by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi (1207- 73) was born near the ancient city of Balkh and died in the Anatolian city of Konya. His father, Baha al-Din, was a leading Islamic cleric and a Sufi who taught at a madrasah, or religious school. It was in such religious schools, as well as from his father’s circle of friends, that Rumi gained a basic knowledge of Islam and its mystical trend known as Sufism. Rumi was also an avid reader, not just of the Quran (also in WLAIT 6: Middle Eastern Literatures and Their Times) but also of his father’s writings, which were later compiled into a book known as Ma`arif (Teachings). Around 1215, Rumi’s family left Balkh and emigrated westward. The family eventually settled in Konya, capital of the young Seljuk dynasty of Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey...