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Rumi: A Spiritual Treasury
The words of the thirteenth-century mystical teacher and poet, Jalal al-Din Rumi, resonate down the centuries, touching the hearts of readers from all cultures. Gathered under a thematic spectrum of headings, from "The Sufi Way" to "Living in the Spirit," this vibrant anthology offers a distillation of the most beautiful and profound wisdom written by the great Persian writer.
With a clarity which demonstrates her understanding of and familiarity with Rumi's work, Mabey’s heartfelt selections are short, well chosen, and presented in accessible modern English. Drawing on his most famous works, the essence of the world’s bestselling poet is captured within these pages and offered to all, whether they seek enlightenment on their spiritual journey or simply a taste of humanity’s tremendous capacity for spiritual insight.
With a clarity which demonstrates her understanding of and familiarity with Rumi's work, Mabey’s heartfelt selections are short, well chosen, and presented in accessible modern English. Drawing on his most famous works, the essence of the world’s bestselling poet is captured within these pages and offered to all, whether they seek enlightenment on their spiritual journey or simply a taste of humanity’s tremendous capacity for spiritual insight.
- GenresPoetry
160 pages, Paperback
Published February 28, 2008
3 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi
1,170 books15.7k followersSufism inspired writings of Persian poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi; these writings express the longing of the soul for union with the divine.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī - also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mevlânâ/Mawlānā (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master") and more popularly simply as Rumi - was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, a city of Ottoman Empire (Today's Turkey). His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages, and he has been described as the most popular poet and the best-selling poet in the United States.
His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Pashto, and Bengali.
Due to quarrels between different dynasties in Khorāṣān, opposition to the Khwarizmid Shahs who were considered devious by his father, Bahā ud-Dīn Wālad or fear of the impending Mongol cataclysm, his father decided to migrate westwards, eventually settling in the Anatolian city Konya, where he lived most of his life, composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature, and profoundly affected the culture of the area.
When his father died, Rumi, aged 25, inherited his position as the head of an Islamic school. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in the Shariah as well as the Tariqa, especially that of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practised Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240 or 1241. Rumi's public life then began: he became an Islamic Jurist, issuing fatwas and giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. He also served as a Molvi (Islamic teacher) and taught his adherents in the madrassa. During this period, Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.
It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi on 15 November 1244 that completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic.
On the night of 5 December 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. Rumi's love for, and his bereavement at the death of, Shams found their expression in an outpouring of lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams and journeyed again to Damascus.
Rumi found another companion in Salaḥ ud-Din-e Zarkub, a goldsmith. After Salah ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favourite student, Hussam-e Chalabi, assumed the role of Rumi's companion. Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next 12 years of his life in Anatolia dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi, to Hussam.
In December 1273, Rumi fell ill and died on the 17th of December in Konya.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī - also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mevlânâ/Mawlānā (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master") and more popularly simply as Rumi - was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, a city of Ottoman Empire (Today's Turkey). His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages, and he has been described as the most popular poet and the best-selling poet in the United States.
His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Pashto, and Bengali.
Due to quarrels between different dynasties in Khorāṣān, opposition to the Khwarizmid Shahs who were considered devious by his father, Bahā ud-Dīn Wālad or fear of the impending Mongol cataclysm, his father decided to migrate westwards, eventually settling in the Anatolian city Konya, where he lived most of his life, composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature, and profoundly affected the culture of the area.
When his father died, Rumi, aged 25, inherited his position as the head of an Islamic school. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in the Shariah as well as the Tariqa, especially that of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practised Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240 or 1241. Rumi's public life then began: he became an Islamic Jurist, issuing fatwas and giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. He also served as a Molvi (Islamic teacher) and taught his adherents in the madrassa. During this period, Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.
It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi on 15 November 1244 that completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic.
On the night of 5 December 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. Rumi's love for, and his bereavement at the death of, Shams found their expression in an outpouring of lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams and journeyed again to Damascus.
Rumi found another companion in Salaḥ ud-Din-e Zarkub, a goldsmith. After Salah ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favourite student, Hussam-e Chalabi, assumed the role of Rumi's companion. Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next 12 years of his life in Anatolia dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi, to Hussam.
In December 1273, Rumi fell ill and died on the 17th of December in Konya.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2013
Why do people read Rumi? Certainly not to improve their poetry, because it might look like poetry, but the phrases don't read like poems(presumably because they've been translated into English) - eventhough they are really beautiful, e.g. "Wherever water flows, life flourishes: Wherever tears fall, divine mercy is shown." (p. 150) I've heard that more and more people are reading Rumi in their search for spiritual "guidance" (for want of a better word). It seems many of them have forgotten about the Bible, or have decided that the Lord's way is not the one they want to follow. Rumi might say a lot of things pertaining to God, but his god is not the one of the Bible. As an example, he states on page 60 that God has placed a ladder before our feet: we must climb it, step by step. forgetting that God has done much more than place a ladder at our feet because nothing we do will get us into heaven except faith in his son, Jesus Christ. On page 67 Rumi comes up with: The task of the human spirit on earth is to purify its heart ... and there is nothing, but nothing we can do to purify our hearts except to ask God to cleanse us through His son's blood. So if you want to read Rumi, go for it! Just don't try to find peace for a searching heart there because if you're searching, your soul will only find peace in the Word of God.
I guess the same can be said about meditation: Have you started meditating because Rumi (presumably) did so and seems to have managed a lot with it. Don't forget the story about the student who couldn't meditate and went to his teacher, telling him that all he can think about is his ox. So his teacher tells him if that's what he'd like to do, then he must meditate on it. A few days pass and the student doesn't arrive, so the teacher goes to his house to see how he's doing. After a knock on the door, a voice is heard from within: "Sorry I can't come out because my horns will get stuck in the door" ... be very careful about what you meditate on. It could change your behaviour!
I guess the same can be said about meditation: Have you started meditating because Rumi (presumably) did so and seems to have managed a lot with it. Don't forget the story about the student who couldn't meditate and went to his teacher, telling him that all he can think about is his ox. So his teacher tells him if that's what he'd like to do, then he must meditate on it. A few days pass and the student doesn't arrive, so the teacher goes to his house to see how he's doing. After a knock on the door, a voice is heard from within: "Sorry I can't come out because my horns will get stuck in the door" ... be very careful about what you meditate on. It could change your behaviour!
November 20, 2012
str. 37- kaj je vsa lepota v svetu? Je le medu v vodnem toku drhteče vejice iz tistih večnih Sadovnjakov, ki neoveli bivajo v človeških srcih.
Str. 52- četudi ste najbolj učeni v svojem času na tem svetu, nikar ne spreglejte, kako sta minljiva ta svet in čas.
Str. 51- svet je ječa in mi jetniki v njej. Luknjo si izkoplji v steni in se reši.
Str. 60- česarkoli se lotite, zaznajte konec že v začetku, da ne boste obžalovali, ko pride dan poslednje sodbe.
Str. 71- zmaga nad sovražnikovo vojsko je bled odsev sijaja zmage nad seboj.
Str. 87- le čistemu in jasnemu zrcalu srca človek loči, kaj je grdo in kaj lepo.
Str. 52- četudi ste najbolj učeni v svojem času na tem svetu, nikar ne spreglejte, kako sta minljiva ta svet in čas.
Str. 51- svet je ječa in mi jetniki v njej. Luknjo si izkoplji v steni in se reši.
Str. 60- česarkoli se lotite, zaznajte konec že v začetku, da ne boste obžalovali, ko pride dan poslednje sodbe.
Str. 71- zmaga nad sovražnikovo vojsko je bled odsev sijaja zmage nad seboj.
Str. 87- le čistemu in jasnemu zrcalu srca človek loči, kaj je grdo in kaj lepo.
March 26, 2015
Rumi: A Spiritual Treasury by Juliet Mabey was exactly on the mark. A physically smaller book, the poetry contained in it is more accessible to the general population. I loved the contents which actually focused on excerpts of spiritual poetry by Rumi. The book is divided into various chapters on different aspects of the human relationship with God. While the book is written in a traditional male perspective of God that doesn't fit with my personal beliefs, I was still able to enjoy its contents.
May 17, 2020
Short little spiritual insights written in the thirteenth century that amazingly have power today. A worthy read.
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July 13, 2025Great segway from Forty Rules of Love
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews