rubaiyat
that brought Rumi immortal fame, but his
masnavi,
known in English
as ‘The Masnavi of Inner Meaning’ (
Masnavi-i Ma’navi
).
25
It is divided into
six books and contains about 26,600 couplets. It does not have a clear structure
but reflects the spiritual experiences and the mystical flights of the mind in
search of God. It is said that Rumi dictated the verses whenever he was in
the grip of ecstasy – sometimes while sitting or walking, or even at times
while dancing. Sometimes he would keep on dictating throughout the night.
Masnavi
is not one long story but a collection of stories from the Qur’an,
hadith, past history, and the lives of the saints. The stories are interspersed
with mystical commentaries and Sufi teachings, making it one of the greatest
compendiums of mystical Sufi thought.
Fihi ma Fihi
(“In it is what is in it”), translated by Arberry as ‘Discourses
of Rumi’
26
, is a collection of Rumi’s sermons and conversations as recorded
by some of his disciples.
Rumi’s fame spread far and wide and he had many disciples. He did not
establish an order himself but, immediately after his death, his religious
movement developed into an organization. Ibn Batuta, who visited Konia
in 1332, that is 50 years after Rumi’s death, refers to it as theWay of the
Jalaliyya.
27
Later on it came to be known as the Mawlawiyya. Rumi was
succeeded by Hasan Husam ud din, his closest disciple and follower and
after him the succession passed on to Rumi’s son, Baha’ ud din SultanWalad.
It was under him that the development of the principles and organization
of the order took place.The order rose to become one of the most influential
in Anatolia and its members became famous for their devotion to music
and the nature of their
dhikr
practices, for which they came to be known as
‘the whirling dervishes.’
A History of Muslim Philosophy, vol. II, Delhi, 1961, pp..823-24
25
The Mathnawi of Jalal ud din Rumi, tr. Nicholson, R.A., London, 1926
26
Fihi ma fihi, tr. by Arberry, A.J., as Discourses of Rumi, London, 1961
27
The Travels of Ibn Batuta, tr. Gibb, H.A.R., first published 1929, reprinted 2002, Delhi, p..130
