The document describes the life and teachings of Rumi, a 13th century Sufi mystic and poet. It details his family's migration from Central Asia to Anatolia to escape the Mongol invasions. In Anatolia, Rumi's father established a madrassa and upon his death, Rumi took over. He was further trained by one of his father's students. A pivotal meeting with Sufi mystic Shams of Tabriz transformed Rumi's life and inspired his poetic works. His most famous work is the Masnavi, a six-volume poem exploring Sufi concepts of divine love and man's search for God. Rumi's teachings emphasized tolerance, compassion, and accessing divine

2. When the Mongols invaded Central Asia sometime between 1215 and 1220, his father (Baha' ud-Din Walad, a theologian)

3. … set out westwards with his whole family and a group of disciples.

4. From there they went to the Hejaz and performed the pilgrimage at Mecca.

5. It was after this journey that most likely as a result of the invitation of 'Alā' ud-Dīn Key-Qobād, ruler of Anatolia, Baha' ud-Din came to Asia Minor …

6. … and finally settled in Konya in Anatolia within the westernmost territories of Seljuk Empire.

7. Baha' ud-Din became the head of a madrassa (religious school) and when he died Rumi succeeded him at the age of twenty-five.

8. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din-e Muhaqqiq, continued to train Rumi in the religious and mystical doctrines of Rumi's father.

9. For nine years, Rumi practiced Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240-1.

10. During this period Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.

11. Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi , also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Bal kh ī but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi, (September 30, 1207–December 17, 1273), was a 13th century Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian.

12. His name literally means "Majesty of Religion" , Jalal means "majesty" and Din means "religion" . Rumi is a descriptive name meaning "the Roman" since he died in Anatolia.

13. Later the an excellent education, Mevlana gave lessons in Konya’s Madrasas by 1244.

14. He raised p recious students and lighted the way to the sultan s and the vizier s .

15. It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi in the late fall of 1244 that changed his life completely.

16. Şems effected Mevlana very much in spiritual area.

17. Mevlana fastened , appreciated to him and saw real love of God at him.

18. Mevlana's students and disciples couldn't bear to see this person they held in such high esteem submitting himself to an unknown, again dervish who was uninterested in endearing himself to anyone except Mevlana.

19. Soon their displeasure turned to actual threats against Shems, and one day he disappeared.

20. When he lost guide master, he gave himself divine sema’a and the poem.

21. One time they had asked Mevlana to describe his life and he replied , " I was raw . I cooked . I burned . "

22. Love of God at him, had found the perfection degree.

23. Mevlana was a philosopher and mystic of Islam.

24. Mevlana, who considered every kind of perfection in love only, write all his works on love. For, love i n the basis and essence of life. The reason for the creation of the universe is love.

25. Mevlana deeply attached himself to the articles of belief and the principles of Islam. Hence, the subject of worship is dealt with clearly and in detail in his works.

26. Mevlana expressed with examples that Almighty God is the owner of attributes of will and power.

27. The belief of divine Destiny, which is one of the articles of Belief, is also in this nature. In fact, God gave man the religion and knowledge, sent books and messengers to him to show the right path,

28. … and announced that all men would be kept responsible for their unions in this world and given reward or punishment in accordance with their doings. All these things indicate that man has a part will and is responsible for his actions before the Divine Will.

29. the world, in Mevlana's works, is a concept, which binds man tightly with the materialistic bonds, and prevents him from comprehending the real reason in his creation.

30. In order to discover the endless life with the help of Divine Love, man should free himself from all material things, which takes his soul from the highest to the lowest level.

31. The following Qur'anic passage indicates that death is unavoidable for every creature; "Every human being is bound in taste death, [and] in the end unto us shall all be brought back." (The Qur'an, 29/57).

32. This Qur'anic passage we have just cited, considers death not as annihilation but as man's going back to his Creator, returning to his origin, and thus obtaining real and eternal life.

33. Thus, the Prophet of Islam said in the same manner: "Believers (Muslims) never die, but are transferred from a world which is temporary to a world which is everlasting .

34. As is the case with metaphorical description of the reed flute (nay), which is narrated in opening verses of the Mesnevi, man, too, is in exile while living in this world. Death makes man reach his hometown and lover.

35. In the thought of Islamic mysticism, there are two types of death: dying voluntarily and dying indispensably,

36. Man's dying indispensably is his spirit's leaving his body. Voluntarily or optional dying is to reach the degree of fanafillah.

37. in accordance with the Prophetic saying, "Die before you die!"

38. His doctrine advocates unlimited tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love.

39. His peaceful and tolerant teaching has appealed to men of all sects and creeds..

40. Come, come again, whoever you are, come!

41. Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!

42. Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times,

43. Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are."

44. Come, come, come... Whatever you are, it doesn't matter.

45. Whether you are an infidel, an idolater or a fire-workshipper

46. Come, our convent is not a place of despair.

47. Come, even if you violated your vows a hundred times, come again.

48. Mevlana’s religious exposition of Sufism is mainly contained in his "Masnavi", an enormous poetic work in six books, comprising almost 30,000 couplets.

49. it pursues its way through hundreds of stories that illustrate man's predicament in his search for God. In fact, "masnawi" is a poetic form consisting of rhymed couplets in Turkish and Persian literature.

50. Sema is used to refer to some of the ceremonies used by various sufi orders and often involves prayer, song, dance, and other ritualistic activities.

51. In the Mevlevi sufi tradition, sema represents a mystical journey of spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect."

52. In this journey the seeker symbolically turns towards the truth, grows through love, abandons the ego, finds the truth,

53. … and arrives at the "Perfect"; then returns from this spiritual journey with greater maturity,

54. … so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation…

55. … without discrimination against beliefs, races, classes and nations.

56. The Whirling Dervishes to perform annually in Konya on the Urs of Mevlana, December 17, the anniversary of Rumi's death.

57. The Mevlana annual festival is held every year in Konya in December.

58. It lasts two weeks and its culminating point is the 17th December called Sheb-i Arus meaning 'Nuptial Night', the night of the union of Mevlana with God.

59. FROM HİS WORKS

60. The past has vanished, everything that was uttered belongs there; Now is the time to speak of new things."

61. The day I've died, my pall is moving on... But do not think my heart is still on earth! Don't weep and pity me: "Oh woe, how awful!" You fall in devil's snare - woe, that is awful!

62. Don't cry "Woe, parted!" at my burial... For me this is the time of joyful meeting!

63. Don't say "Farewell!" when I'm put in the grave... A curtain is it for eternal bliss.

64. You saw "descending"...now look at the rising! Is setting dangerous for sun and moon? To you it looks like setting, but it's rising; The coffin seems a jail, yet it means freedom.

65. Which seed fell on the earth that did not grow there? Why do you doubt the fate of human seed? What bucket came not filled from out the cistern? Why should the Yusuf "Soul" then fear this well?

66. Close here your mouth and open it on that side So that your hymns may sound in Where-no-place!

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