The Life and Work of Jalaluddin Rumi

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PBS00845Amazon Price: US $13.56Our Price: US $10.00

Description:
‘I recommend this book warmly; it is a pleasure to read, and it holds the key to further delight for those many who will be encouraged by it to study further the immortal poetry of Rumi’ A. J. Arberry

After Maulana Shibli Naumani, its Afzal Iqbal’s turn to pay homage to ‘the greatest mystical poet of any age’. Where until now, comparatively little has been written about the man who has enriched humanity with such a splendid contribution to thought and literature, the late Dr. Afzal Iqbal has tried his best in trying to rectify the situation through this comprehensive study of Rumi’s life. Being himself educated on the life and times of Rumi and with such a range of accurate oral and written material at his disposal, it would be a mistake not to take the author’s assertions on the correct dates and accounts of Rumi’s life seriously.

Review:
Afzal Iqbal has systematically divided Rumi’s life into different stages. The author feels this is necessary to start from the very roots of the man to fully understand the philosopher’s genius. It is in this respect that the opening chapter deals with Rumi’s childhood and his relationship with his father.

DesiStore # PBS00845 ISBN 0-19-579067-7 Edition Second Year 2000 Pages 330 Weight (kg) .38 Shipping Weight (lbs) .97 HB/PB Paper Back

For the first 24 years Rumi is seen as totally subservient to his father Baha-ud-din, who himself a devotee of Imam Ghazali, was a mystic of great repute. Later on after the demise of his father his further education becomes the responsibility of Burhanuddin, a disciple of his father.

The narration then follows Rumi as he goes to Halab, at the time, along with Damascus the two main centers for Islamic instruction. Various sources, including his own son are quoted to correctly analyze Rumi’s progress as his thoughts on Islam and sufiism get refined through self contemplation and the teachings of various Ullemas.

After Burhanuddin, the other great teacher and confidant comes in the form of Shams-I-Tabriz. It was during this phase when Rumi produced his diwan. The transition of the philosopher, who so far used prose as a medium to convey his thoughts, into a poet of unparalleled merit was thus complete with the release of his immortal diwan.

His Mathnawi due to a combination of eloquence and the message of Islam is hailed by many as the ‘Quran in Pahlavi’. R. A. Nicholson is his translation of the Mathnawi into English, translated some 133 of the verses into Latin on the pretext that they were ‘scarcely fit to be translated’ into English. These verses previously fallen victim to Nicholson’s unwarranted moral judgement have for the first time been translated in English for the readers to understand the true context under which they were written.

Afzal Iqbal has comprehensively managed to capture the life and times of the great mystical poet. The earliest and the most authentic sources quoted throughout the narration, the critical commentary on Rumi’s works at the end of the book and the comparisons made between Ghazali, Rumi and other mystics are proof of the meticulous research done by the author on the subject.

The Life and Work of Jalaluddin Rumi