Author: Afzal Iqbal
Publisher: Kitab Bhavan
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 306
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8171512682
Description
The first-ever biography and aesthetic appreciation of the man who enriched humanity with such splendid and massive contributions to literature and thought.
Jalal-ud-din Rumi has been described by Professor E G Browne as 'without doubt the most eminent Sufi poet whom Persia has produced, while his mystical Mathnawi deserve to rank amongst the great poems of all time.' Rumi's greatness is acknowledged as much in the West as in the East, but it is surprising and regrettable that until now no attempt has been made to write for the general public a biography and aesthetic appreciation of the man.
Now this lamentable neglect has been repaired. The author of this excellent monograph has read deeply the extensive writings of Rumi, and what other have said on the subject in ancient and modern times. While his approach to the poet is sensitive, and his aesthetic analysis most delicate, he displays acute powers of scholarly criticism in discussing the difficult problems that surround Rumi's biography.
Contents
Foreword, Prof. A.J. Arberry
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
A Portrait
CHAPTER I
THE AGE OF RUMI (A.D. 1207-1273)
The tottering fabric of Muslim society
The onslaught from Christian Europe
The Crusaders-their hopes and fears
Some contradictions analysed
A glimpse of the Christian mind in the thirteenth century
Shifting from Europe to Asia
Meeting the challenge of the Mongols
The sack of Baghdad (1258)
Defeat of the Mongols in Egypt (1260)
The origin and character of the Mongols
The social and economic conditions of Persia under the Mongols
A parallel between the roles of Ghazali and Rumi
Shifting to Konya - the centre of Rumi's activities
The rise of Saljuqs and the importance of Konya
CHAPTER II
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION (A.D. 1207 - 1244)
The story of his ancestors
The role of Baha-ud-Din, Rumi's father
His hostility towards philosophy and conflict with Fakhr-ud-Din Razi
Was Razi responsible for his exile from Balkh? The confusion about the dates of migration clarified
A royal invitation to settle in Konya
Rumi's education under his father-contemporary syllabus of studies analysed
The end of one phase of education at the death of Rumi's father and the beginning of another
An analysis of the intellectual horizon of Rumi at the age of thirty-four
Debt to Ghazali-a brief comparison
Debt to Sana'i and 'Attar-Rumi sees himself as a successor to both
Rumi's knowledge of Classical Islamic Philosophy
Rumi heir to an impressive heritage of Sufism
Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri, hero of a story in the Mathnavi
Respect and admiration for Bayazid Bistami
Mathnavi replete with references to Ibrahim ibn Adham
Rumi's defence to Mansur Hallaj
Classical Manuals of Sufism in the tenth century
Kashf-ul-Mahjub quoted copiously in the Mathnavi
A brief comparison and contrast with Ibn 'Arabi's thought
CHAPTER III
THE ROMANCE OF REVOLUTION (A.D. 1244-1250)
An account of Shams-I-Tabriz
Four different versions of Rumi's meeting with Shams
The version of Rumi's son
The result of the meeting
Rumi's correspondence in verse with Shams
Reasons of Sham's unpopularity with Rumi's followers
Rumi's new mode of life
The role of Salah-ud-Din Zarkob in this period
Rumi fails to find Shams but discovers himself
CHAPTER IV
THE MIRACLE OF THE MUSE (A.D. 1245-1260)
Rumi becomes a poet at the age of thirty-seven
Consideration of his collection of odes called Divan-i-Shams-i-Tabriz
A critical estimate of his lyrics
characteristics of his lyrics
His universal appeal
CHAPTER V
THE MESSAGE OF THE MATHNAVI (A.D. 1261-1273)
A general summary
Nature of existence
Nature of knowledge
Free-will and determinism
Nature of Love
Nature of Reality
CHAPTER VI
THE POET AS A THINKER (A.D. 1261-1273)
The difference between his method and the method of philosophers
The relation between Love and intellect
The nature of the self
His conception of evolution
Some difficulties in this conception
Determinism and responsibility
Knowledge of God
The Ideal Man
Select Bibliography
Index