Who is Jalal al-Din al-Rumi?

CAIRO - 30 September 2019: Today (Sept. 30) is the birth anniversary of the great Sufi scholar Jalal al-Din al- Rumi, who was born on September 30, 1207, and died on December 17, 1273.

Jalal al-Din al-Rumi is one of the most famous Sufis Islamists. At his time, his fame roamed the horizons and crossed cultures, how did this happen and why?

Who exactly is Jalal al-Din al- Rumi?

Mohamed ibn Mohamed ibn Husayn al-Balkhi, better known as Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, is a poet and scholar of jurisprudence and many other Islamic sciences. The scholar was known for his ingenuity in his field. He was also a mystic.

Al-Rumi wrote many poems in Persian, which was recently translated and became very popular across the Arab and Islamic world, especially among Muslims in Turkey, France. Many pop singers sang his poems.

What is the most famous works of Al-Rumi?

Rumi composed several works, including “Quartets”, “Diwan al-Ghazal” (Love Poem), “Rasael al-Manbar”, “Diwan Shams el-Din el-Tabreezi”, “El-Magalis el-Sabaa” ,among others.

How did the West become interested in Jalal al-Din al-Roumi and his mysticism?

The Western interest in Sheikh Rumi dates back to an early age. One of the first people interested in his works is the English Orientalist "Reynold Nicholson", who translated selections from his poem "Shams Tabriz" in 1898.

During the twentieth century, studies, writings, and translations of Rumi’s works have significantly increased.

Two of the most important of those who worked on the translation and interpretation of his poems is English Orientalist Arthur John Arbori and German Orientalist Anna Marie Shemel.

Shemel devoted her huge book consisting of 815 pages "The Victorious Sun" to the study and analysis of his poems.

In 1973 and on the 700th anniversary of his death, several international meetings and lectures were held discussing Rumi's works, in addition to the publication of several scientific studies on Rumi’s poems,his philosophy and his style of writing, according to Jordanian researcher Khaled Bashir.