Kitabı oku: «Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved»

Introduction

It is the thirteenth century and times are tumultuous in the East. The Persian Empire is in chaos and division and corruption are rife amongst the ruling classes. The Mogul armies of Genghis Khan are moving westward, invading and pillaging country after country. People are living in fear and disbelief, having lost faith in their political and religious leaders. The Persians will soon bear witness to one of the worst massacres in history at the hands of the Mogul invaders.

Mowlana Jallaledin Mohamad Rumi is born on 30 September 1207, on the far eastern edge of the Persian Empire in Balkh in modern-day Afghanistan. His father, Baha-e Valad, is a renowned religious leader with a great following. A descendant of a long line of theologians, teachers, scholars and Islamic jurists, he eventually falls into disfavor with the brutal local ruler. Fearing the impending Mogul invasion, Rumi’s father gathers his family and followers and leaves his homeland. After years of traveling during the mayhem of war and destruction they eventually arrive in Konya, in the province of Rum in present-day Turkey. Konya, melting pot of many cultures, religions and nationalities, is also a center of science, literature and learning. Rumi, now in his teens, is nourished in an atmosphere of love, stability and intellectual richness. Meanwhile the Turkish leader of the province offers Baha-e Valad his own school and the family settles permanently in Konya. Years later, after his father’s death, the young erudite Rumi assumes the teaching post in the same school, not only leading his father’s students but gaining thousands more on his own merit.