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Biography The Persian Sufi Sage and Poet, was born in Balkh on the 30th September, 1207. In his poetry he used the pen-name (Persian: خموش) (meaning "silent") and from the 15th century came to be known as Mawlawi, the term deriving from his earlier title of Mulla-yi rum, "the learned master of Anatolia". His disciples, such as Ahmad Aflaki called him "The Greatest Mystery of God" (sirr Allah al-a'zam), while the Persian speaking world usually refers to him as Mawlana. In the West where his fame has spread steadily since the 19th century he is usually known as Rumi, (meaning from Roman Anatolia). Rumi's father Muhammad ibn Hussain Khatibi, known as Baha' al-Din Walad (entitled Sultan al-'ulama'), was an outstanding Sufi in Balkh. He is the author of the Ma'arif , a masterpiece of Sufism, which left its mark upon Rumi's Mathnawi. When Rumi was about twelve or thirteen years old (around 1220), Baha al-Din Walad left the eastern provinces of Persia with his whole family and a group of disciples and travelled westward. This may have been as a result of the threat of invading Mongol armies. It is said that in Nayshapur he met the renowned Persian Sufi poet Farid al-Din 'Attar and presented Jalal al-Din to him. From Nayshapur Baha' al-Din Walad and his entourage set out for Baghdad where they were highly respected, meeting many of the scholars and Sufis of the city. From there they went to the Hejaz and performed the pilgrimage at Mecca. It was after this journey that most likely as a result of the invitation of 'Ala', al-Din Kayqubad, the ruler of Anatolia, Baha' al-Din came to Asia Minor and finally settled in Konya, a city associated with his family to this day. The family of Baha' al-Din Walad was welcomed warmly in Konya, which was witness at this time to many immigrants from the eastern cities of Persia, since Anatolia offered a peaceful haven in the Islamic world during the turbulent years of the Mongol invasion. Baha' al-Din rapidly gained fame as a religious scholar and Sufi and died with honor when Rumi was 24 years of age. Around a year after his father's death, Rumi met Burhan al-Din Muhaqqiq Tirmidhi, a Sufi master of high quality who was himself a disciple of Baha' al- Din Walad. It was through Burhan al-Din that Rumi inherited the spiritual heritage of his father and became initiated into the mysteries of Sufism. In 1244 Rumi's life was transformed through his encounter with Shams al-Din Tabrizi, who had entered Konya that year after spending some time in Baghdad. Shams was a mysterious and powerful Sufi, who fled social connections. Even his death remains a mystery and he has several tombs which have remained sites of pilgrimage, to this day. There is no doubt that Shams al-Din Tabrizi was not just a Sufi master for Rumi. Jalal al-Din had already practiced Sufism for many years before meeting Shams al-Din. It seems, rather, that Shams al-Din had a spiritual influence on him. Rumi was the type of Sufi who needed spiritual companionship in order to express himself in words. The companionship that Shams al-Din provided, was so powerful that it transformed the sober teacher Rumi, into an ecstatic poet. The first poem ever written by Rumi is in a letter to Shams, and from the time of their encounter until Rumi's death, the latter never ceased to compose poetry. The spiritual, friendship between these two towering figures is rare in the history of Sufism and has become proverbial in the East. The rest of Jalal al-Din's life from 1249-50 to 1273 was the period of dissemination of Sufism and the esoteric sciences contained in it. He trained numerous disciples, some of whom like Salah al-Din Zarkub Qunyawi and Husam al-Din Chalabi were themselves spiritual guides. According to Rumi, Husam Chelebi was the one who understood the vast, secret of the Mathnawi, that great work that shifts so fantastically from theory to folklore to jokes to ecstatic poetry. For the last twelve years of his life, Rumi dedicated the six volumes of this masterwork to Husam. In December 1273, Jalal al-Din fell ill. He knew that the moment of encounter with the Beloved was near, a moment which for him could not but be the most joyous moment of life. He predicted his own death and composed the well-known ghazal, which begins with the verse: How doest thou know what sort of king I have within me as companion? Do not cast thy glance upon my golden face, for I have iron legs. ---- The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded by the followers of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi in 1273 in Konya, (in Turkey at present). They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Dervishes are members of Sufi ascetic religious Tarika or "confraternities", known for their extreme poverty and austerity. Principles The Mevlevi, or Mevleviye, one of the most well-known of the Sufi orders, was founded in 1273 by Rumi's followers after his death, particularly his son, Sultan Veled Celebi (or Çelebi, Chelebi). The Mevlevi, or "The Whirling Dervishes", believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a "dance" and music ceremony called the sema. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect." Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives to the "Perfect." He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation.... Through history
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