Poet · 1207 – 1273
Rumi
Key Takeaways
- Rumi was a Persian poet and Sufi mystic of the 13th century.
- His masterwork, the Masnavi, is a vast spiritual poem of Sufi teaching.
- His verse expresses the soul's yearning for union with the divine.
- He inspired the Mevlevi order, known for the 'whirling dervishes'.
Eight hundred years after his death, Rumi remains one of the most quoted and best-loved poets on earth. A Persian scholar turned mystic, he poured the longing of the soul for the divine into verse of extraordinary beauty.
From scholar to mystic
Rumi began as a respected religious teacher in Konya. His life changed utterly when he met the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz; out of that friendship and its loss came an outpouring of ecstatic poetry. His great work, the Masnavi, gathers stories and reflections into a vast guide to the Islamic Golden Age’s Sufi mysticism.
Love beyond language
Where Omar Khayyam mused on life’s fleeting pleasures, Rumi sang of union with God. The Mevlevi order he inspired became famous for its whirling dance, and in the medieval world and ever since, this poet and mystic gave spiritual yearning a voice that crosses every border.
Influence
Rumi gave Sufi mysticism its most luminous poetic voice, and his verse on love and longing has crossed languages and centuries to touch readers worldwide.
Legacy
Honoured across the Islamic world as 'Mevlana', he became in recent decades one of the best-selling poets in the West.
Major Works
- The Masnavi
- Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Rumi?
Rumi (1207–1273) was a Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose ecstatic poetry on divine love, including the Masnavi, became beloved across the world.
What is the Masnavi?
The Masnavi is Rumi's vast spiritual poem, a collection of stories and reflections conveying the teachings of Sufi mysticism, sometimes called the 'Persian Quran'.
Citations & Sources
People Like Rumi
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Why An earlier Persian poet whose verse, like Rumi's, became famous far beyond Persia.
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