Rumi and the Sufi Tradition [Paperback]

John A. Moyne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

This book explores the concept of mystical union and other major teachings of Jalaluddin Rumi, the greatest poet of the Islamic tradition.

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About the Author

John A. Moyne received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Linguistics and Near-Eastern Languages and Literatures. He is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science at the City University of New York. He was former chairman of the Computer Science Department at Queens College and head of the Ph.D. Program in Linguistics at the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He has written and co-authored ten books and numerous articles in professional journals in linguistics, cognitive sciences, and Rumi studies.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Rumi was born in September 1207 at Balkh in the north of Persian province of Khorasan (now in Afghanistan) into a family of prominent and highly respected jurists and religious leaders. His great grandfather claimed descent from Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam and, according to Aflaki, married the daughter of Khwarizmshahian, the Sultan. At the time of the birth of Rumi, Balkh was the capital city of a vast empire of the Khwarizmshahian dynasty and a great center of Islamic art and culture. Rumi grew up to become the greatest Sufi poet of Persia or, according to Arberry, "the supreme mystical poet of all mankind." However, this did not happen in Balkh since he left the city at the age of 12.

Product Details

• Paperback: 101 pages
• Publisher: Global Publications (August 1998)
• ISBN-10: 1883058988
• ISBN-13: 978-1883058982
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,307,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumi's life and poetry within the context of Sufi history., February 19, 1999

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[e-mail] (Sea Cliff, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rumi and the Sufi Tradition (Paperback)

Rumi Web links abound. An Internet search yielded more than 6,000 results. Amazon.com lists 114 books by and about Rumi. Who was Rumi? Why does his poetry still resonate so powerfully? Why does the 13th century Sufi mystic's influence continue to grow and spread throughout the world? A recently published monograph, Rumi and the Sufi Tradition by John A. Moyne, helps to answer these questions. Moyne gives us an account of Rumi's life, thought and poetry within the larger context of Sufi and Islamic history and tradition. To summarize the book: Sufism began as an intellectual movement within Islam around the 8th century A.D. As a result of its openness to other religions and philosophies, it came to incorporate non-Islamic influences, among them: Gnosticism, Neo-platonism, Christianity and Buddhism. By the 12th and 13th centuries, the Sufi movement achieved its greatest influence. It was during this time that Jalaluddin Rumi lived. Born in northern Persia in 1207, he spent most of his adult life in Konya, Roman Anatolia. He followed in his father's footsteps as a distinguished scholar, preacher and judge. At age 24, Rumi was initiated into Sufism's mystical secrets by the Sufi master, Burhanuddin Muhaqqiq. At age 37, Rumi's life changed dramatically when Shams al-Din of Tabriz, a wandering dervish, arrived in Konya. It was under Shams' tutelage that Rumi's ecstatic mysticism evolved and came to incorporate song, dance and poetry into its rituals. The purpose was to attain a state of fana, "nothingness," i.e., the dissolution of the self in ecstatic union with God, through the practice of sama, a ritual dance, in which the dancer whirls himself into a trance while chanting poetry and verses of the Koran. It was Shams who inspired Rumi to write the poetry that is so ardently admired today. Rumi's poetry can be as simple and enigmatic as haiku. More often it is inventive and lyrical. Its emotional outpouring of love and longing, of intoxication with divinity and nature, blends an opulent sensuality with expressions of spiritual ecstasy. Love is the cornerstone of Rumi's poetry, as it is of his mysticism. Love, in all its forms, is the primary means of transcending self; spiritual love, in particular, is the ultimate transcendent experience. The spiritual experience is paramount; religious doctrine is secondary. "I am like a flute," Rumi says "With a single note, tuned for 200 creeds." In a time when the murderous violence of religious and ethnic fundamentalists are tearing the world's peoples apart, it may well be Rumi's message of love and tolerance that best explains his enduring appeal. I am not Christian or Jew, Gabr or Muslim. I am not from the East or the West . . . My place is no place. . . I have no body or soul, I am the soul of the beloved. I am free from duality . . . I see the two worlds as one. . . (From Rumi and the Sufi Tradition by John A. Moyne)