Rumi From Mineral to Man

[dabong1]

Rumi's story of evolution will tell us: I died as a mineral and became a plant, I died as plant and rose to animal, I died as animal and I was Man. Why should I fear? When was I less by dying? Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar With angels blest; but even from angelhood I must pass on: all except God doth perish. When I have sacrificed my angel-soul, I shall become what no mind e'er conceived. Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence Proclaims in organ tones, 'To Him we shall return'

 

[dabong1]

A few from Rumi..

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.”


“When I am with you, we stay up all night.
When you're not here, I can't go to sleep.


“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”


“You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”


Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.”



“All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there.”

 

[dabong1]

A few sufi one's.


Asking good questions is half of learning


A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey



A seeker went to ask a sage for guidance on the Sufi way.
The sage counseled,
"if you have never trodden the path of love, go away and fall in love;
then come back and see us."


"I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God".



IF words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears.


Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.



Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others.



What is done for you - allow it to be done.
What you must do yourself - make sure you do it




Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm



Whatever we perceive in the world around us tends to reflect who we are and what we care about most deeply, as in the old saying, "When a thief sees a saint, all he sees are his pockets."




We have all had the experience of failing time after time in changing old habits. Then suddenly these old habits lose their hold on us. What was so attractive suddenly becomes unattractive. This is a sign that God has accepted our repentance.
At this point, my sheikh used to say that we are no longer responsible for those old sins. We have truly changed and we are now someone who is not even tempted to commit them.

 

[niaz]

Mualana Rumi ( Rumi because even though he was born in Balkh around 1205 AD, he died in Qonia, Anatolia) was a mystic and a Sufi. One will find many of his poetry about love in its purest form that is love of God. Regrettably, I dont have his kalams ( Mathnavi Mualana Rum and Diwane Shams - written by Rumi to honour his great friend and mystic Shams Tabrizi)) in my collection but next time I go to Iran I intend to get them. Maulana Rumi was a poet and mystic par excellence. Allama Iqbal became his admirer while writing his Ph D Thesis, which was on development of metaphysics in Persia.

One would think many Sufi ideas are contrary to the Orthodox Islam. Sh. Ibne Timiya, who is considered as the 5th Imam by the Salafin and the Wahabis, was a contempory of Sh. Ibne Arabi, the great Sufi philospher, was strongly against the Sufis and considered them heretics.

However, for someone like me; who doesnot hold strict orthodox beliefs; Rumi is a peerless gem. I have an Iranian friend in Fujairah, with whom I occasionally discuss Hafiz and Saadi, my favourite persian poets; says that if I read Maulana's kalaam like I read Hafiz, I would forget every one less and would become an 'Aashiq' of Mualana.

 

[Always Neutral]

A few sufi one's.


Asking good questions is half of learning


A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey



A seeker went to ask a sage for guidance on the Sufi way.
The sage counseled,
"if you have never trodden the path of love, go away and fall in love;
then come back and see us."


"I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God".



IF words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears.


Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.



Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others.



What is done for you - allow it to be done.
What you must do yourself - make sure you do it




Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm



Whatever we perceive in the world around us tends to reflect who we are and what we care about most deeply, as in the old saying, "When a thief sees a saint, all he sees are his pockets."




We have all had the experience of failing time after time in changing old habits. Then suddenly these old habits lose their hold on us. What was so attractive suddenly becomes unattractive. This is a sign that God has accepted our repentance.
At this point, my sheikh used to say that we are no longer responsible for those old sins. We have truly changed and we are now someone who is not even tempted to commit them.

Dear dabong,

Very lovely sayings. Shall use some of them in future article I write.

Regards

 

[dabong1]

Dear dabong,

Very lovely sayings. Shall use some of them in future article I write.

Regards

Wish i had the brains to come up with some those sayings.

 

[dabong1]

Abu-Said Abil-Kheir..a bit more deep but still good

Nothing but burning sobs and tears tonight.
No way out and no patience left.
Last night our hearts had a moment together,
I suppose this is how I have to pay for it!


If you do not give up the crowds
you won't find your way to Oneness.
If you do not drop your self
you won't find your true worth.
If you do not offer all you
have to the Beloved,
you will live this life free of that
pain which makes it worth living


Love came and emptied me of self,
every vein and every pore,
made into a container to be filled by the Beloved.
Of me, only a name is left,
the rest is You my Friend, my Beloved.


Life here is a gamble in which when you win, you lose!
Be content, that's how you beat the game here.
This world is like a pair of dice,
the only reason you pick them up
is to throw them down!


The sum total of our life is a breath
spent in the company of the Beloved


All my vows, You laughed at, on day one,
only to call me up on them, that eve.
You taught me to live with You, Friend,
with vows never made,
never to be broken.


A pious one with a hundred beads on your rosary,
or a drunkard in a tavern,
any gift you bring the Beloved will be accepted
as long as you come in longing.
It is this most secret pain,
this bleeding separation,
which will guide you to your Heart of Hearts.

 

[Samudra]

Mualana Rumi ( Rumi because even though he was born in Balkh around 1205 AD, he died in Qonia, Anatolia) was a mystic and a Sufi. One will find many of his poetry about love in its purest form that is love of God. Regrettably, I dont have his kalams ( Mathnavi Mualana Rum and Diwane Shams - written by Rumi to honour his great friend and mystic Shams Tabrizi)) in my collection but next time I go to Iran I intend to get them. Maulana Rumi was a poet and mystic par excellence. Allama Iqbal became his admirer while writing his Ph D Thesis, which was on development of metaphysics in Persia.

One would think many Sufi ideas are contrary to the Orthodox Islam. Sh. Ibne Timiya, who is considered as the 5th Imam by the Salafin and the Wahabis, was a contempory of Sh. Ibne Arabi, the great Sufi philospher, was strongly against the Sufis and considered them heretics.

However, for someone like me; who doesnot hold strict orthodox beliefs; Rumi is a peerless gem. I have an Iranian friend in Fujairah, with whom I occasionally discuss Hafiz and Saadi, my favourite persian poets; says that if I read Maulana's kalaam like I read Hafiz, I would forget every one less and would become an 'Aashiq' of Mualana.

Oh yeah, modern day radicals would have Rumi beheaded for his works!

Why Sir, if your collection is in electronic format you should share it with us please! I'd love to have'em all.

 

[Always Neutral]

Can someone recommend a book on Sufisim which they have read ? would like to add it to my book collection and also see how relevant its to todays mordern way of life.

Regds

 

[niaz]

Can someone recommend a book on Sufisim which they have read ? would like to add it to my book collection and also see how relevant its to todays mordern way of life.

Regds

You can start by reading Sufi Path of Knowledge by Ibne Al Arabi. Think this is available from Amazon.com. There is also a website of Ibne Arabi Society.

You are however warned that the concept of Wahdet al Wajood and Wahadet al Shahood and Fana Fillah are not easy to understand. It involves a lot of abstract thought. I must admit that despite reading them, I havent really understood them. It could be that being an engineer by profession I am too materialistic in my thinking where as Sufism is metaphysics, thus requires lot more imagination; too much for a down to earth person like me. If you read Immanuel Kant's " Critique of pure reason" and understand it, you can understand basic principles of Sufism. Try it as a test case.

There is also a very good two volume history of Sufiism in India by Mr Rizvi published from Australia. But that is more a history than a book on Sufi Thought. Data Ganj Buksh had written a book called Kashf al Mahjoob. I used to have it in my library in London but I didnt find it when I looked for it. Someone must have borrowed it in my absence and just kept it.

BTW for Hon Samudra, I have no electronic collection. All my books are good old fashioned printed books. And my collection is rather small, only around three hunderd or so. It contains only the authors/subjects that I like. Some books such as 'Satanic verses' I discarded after reading once. Didnt think it was good enough to be included.

 

[Adux]

. Some books such as 'Satanic verses' I discarded after reading once. Didnt think it was good enough to be included.

hehe, Dont blame you, Didnt like it at all, though i still have it i guess somewhere

 

[A.Rahman]

rumis poetry makes him hindu doesnt sound like islam to me

Rumi's actual approach to Islam is clarified by the following quatrain composed by him:
“I am the servant of the Qur'an as long as I have life. I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one. If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings, I am quit of him and outraged by these words.

man banda-yé qur'ân-am, agar jân dâr-am man khâk-é rah-é muHammad-e mukhtâr-am gar naql kon-ad joz în, kas az goftâr-am bêzâr-am az-ô, w-az-în sokhan bêzâr-am — Rumi's Quatrain No. 1173

 

[Averroes]

These people were as near perfect as man can reach, Prophet Muhammad SAWW was the one perfect man, and these philosophers reached much higher levels than we will ever reach. but they reached it through unlimited worship of Him. it always amuses me how non muslims try to understand sufism, they have no clue what they're on about, especially europeans who start dancing lol.

 

[niaz]

i dont know much about rumi but when hes says he was mineral then tree then hyena then man then angel then whatever this is reincarnation it has nothing to do with muhameds teaching

There is age old debate about Sufi thought and philosophy. I have also noticed that some of the concept of Hindu Sadhu philosophy; wherein a mortal can reach such heights thru "Tapissia" or painful praying such as praying while standing on one leg for years! etc, that Gods have no option but to grant whatever he desires; are also present in Sufi thought. Such ideas are alien to orthodox muslim ideology. Some of the Sufi thoughts imply that man is One with Allah; indirectly this gives a Saint divine powers. Fot example Data Ganj Baksh revealed the presence of hidden treasure to one of his disciples. Baba Farid Ganj e Shakar was able to sweeten hundreds of litres of water with just a pinch of sugar. At Baba's tomb there is a door wherein it is rumoured that Baba Farid decreed that whosoever passes thru this door will go to heaven. ( Prophet himself ( PBUH) couldnt do that and only 10 people among all the Sehabas were given assurance that they will go to heaven). Such ideas imply that Wali or Sufi can attain closeness to Allah that was even denied to the prophets. It was such ideas that Mansoor Hallaj ( who cried An-all Haqq or I am god) and Shams Tabrizi ( who is rumoured to have raised a man from the dead- Qum be izni or get up with my permission) were condemned to death for blasphemy.

I havent come across the quatrain mention wherein Rumi says that he was mineral .... Since God is in everything, Rumi is using such words as a "simile" to express that he felt God's feelings thru oneness ( Wahdat al Wajood) and not preaching "Tanaasukh" or re-incarnation.

As I have mentioned earlier in this thread, I dont have the capacity of abstract thought to fully understand Sufi concepts. This much I am however certain; Mulana Rumi was a muslim and adored the Prophet( PBUH).

Another poet has expressed his unrequited love in the following words:

pehley main khak hua, khak sey paimana hua
tab muqaddar mein kahein bosa -ey janaan hua

mai sey ki tauba sitamgar ney muqaddar deykho
jab kay tayyaar meri khak sey paimana hua.

Meaning - first I became dust, from dust I turned into a cup.
only then I could hope to receive a touch of my beloveds lips.

But my luck was so bad that by the time the cup from my dust could be made ready, my beloved had sworn to give up drinking.

I have used this Rubaii ( Quatrain) to illustrate that when a poet uses similes o potray his feelings, the words should not be taken literally.