But none sought out my secrets from inside: Mawlana Rumi among Muslim Mystics and Beyond

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Mohammad Balkhi Rumi (d. 1273) is very often viewed among non-Muslims in isolation from his own background, largely because bestselling translations of selections of his poetry are much more widely read than any other sources for Sufism, and they provide little context. This has led to a tendency to exceptionalise “Rumi” and his teachings through an Orientalist lens, which has in turn drawn the reaction of stressing his obvious Muslim credentials even more so than his Sufi identity. A more nuanced attempt to situate the much-revered Mawlana of Sufis within his own mystical tradition has arguably been hampered by the polarized nature of such debates, yet there is much to gain from pursuing this line. In this talk, Professor Mojaddedi examines Rumi’s writings both to situate him within the Sufi tradition and to highlight what that implies about the wider Islamic context which has too often been underappreciated.

Views expressed in this lecture are those of the presenting scholars, not necessarily of IIS, the Ismaili community or its leadership. Promotion of this lecture is not an explicit endorsement of the ideas presented.