MEVLANA MOHAMMED

JELALEDDIN RUMI

Jelaleddin-i Rumi, is known as Hz. Mevlana in the East and known as Rumi in the West. At birth, his family named him Mohammed,

though he came to be nicknamed Jelaleddin. As for

“Mevlana”, it connotes to “our master”, while “Rumi” relates to “the land of Rum”

or “Anatolia”, where he lived.

Hz. Mevlana was born on September 30, 1207 in the city of Belh, Horasan(Afghanistan).

As a master of thought and love, Mevlana is also known as a poet, teacher of morality and person of virtue.

Mevlana's philosophy was mainly based on Love of humans, love of Allah (God), and unlimited tolerance of humans to each other in parallel with the teachings of Quran and Prophet Mohammed.

The one who grows the rose from a thorn also changes the winter into the summer. The one who exalts the cypress freely is also capable of turning sorrow into joy.

God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposities, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.

Mevlana believed the

day of death to be a day of the reunification to

his beloved, that is, the God, he was referring to that day as

"Sheb-i Aruz" which means

the bridal night.

Mevlana’s philosophy can be summarized as eating little, speaking little, sleeping little.

And also, controlling oneself, enduring man-induced oppression, sacrificing yourself, supporting friends associating with good people and giving evil people a wide berth.

Patience is the key to joy.

A candle doesn’t loose it’s light, by enlightening another candle.

He discriminated against no one, treated everyone equally regardless of religion, language, gender or race and displayed humbleness to everyone.

“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come, come.”

It is necessary to talk about Shams-i Tabrizi in order to understand Mevlana’s personality and thoughts. Shams-i Tabrizi is known to have influenced him immensely. Shams-i Tabrizi, who changed Mevlana’s life drastically and infused him with enthusiasm and mercurial joy, was an intelligent scholar and a spiritual instructor.

He established a close relationship with Shams, whom he loved and respected deeply. He spent all his time in discussion with Shams and cancelled all his lectures and sermons in order to learn more about theosophy.

Shams suddenly disappeared when people began to envy his attachment to Mevlana and spread rumours about him (1246). However, his departure upset Mevlânâ deeply and he completely isolated himself into an inner world. He began to write his poems during this period. He heard that Shams was in Damascus and sent his son, Sultan Veled, to persuade him. Mevlana writes beautiful poems, letters but Shams doesn’t return. One of the poems;

Don’t doI heard you intend to leave us, don’t do

You have been looking for another one, another beloved-one, don’t do

You stranger! What are you looking for in noone’s world.

Which sick-hearted one do you mean, don’t do.

Don’t take us away from ourselves, don’t go that way

You are staring at those stolen, don’t do

Oh moon, the universe has just been ruined for you

You have been ruining us so badly, don’t do

Oh you, whose sovereignty is beyond existence and non-existenceYou are leaving the field of existence in that way, don’t do

If you forsook, the moon would get very dark in deep sorrowYou intend to ruin the home of the moon as well, don’t do

Our lips would get dry, if you got dryYou have been making my eyes full of tears that way, don’t do

If you don’t have the strenght to keep up with lovers,Why do you get suprised at love, don’t do

You please us, otherwise, our peace would get lost

You have been putting us in uneasiness, don’t do

My eyes, which are dirty with sin, are the thief of your beauty

Oh you, who are worthy of theft, you are stealing, don’t do

 

Rise up, oh friend, it is not yet time to say a word

Why are you practicing with the unconsciousness of love, don’t do

Despite these verses, Shams doesn’t return but Shams writes in his letter that write such a good word me that I return to Konya. Mevlana reads the letter and writes HAMUŞ(Redicent) to the white page. Shams returns to Konya. However people were again jealous of him and Shams left Konya, never to return (1247).

It is said that, he was later killed by a group led by Alaeddin Çelebi, the son of Mevlânâ, and this was kept secret from Mevlânâ. Losing Shams again caused Mevlânâ great suffering.

Mevlana believed in the force of music, poetry and dance thinking that music helped devotes to focus on the divine. The whirling prayer ceremony known as Sema is, in the Mevlevi order, a combination of the three, a tool to be as near as possible to God and reach the only truth. Sema can be defined as a step, a prayer and a worship dance bearing ritualistic elements on the road to universal love.

He has influenced artists, poets, scholars from German poet Goethe to reputed dance master, Maurice Bejart.

There are many thinkers and scholars who agree with French Turcologist Irene Melikoff who says that if Mevlana’s works were to be translated into their languages by the world countries, there would be no vice, war, grudge or hatred in the world.

The call of Mevlana to all human being without discrimination:

Come, come over, more over, how long this brigandage?

As you are me and I am you. How long this discrimination of you and I?We are light of GOD!

Why this separation among us? Why light escapes from light?We are all from the same yeast, our brains and heads too.

But under this bowed sky we see double…

Seven Advice of Mevlana

In generosity and helping others be like a river

In compassion and grace be like the sun

In concealing others’ faults be like the night

In anger and fury be like the dead

In modesty and humility be like the earth

In tolerance be like a sea

Either exist as you are or be as you look …

Mevlana died on December 17 1273 and was laid to rest beside his father in Konya, Mevlana who summarized his life with three phrases: I was raw and unripe, I was cooked and matured, I was burned into love. Death for him is re-birth and the genuine existence.

.…….

There is a life in you, search that life,Search the secret jewel in the mountain of your body,Hey you, the passing away friend, look for with all your strength,Whatever you are looking for, look in yourself not around …

Thank you for listening to me …

Şehrinaz Çakaloğlu