad, was a Sufi, a Muslim mystic, and religious
scholar.
With the pending Mongol invasion, Walad took his family
Westward, visiting several cities and also completing the
pilgrimage (hajj) in Mecca, on their way to Turkey.Rumi’s
family eventually settled in Konya, Turkey, where Rumi married
and spent the last forty years of his life. Inheriting his father’s
spiritual heritage, Rumi spent years studying with master
teachers to become a Muslim scholar; eventually his studies
lead him to grow more deeply in his faith and to become a Sufi.
However, his meeting in 1244 with the mysterious Sufi,
Shams al-Din Tabrizi, so profoundly struck a chord in Rumi’s
poetic soul and set him on the path to becoming the visionary
poet of divine love and illumination. During his life time,
Rumi composed his peerless works (e.g. Mathnawi) and received
the inspiration for the sacred music and dervishes.
Rumi’s work in Konya profoundly affected both the literary and
spiritual landscapes of the Turkish and Persian worlds. Today,
seven centuries later, Rumi’s works, unbounded by conventional
lines of faith, continue to inspire, enlighten, and
illuminate many souls around the world, transcending
all cultural and religious lines.
