 |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT |
 |
Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi is currently one of the most influential Islamic mystics in the world despite the fact that seven hundred years have passed since his death. Rumi is the most widely read poet in the United States; his passionate and inspiring poetry has attracted many people from various backgrounds. Because of this, Rumi's ideas have become a bit ambiguous. There is no doubt that Rumi uses the elusive language of Islamic mysticism, leaving room for misinterpretation. He speaks of wine and drunkenness, but these are not meant to be taken literally. Therefore, those who are not familiar with mystical language may not be able to understand Rumi fully. His great love for Shams cannot be understood without a thorough knowledge of the concept of love within the Islamic mystical tradition; in particular, the love between master and disciple, or among friends. While Rumi's love for Shams is emphasized, his greater love for Prophet Muhammad is not as well-known. In some circles, Rumi is not known as a Muslim mystic though he is still considered a Sufi. And some groups believe him to be a great master who does not have any relation to the Islamic tradition. This work attempts to present Rumi to the English-speaking world and to shed light on his life as seen from within the Islamic mystical tradition. The knowledge presented in this work comes from Sefik Can, a great expert on Rumi and the highest authority, ser-tariq, of the Mevlevi Sufi order in Turkey.
This work originally was published in Turkish as Mevlana: Hayati-Sahsiyeti-Fikirleri, in 1999. It has been a great honor for me to edit this book and translate parts of it, making it available to the English-speaking world. In addition, I annotated and referenced many Qur'anic verses and Hadith not previously documented in the original version. I found it difficult to find references to some stories related to Rumi in the book, yet I consider these stories as a valuable part of the oral tradition in the Mevlevi order. I updated some of the information that was not available to Sefik Can at the time he wrote the book, especially that on cosmos and books that were not yet published. For the sake of the reader, I decided to place the background information on Rumi and his works at the beginning of the book, as opposed to the end. I used the Turkish version of the Mesnevi translated by Sefik Can as my primary reference for the Persian works of Rumi, as the point of this book is to convey Sefik Can's understanding of them. In some cases, I incorporated R.A. Nicholson's translation of Rumi's poetry, making minor changes so that it corresponded with Sefik Can's version. Rather than adding a glossary, I explain most Sufi terms within the text, either in parentheses or brackets. Longer explanations or definitions are footnoted. I used the modern Turkish alphabet for Turkish terms and names, but for Arabic terms and names I avoided a complete transliteration in the interest of the general readership. I reorganized the structure of the book by dividing it into four chapters, removing the section on Rumi's contemporaries in order not to draw attention away from Rumi. I have to thank my colleague Cüneyt Eroğlu, who translated several sections of this work, for allowing me to revise and edit his translation. In addition, a number of people must be thanked for their assistance in the preparation of this book: Osman ŞimSek for his valuable assistance with my request for the foreword from M. Fethullah Gulen; Allison Bramblett for providing helpful editorial support; and my Graduate Assistant Eric N. Abercrombie for his assistance at various stages in the preparation of the manuscript.
Two aspects of this work make it unique. The first is that the book originally is authored by a man who just recently passed away at the age of ninety-five and who dedicated his entire life to the teachings of Rumi. Such a Mevlevi's view of Rumi makes this work greatly valuable. The second important contribution to the book is the foreword, which I have translated from the original Turkish, written by M. Fethullah Gulen, a prominent Muslim thinker and interfaith activist in Turkey.
I hope that this book will bring a better understanding of Rumi worldwide. I trust that this work will please Sefik Can, who has been waiting a long time for the English version to be published. The Qur'an tells us, "Say: My Lord, Increase my knowledge!" (20:114). My wish for the readers of this book is that it will increase their knowledge of Rumi.
Zeki Saritoprak
Cleveland, OH
May 12, 2004
|
