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Life and Work of Muhammad Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi
In the current wave of renewed interest in Rumi, this book offers the first comprehensive biography of this great historical figure written for the general pubic. Beginning with an analysis of conditions in the 13th century of Christianity and the 7th of Islam, the author pieces together a sensitive and scholarly chronicle of Rumi's life, taking great care to "sift the grain from the chaff." The book covers Rumi's formative years; the appearance and disappearance of the mysterious Shams-i-Tabriz, who transformed Rumi's life; and the sudden "bursting forth" from a middle-aged prose writer of some of the most exquisite and powerful poetry the world has ever known.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 1, 2016
The Miracle of the Muse.
The other day I was rearranging my books from a decade ago stored in cardboard for want of space when I spotted this paperback coated with dust gathered during all the years I had been away from home. A sudden rush of nostalgia dimmed by senses. This book represents my initiation into Rumian studies that led me to further readings, including the undertaking of the grueling (but extremely rewarding) task of reading through the whole of The Mathnawi , which was translated in full for the first time by the indefatigable Reynold Alleyne Nicholson. It took me 3 years to read it. I wonder how many years did it take him to translate it.
The farther the reader from the time of the poet the difficult it is to interpret and understand the sociocultural forces that influence the creation of a piece of art. This biography puts Rumi in context and familiarizes his time and place by reenacting it through a series of chapters aimed at the general reader. Since the author is a near-native who knows his part of the world, I did not find the element of exotification so common in Western scholarship of the same and older periods, for which I don't blame them. They were introducing a new and alien world to their readers back home. This book is written in a more intimate tone which presupposes a basic understanding of the medieval Middle East and Islamic philosophy.
I remember I enjoyed the bit about the schism between Falsafa (philosophy) and Tassawuf (Sufism) that defined intellectual debate in the medieval Islamic world. Interestingly, modern reader who is brought up to believe the two disciplines were mutually exclusive would be surprised to find the great overlap not just between these two fields of knowledge but theology and jurisprudence as well, whose votaries often doubled as Sufis, and as Faylasuf (Philosophers), if that took their fancy.
Reading the heavily underlined text, I revisited the chapter on the interpretation of Rumi which aims to lay down the fundamentals of his sufistic worldview (The Poet as a Thinker) which is often undervalued in the ecstasy of his poetry that envelops readers' poetic sensibilities. So beautiful is his verse, in whatever language you might read him. And to be sure, the author reserves enough space to dissect Rumi's poetic craft and maps him highly in the great pantheon of Farsi poetry, starting from luminaries like Baba Tahir down to the word-masters such as Abdurrahman Jami, whose lyrics are still put to new tunes in Farsi-speaking countries to great popularity.
September '15.
The other day I was rearranging my books from a decade ago stored in cardboard for want of space when I spotted this paperback coated with dust gathered during all the years I had been away from home. A sudden rush of nostalgia dimmed by senses. This book represents my initiation into Rumian studies that led me to further readings, including the undertaking of the grueling (but extremely rewarding) task of reading through the whole of The Mathnawi , which was translated in full for the first time by the indefatigable Reynold Alleyne Nicholson. It took me 3 years to read it. I wonder how many years did it take him to translate it.
The farther the reader from the time of the poet the difficult it is to interpret and understand the sociocultural forces that influence the creation of a piece of art. This biography puts Rumi in context and familiarizes his time and place by reenacting it through a series of chapters aimed at the general reader. Since the author is a near-native who knows his part of the world, I did not find the element of exotification so common in Western scholarship of the same and older periods, for which I don't blame them. They were introducing a new and alien world to their readers back home. This book is written in a more intimate tone which presupposes a basic understanding of the medieval Middle East and Islamic philosophy.
I remember I enjoyed the bit about the schism between Falsafa (philosophy) and Tassawuf (Sufism) that defined intellectual debate in the medieval Islamic world. Interestingly, modern reader who is brought up to believe the two disciplines were mutually exclusive would be surprised to find the great overlap not just between these two fields of knowledge but theology and jurisprudence as well, whose votaries often doubled as Sufis, and as Faylasuf (Philosophers), if that took their fancy.
Reading the heavily underlined text, I revisited the chapter on the interpretation of Rumi which aims to lay down the fundamentals of his sufistic worldview (The Poet as a Thinker) which is often undervalued in the ecstasy of his poetry that envelops readers' poetic sensibilities. So beautiful is his verse, in whatever language you might read him. And to be sure, the author reserves enough space to dissect Rumi's poetic craft and maps him highly in the great pantheon of Farsi poetry, starting from luminaries like Baba Tahir down to the word-masters such as Abdurrahman Jami, whose lyrics are still put to new tunes in Farsi-speaking countries to great popularity.
September '15.
November 29, 2015
Jibran's review does justice to this book. Please read it!
My thoughts about the book, which at best can be explained as an immature summary
The best in-depth analysis that I have read about Rumi's life, his inspiration and his work.
Afzal Iqbal starts with describing the geopolitical conditions in which Rumi found himself, dedicating a whole chapter to it.
The next part talks about Rumi's education under his father and his mentors. Chapter 3 and 4 introduces Shams-i-Tabriz and his impact on Rumi.
Chapter 5 and 6 are completely dedicated to giving the reader the gist of what Mathnawi contains (I hope to read it one day).
The last part talks about Professor Nicholson's translation, to be precise, what he failed to translate in English, but blacked out using Latin.
It comes to me as a surprise that this book is not widely read (at least according to GR) when it does great justice to Rumi. In comparison, the sensualised versions have quite a fan-following.
I recommend this book to anyone who seriously seeks out Rumi.
My thoughts about the book, which at best can be explained as an immature summary
The best in-depth analysis that I have read about Rumi's life, his inspiration and his work.
Afzal Iqbal starts with describing the geopolitical conditions in which Rumi found himself, dedicating a whole chapter to it.
The next part talks about Rumi's education under his father and his mentors. Chapter 3 and 4 introduces Shams-i-Tabriz and his impact on Rumi.
Chapter 5 and 6 are completely dedicated to giving the reader the gist of what Mathnawi contains (I hope to read it one day).
The last part talks about Professor Nicholson's translation, to be precise, what he failed to translate in English, but blacked out using Latin.
It comes to me as a surprise that this book is not widely read (at least according to GR) when it does great justice to Rumi. In comparison, the sensualised versions have quite a fan-following.
I recommend this book to anyone who seriously seeks out Rumi.
December 26, 2017
Like the name suggests, the book attempts to recreate the world of Jalaluddin Rumi so that the interested reader can better appreciate his works. The author provides an extensive biography highlighting both the world in which Rumi lived as well as the major events and individuals who influenced his thought and life. In fact I felt that it errs on the side of caution and goes too much into the nitty grittys of the debates surrounding his life, for instance whether he lived in a place for 5 years or 8, which frankly may not be of much interest to most readers who attempt to understand the broad world and not to research Rumi. However, as I am new to Rumi's work and history, I am not a good judge of whether the life and influences of Rumi have been presented in a fair fashion, particularly given the potential for debates and the religious censoring that the controversial life of Rumi presents.
The book also provides an interpretation of Rumi's works. As I am not an expert on Rumi's writings, I cannot judge how truly it represents his works. However, on some points; particularly on the authors presentation on Rumi's defense of intuition as a surer ( or even an only )path to knowledge vis-a-vis reason was eloquently presented. The author however often presents text in the original language without the translation which leaves readers who are not familiar with the Persian (I think) confused. At places he also does not make a clear demarcation between his views and Rumi's leading to further confusion.
The final section of the book is english translations of parts of the text that Professor Nicholson (who translated the Mathnawi) left out imposing his own brand on censorship on the poem. However, the overall effect of only presenting these particularly colorful passages is to give an unsavory picture of the work though the authors do warn the reader on this account. Overall I found it a useful read for a person interested in understanding Rumi and his life, thought and love. At the very least, it gives one perspective.
The book also provides an interpretation of Rumi's works. As I am not an expert on Rumi's writings, I cannot judge how truly it represents his works. However, on some points; particularly on the authors presentation on Rumi's defense of intuition as a surer ( or even an only )path to knowledge vis-a-vis reason was eloquently presented. The author however often presents text in the original language without the translation which leaves readers who are not familiar with the Persian (I think) confused. At places he also does not make a clear demarcation between his views and Rumi's leading to further confusion.
The final section of the book is english translations of parts of the text that Professor Nicholson (who translated the Mathnawi) left out imposing his own brand on censorship on the poem. However, the overall effect of only presenting these particularly colorful passages is to give an unsavory picture of the work though the authors do warn the reader on this account. Overall I found it a useful read for a person interested in understanding Rumi and his life, thought and love. At the very least, it gives one perspective.
May 10, 2019
Great book on Maulana Rumi.
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January 23, 2016Jibran's review does justice to this book. Please read it! My summary which at best can be explained as an immature summary The best in-depth analysis that I have read about Rumi's life, his inspiration and his work. Afzal Iqbal starts with describing the geopolitical conditions in which Rumi found himself, dedicating a whole chapter to it. The next part talks about Rumi's education under his father and his mentors. Chapter 3 and 4 introduces Shams-i-Tabriz and his impact on Rumi. Chapter 5 and 6 are completely dedicated to giving the reader the gist of what Mathnawi contains (I hope t...
April 23, 2016
Still wondering if I'm game enough for 'Mathnawi', though :\
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews