Mawlana In Full

Thanks to the efforts of the American poets Coleman Barks and Robert Bly, Jalal al-Din Rumi, a 13th century poet of Iranian origin, has become (and remained) the best-selling poet in the U.S. for the past couple of decades. In my view, Barks and Bly have performed a great service by introducing Rumi's genius to an educated American public, but more needs to be done. Lovers of Rumi should be confronted with the poet's religious identity and convictions. In his incomparable book, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West (Oxford: Oneworld, 2000), the University of Chicago Persianist Frank Lewis does just that. Lewis writes:

It will simply not do to extract quotations out of context and present Rumi as a prophet of the presumptions of an unchurched and syncretic spirituality. While Rumi does indeed demonstrate a tolerant and inclusive understanding of religion, he also, we must remember, trained as a preacher, like his father before him, and as a scholar of Islamic law. Rumi did not come to his theology of tolerance and inclusive spirituality by turning away from traditional Islam or organized religion, but through an immersion in it; his spiritual yearning stemmed from a radical desire to follow the example of the Prophet Mohammad and actualize his potential as a perfect Muslim (Lewis, p. 10).

Rumi's poetic genius, his Persianate (Iranian) culture, and his Islam were all of a piece. Take away a single ingredient of this fine mixture and Rumi (known throughout the sphere of Persianate cultural influence--an area which stretches from the Balkans to Western China and includes Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Indian sub-continent--simply as Mawlana, "our master"), disappears into thin air. He should suffer no such injustice at the hands of his newest public. He deserves better than that.