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It is surprising that although Rumi always expressed his feelings and views through poetry and has gained the admiration of the greatest poets of the East as well as the West, he did not see himself as a poet and almost is ashamed of being called a poet. In reality, one hardly can call a lover of God like Rumi a "poet. " The late Ziya Pasha sensed this and said: "To call such people of high spiritual states 'poets' is to undermine their maturity, perfection, and superiority and offends them spiritually. " The truth is that the word "poet" cannot describe Rumi. We have to find other words and other expressions to describe him. In his book FihiMa Fih, Rumi expresses his feelings in this matter:
I have such a habit that I do not want anybody's heart to be broken because of me, For example, some people accidentally hit me during whirling. And some friends scold those people and try to prevent them. I do not like this. I have told those friends a hundred rimes: "Do not say anything to anybody because of me. I am pleased with those who hit me. " I want to make people happy so much that, when friends come to visit me, I recite poetry so that they will not be sorry and bored. Then for some time I stop the poetry, and they become sad and want me to recite poetry again. And I cannot refuse them, so I recite poetry. Otherwise, where am I and where is. the poetry? By God I am away from poetry. In my sight there is nothing worse than poetry. What is this situation like? Upon the request of his guest someone has taken an animal's stomach and is washing it. This act of his and his enduring the dirty smells is to fulfill the request of his guest because he knows that his guest likes the meal prepared from the animal's stomach. In our hometown—the city of Balkh—there was no occupation or craft more disgraceful than poetry. If we had not come here and had stayed in our hometown, we would have followed their ways. We would have worked the way they wanted. We would have been occupied with teaching, giving lectures, and classifying books, and we would not recite poetry.
Rumi is submerged in such a love and enrapture that in his sight poetry is left very much behind. He is intoxicated with a never ending spiritual sensation, excitement, and joy, and says:
"I don't know this and that. I am intoxicated, enraptured with the glass of love. " Rumi, who does not see himself as a poet although he is counted among the greatest poets of the world, is actually right. He could not compare himself to other poets because he says, "What value does poetry have for me so that I may talk of it? I have an art, a talent different than the arts and crafts of other poets. I am a lover of God. "
The poems of the poets who are not lovers of God are a product of thoughts and imagination. Their goal in composing poetry is to gain fame. It is to bring them fame. In other words, the poets of me world write poetry to make themselves known, and the poets of God write poetry to make God known. It is for this reason that most of the saints have written poetry. But none of the saints have produced as much poetry as Rumi. Comparing the saints with each other is contradictory to good manners, and it is not right. But we can say this much: Since Rumi was a great saint as well as a great poet, his influence has been great. Rumi himself is a poem. He is a poem of God to the Community of Muhammad. If the poems that poured from his blessed lips had not been written, we could not have known Rumi. Thus, whoever wants to know Rumi should go into his poetry. His love, faith, excitement, feelings, and thoughts are all in his poetry If there were no Mesnevi-i Sharif and Divan-iKabir, there would have been no Rumi. Rumi, who is God's poet from beyond, is at the same time a great poet himself. But he is a different kind of poet and recites a different kind of poetry. He does not want those poems that are recited by the tongue. He pleads: "O word uttered by the tongue! When will I leave you, when will I be free of you so that I may find my real Sultan with the light of the sun of gnosis and seek refuge in Him? When will I call out to Him from the heart? O Lord! Before death comes, save me from knowledge and actions. Save me especially from words that do not come from the heart but that are just uttered by mouths. " In another poem Rumi says:
My words and my statements are curtains to my states.
My heart, which is like a rose garden, is ashamed of my thought, which is like a thorn.
O Lord, give my spirit a tongue other than this one so that I may be liberated from the bonds of faithlessness by proclaiming unity.
Even if for one day only, may I be enraptured and not care about the good or bad and recite the attributes of God in my heart without any tongue or lip.
If one pays close attention, one will see that although Rumi very eloquently expresses his feelings, views, and love with poetry, he still feels that he cannot communicate his feelings for God properly. In this regard, he finds poetry inadequate and desires to call out to his Lord from his heart without tongue or lips. Just as our Prophet beseeched God: "O, my God, whose existence is known and felt! We failed truly to know You as Your Glory merits. " It is not that Rumi does not like poetry and poets, but he finds poetry inadequate. He is saying: "O my God! I am incapable of expressing You and Your Love in a way suitable to Your Glory. O my God! I cannot express what I feel about You with words and poems. "
It is surprising that although Rumi always expressed his feelings and views through poetry and has gained the admiration of the greatest poets of the East as well as the West, he did not see himself as a poet and almost is ashamed of being called a poet. In reality, one hardly can call a lover of God like Rumi a "poet. " The late Ziya Pasha sensed this and said: "To call such people of high spiritual states 'poets' is to undermine their maturity, perfection, and superiority and offends them spiritually. " The truth is that the word "poet" cannot describe Rumi. We have to find other words and other expressions to describe him. In his book FihiMa Fih, Rumi expresses his feelings in this matter:
I have such a habit that I do not want anybody's heart to be broken because of me, For example, some people accidentally hit me during whirling. And some friends scold those people and try to prevent them. I do not like this. I have told those friends a hundred rimes: "Do not say anything to anybody because of me. I am pleased with those who hit me. " I want to make people happy so much that, when friends come to visit me, I recite poetry so that they will not be sorry and bored. Then for some time I stop the poetry, and they become sad and want me to recite poetry again. And I cannot refuse them, so I recite poetry. Otherwise, where am I and where is. the poetry? By God I am away from poetry. In my sight there is nothing worse than poetry. What is this situation like? Upon the request of his guest someone has taken an animal's stomach and is washing it. This act of his and his enduring the dirty smells is to fulfill the request of his guest because he knows that his guest likes the meal prepared from the animal's stomach. In our hometown—the city of Balkh—there was no occupation or craft more disgraceful than poetry. If we had not come here and had stayed in our hometown, we would have followed their ways. We would have worked the way they wanted. We would have been occupied with teaching, giving lectures, and classifying books, and we would not recite poetry.
Rumi is submerged in such a love and enrapture that in his sight poetry is left very much behind. He is intoxicated with a never ending spiritual sensation, excitement, and joy, and says:
"I don't know this and that. I am intoxicated, enraptured with the glass of love. " Rumi, who does not see himself as a poet although he is counted among the greatest poets of the world, is actually right. He could not compare himself to other poets because he says, "What value does poetry have for me so that I may talk of it? I have an art, a talent different than the arts and crafts of other poets. I am a lover of God. "
The poems of the poets who are not lovers of God are a product of thoughts and imagination. Their goal in composing poetry is to gain fame. It is to bring them fame. In other words, the poets of me world write poetry to make themselves known, and the poets of God write poetry to make God known. It is for this reason that most of the saints have written poetry. But none of the saints have produced as much poetry as Rumi. Comparing the saints with each other is contradictory to good manners, and it is not right. But we can say this much: Since Rumi was a great saint as well as a great poet, his influence has been great. Rumi himself is a poem. He is a poem of God to the Community of Muhammad. If the poems that poured from his blessed lips had not been written, we could not have known Rumi. Thus, whoever wants to know Rumi should go into his poetry. His love, faith, excitement, feelings, and thoughts are all in his poetry If there were no Mesnevi-i Sharif and Divan-iKabir, there would have been no Rumi. Rumi, who is God's poet from beyond, is at the same time a great poet himself. But he is a different kind of poet and recites a different kind of poetry. He does not want those poems that are recited by the tongue. He pleads: "O word uttered by the tongue! When will I leave you, when will I be free of you so that I may find my real Sultan with the light of the sun of gnosis and seek refuge in Him? When will I call out to Him from the heart? O Lord! Before death comes, save me from knowledge and actions. Save me especially from words that do not come from the heart but that are just uttered by mouths. " In another poem Rumi says:
My words and my statements are curtains to my states.
My heart, which is like a rose garden, is ashamed of my thought, which is like a thorn.
O Lord, give my spirit a tongue other than this one so that I may be liberated from the bonds of faithlessness by proclaiming unity.
Even if for one day only, may I be enraptured and not care about the good or bad and recite the attributes of God in my heart without any tongue or lip.
If one pays close attention, one will see that although Rumi very eloquently expresses his feelings, views, and love with poetry, he still feels that he cannot communicate his feelings for God properly. In this regard, he finds poetry inadequate and desires to call out to his Lord from his heart without tongue or lips. Just as our Prophet beseeched God: "O, my God, whose existence is known and felt! We failed truly to know You as Your Glory merits. " It is not that Rumi does not like poetry and poets, but he finds poetry inadequate. He is saying: "O my God! I am incapable of expressing You and Your Love in a way suitable to Your Glory. O my God! I cannot express what I feel about You with words and poems. "
