2020-09-30 Wed

“What you seek is seeking you.” - Maulana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi also called by the honorific Mawlana, and in the West as Rumi, was born on September 30, 1207, C. E. in Balkh Province, Afghanistan, on the eastern edge of the Persian Empire. He was the greatest Islamic Darvish and poet in the Persian language, famous for his lyrics and for his didactic epic Massnavi-yi Ma?navi (“Spiritual Couplets”), which widely influenced mystical thought and literature throughout the Islamic world.

Rumi always encouraged tolerance, peace and compassion. His poems are passionate, spiritual and intense. He would frequently write about topics such as human desire and the nature of love. After his death, his disciples were organized as the Mawlawiyyah order.

Rumi's discipline and wisdom have crossed all national and ethnic borders ever since the 13th century: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the "most popular poet" and the "best selling poet" in the United States.

Rumi and his mausoleum were depicted on the reverse of the 5000 Turkish lira banknotes of 1981–1994.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org