Jalal al-Din al-Rumi and Sufism

The decisive statement is that this book is one of the important books that the Arab reader needs, whether those interested in spiritual knowledge in Islam, or those looking for Islamic literature in its noble forms; even those interested in psychology will find what can enrich their experience in this field. That is because Rumi is a unique and multifaceted personality: a jurist, a scholar, a Sufi sheikh, a teacher, and a man of society of a rare kind. This is in addition to a rich culture surrounding what is known of a region extending from northern India and Central Asia to the borders of present-day Greece, with reasonable and transmitted knowledge. If we add to all this his mastery of Islamic Persian poetry and his reliance in his abundant poetry on the well of authentic Islamic culture, we realize before which man we stand in this book. And I can say with confidence that reading Rumi, in his direct works and in what has been written about him, is a reason for us to increase our confidence in the power of the culture spread by great Islam, and the greatness of the creative minds who have shaded under its shadow and drawn from its fountain. And it is also worth noting that Rumi’s poetry is today translated into English, and is among the most popular books in a country like the United States of America.