 “Today Ahmed is
myself;But not that of yesterday… Today the Anka (Phoenix) is myself; But not that little bird that is being fed with fodder!” I cannot know how these lines echo in the hearts, but it seems as if they’re coming from a dimension where space and time have been lost... From places where mind is unable to reach...The call to the conscious minds is being made under the name of Mawlana, as if carrying a breath from eternity... We are naming the One as Mawlana Celaleddin-i Rumi by looking out with our five senses through our window which has been limited with time... We also are learning from the records about his life story as follows: Mohammad Celaleddin is born on 30th September 1207, (it’s mentioned as 1182 in other sources) in Belh, a city within the territory of today’s Afghanistan. The title Mawlana which is added to his first name by his admirers, actually means “our Master”,whereas Rumi (a name previously used instead of Anatolia) has been given to him as a nickname due to his long stay in Konya, one of the cities of Anatolia. He belongs to a noble and well-educated family. His mother Mümine Hatun is the daughter of Rüknettin (the ruler of the city of Belh), and his father is Muhammed Bahaeddin Veled, the Soltan of Ulema (the doctors of Muslim theology). The ancestry of Bahaeddin Veled is traced back to Hz. Husein and Hz. Ebu Bekr. In his early chidhood years, he has attended the classes of his father at the school of theology. His father was the greatest scholar and Sufi of his time. He has taken his first spiritual lessons from him. Because of the invasion of the Mongolians, his father, the Sultan of the Ulema, starts a long journey together with his family and friends. They leave Belt for Kaabah and from there head for Konya. On the way, they stop by in various places and spend a few nights, where they meet the most famous Sufis of the time and hold spiritual conversations. These visits have turned out to be the greatest tools for Mawlana’s spiritual advancement. In Niþapur, during one of the talk sessions, Sheikh Feridüddin-i Attar has seen the perfect virtues on Mawlana’s forehead/mind and gave him his book Esrarname (The Mysteries) as a gift. Then said to his father ’’Soon after this son of yours will be throwing fire into the hearts of those who are suffering in the Universe.’’ On the way back from pilgrimage/Hajj they stopped by in Damascus. There, Muhyiddin-Arabi, looking at Cealeddin who was walking behind his father, said “Oh! Allah, the Only One supreme being. The ocean is walking behind the sea…”. They move from Damascus to Malatya, from there to Erzincan and then to Karaman with the caravan of the emigrants. During their stay in Karaman, Mawlana gets married to Gevher Banu, the daughter of Hodja Þerafeddin Lala upon his father’s request. In 1228, following the invitation of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat I., the family moves to Konya, the centre for knowledge and culture and settles down at the theological school complex built especially for them. In the year 1231, with the death of his father Bahaeddin Veled, Mawlana looses his first Master. Afterwards, according to his father’s will and upon the requests of the friends as well as the local people, he takes over his father’s position and becomes the Soltan of the Ulema. After a year of staying alone, he chooses to be educated under the discipline of Seyyid Burhanedin, his father’s precious caliph. Seyyid Burhaneddin wants him to possess all the manners and qualities pertaining to Allah similar to his father. Mawlana, with complete surrender and sincerity, devotes himself to this man of perfection and serves him for nine years. During this period he goes into severe inner struggles and very longlasting fasts, at the same time continues to participate in the spiritual conversations, thus he attains maturity. He moves to Aleppo, then to Damascus in order to have a deeper knowledge in the advanced sciences. He stays there for four years, and he meets the other scholars, learned men and Sufis in Damascus. According to the rumours; he has first met Þems here, in Damascus. Þems-i Tebrizi catches his hands and kisses them in front of the public and says to him “You!, who know the world more than anybody, understand Me!”, then he disappears. Nearly eight years after this meeting, Þems will be coming to Konya and their intimate conversations will start to take place. One day Seyyid Burhaneddin says to Mawlana that ‘’he was a unique, supreme person who is being pointed out by all the Nabi and the Wali (the sacred people/ saints) regarding his knowledge/ science pertaining to the mind, pertaining to the transfer of science and pertaining to the science based on self discovery”. Then he sends him to fill up the souls of people with immeasurable mercy and a renewed life and to revive the dead in the universe with the love of all the meanings pertaining to him. Meanwhile, Burhaneddin leaves Konya and moves to Kayseri where he dies some years later. Mawlana has been left alone once again... However, as his sheikh had said he has assimilated all the science valid in his time; besides, he studied Persian, Indian and Arabian literature, moreover, by learning Greek he has also studied the classical works of the Greek philosophers. From then on he has undertaken the duty of enlightening people by giving lectures and speeches and religious decrees. He has over ten thousand followers and four hundred students. His work Mecalis-i Seba (the Seven Meetings), consisting of his lectures, is gathered at this time. The date 25th (or 29th) November, 1244 is said to be the turning point of his life. While he is on his way back home riding his horse, a dervish with a poor look gets hold of the reins and stops him. Looking deep and mysterious, he throws a sharp glance at him and shouts at him as such: “Tell me the son of Bahaeddin from Belh! Who is greater, Hz. Mohammad or Bayezid?” “What kind of a question is this?!. Of course, Hz. Mohammad is greater!” ‘’Yes, but Hz. Mohammad said to Allah “Oh my Lord! I keep on reciting/remembering you, we haven’t been able to recognise you with the proper aspect which you deserve”, whereas Bayezid said “ I keep on reciting and reminding to myself, what a great glory I have!” “Well, Hz. Mohammad used to advance through seventy states of mind each higher than the previous one in a single day, and while doing so, in each and every state he would ask for forgiveness about the previous one, whereas in the case of Bayezid, he lost himself in ecstasy because of the the glory coming from only one position/state; that is the reason why he has said so...” Now,the dervish has found the answer he was looking for. Mawlana, on the other had, is very much impressed by the dervish who has asked such a challenging question, and jumps off his horse. So, the two seas flow into each other with the longing which had lasted for centuries. They become ecstatic and get carried away The place of this incident is named as ‘Maracel bahreyn’ meaning the point where the seas meet. As can be understood, the person dressed like a dervish is Þems-i Tebrizi. He is a person, who for many years has sought in every place for a friend of Haqq like himself, who will be able to endure his questions and talks. He is a person who is almost in ecstasy with the joy of divine love; a person who is independent in his thoughts and in his spirit. As a result of the inspirations that he had, he came to Konya and finally found the love he has been looking for. If we are to mention it in the poetic style of Mawlana: “The beautiful women (spiritual beauties who steal hearts) search for the lovers with heart and soul… All the beloved are being caught by those in love… Thirsty ones search for water throughout the universe, but water also searches for the thirsty ones of the world.” Mawlana has become “ripe/mature” with the education he got from his father and Seyyid Burhaneddin, and he’s got “burned” with the fire of his Own beauty which reflected from the mirror named Þems. According to Sultan Veled “Þems has arrived suddenly, reached him and explained the states of being beloved. Therefore, his secret has reached a more supreme point.’’ Having got together with Þems, he devotes all his time to him and lives in a completely different world. Burning with the attraction of Þems, he whirls in an ecstatic state full of divine love. However, spending all his time with his beloved attracts the reactions of those who do not know this secret and the state of being. Because of their jealousy, gossip starts spreading out. Using this as an excuse, Þems leaves Konya in spite of all the begging. The longing has started once again at this side of the sea... “He burns and burns so, he, himself becomes the love”, he becomes exuberant, overflows. Once the news has arrived that Þems was in Damascus, he writes letters full of yearning one after another… Finally, the expected answer arrives. Þems has accepted to come back. Mawlana, immediately sends his son Sultan Veled to Damascus to meet his Þems and bring him back. During the time he waits he sings his lyric poem full of excitement with the repetition as such: “……… He is coming, HE. A piece of our moon, our lover, our beloved is coming!” When entering the city with his company, Þems is welcomed with the sounds of lyric poems, the Holy Quran and with the sound of the instrument kudum. Following this second reunion, they go back to the theological school, to their own state of being. The gatherings of Sama are being organised. From then on, the lover and the loved; the master and his disciple get mixed and begin to reflect each other, they have become a mirror for each other. After a while, the same old gossips and jealousy reappear. Þems, having noticed their dirty plans about his destruction, disappears suddenly in the year 1247/48. Mawlana searches for him everywhere and writes poems which burn the hearts. He gives rewards to those who bring even a false news from him. He gives them everything he has in hand by saying “if it had been the truth I would have given my own life”. He goes to Damascus twice. With Sultan Veled’s words: “He can not find Þems of Tebriz , but he has found Þems in himself from the aspect of his meanings.” And says “Oh! You the seeker! No matter you see him or me, I’m Him and He is Me!..” He also uses the pseudonym ‘’Þems’’ in his poems. He has finally given up to search for him. Later, he chooses Sheikh Selahaddin as a close friend for himself. He reflects onto him the love he feels towards Þems so, in this manner his heart calms down. This time, those who have been jealous of Þems try to insult and slander Selahaddin too because of his illiteracy. Whereas the Sheikh says to them; “You are being offended because Mawlana has regarded me as superior. However, you are not aware of the fact that I don’t have any clear appearance of my own, I am only a reflection. What he has seen on me is the reflection of His Own face. So, why shouldn’t he choose His Own Self?” By saying these, he is also showing his virtuous knowledge. So, for ten years they see each other and hold conversations. In the end Sheikh Selahaddin gets very sick and passes away to the eternal universe. Loneliness shows its face again, but this time the turbulence has died down, the storms have ceased. Çelebi Hüsameddin becomes his beloved friend and caliph following the jeweller Selahaddin. Those, who have been jealous previously stopped misbehaving and became well-mannered. Now, they obey Çelebi without any objections. Only in the meetings where Çelebi is present, Mawlana becomes ecstatic, radiates out meanings and talks about the science of truth. In his work Masnawi, pointing out this condition he says: “These words are like the milk hidden in the breast of life, and do not flow unless there is an absorber. If the listener is a thirsty seeker, the lecturer will speak up even if he is dead.” Mesnevi, the masterpiece of the Islamic Sufi literature, has been written upon Çelebi Hüsameddin’s request. Mawlana, with the attraction he receives from Çelebi, sings rhyming couplets all the time; while he is whirling, while he is standing up, while he is calm or active, and while sitting in the Turkish bath. Çelebi writes them down with utmost speed and reads them to Mawlana loudly. Thus, the writing of Mesnevi which has started in the years of 1259-1261, has been completed in the years of 1264-1268. This friendship lasts for fifteen years away from mischief and jealousy. However, Mawlana understands that he is going through the last moments of his life, that soon he will be joining the Universe which he has been missing. He says to those who are worrying, crying about his illness, wishing the best wishes for his recovery; “Brother! Don’t come to my grave without a tambourine, because it is not proper to be in great sorrow and grief in a meeting held for Allah.” “…. Don’t look for our grave in the ground after our death, our grave is in the hearts of the men of wisdom.” Because, for him, death is not a state of getting lost (extinction), but a transition, it is the Wedding Night (Þeb-i Aruz)… Then he says… “I’m not the person to get off the throne and get onto a coffin.. My place is the position (state) of eternity!” Following this, on 17th December 1273, he takes his place in the state of eternity. Now, he continues his calls from the hearts and tongues of the man of wisdom, continues to enlighten with the following message, and will be calling out to many more centuries. “Come, come by, come again! Whoever you are, Whether an infidel, or a worshipper of fire or idol, Whether you have repented for hundred times, Whether you have turned back from your repentance for a hundred times… This gate is not a gate for despair; Come as you are!” What was it that made up Mawlana as “Mawlana”? An aimless love?... Certainly not! He had been the Master of external (visible) knowledge/science till he met Þems, then why did he follow him?.. Does the knowledge of the external/ the visible match with the hidden science? Why this knowledge of the hidden is not being opened to everybody?.. What are its aspects that need to be assimilated?.. We can clearly see the answers of all these questions in Mawlana’s life. What is certain is that all the desires, jealousies, envies experienced within the framework of the value judgements prevailing in a society, can never have a place in the science of the hidden and in those who live/experience it accordingly. “Today Ahmed is myself, But not that Ahmed of yesterday….” Ahmet F. Yuksel BIBLIOGRAPY UZEL, Nezih; Mawlana and Mankind, Göl
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