The Life and Thought of Rumi, Poet of Love

Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) stands as one of the greatest mystical poets of all time, and certainly one of the most influential to come out of the medieval Islamic world. Indeed, his Mathnawi has often been described, somewhat provocatively, as the “Quran in Persian.” What were the circumstances behind the poetic inspiration of a man whose intoxicating words have moved the hearts of millions? Who were his teachers? What was the precise nature of his relationship with the enigmatic dervish Shams of Tabriz, who appeared as mysteriously as he disappeared? What were the underlying elements in his doctrine of love? And what was the legacy he left behind, both within and outside of Islamicate culture and civilization? We shall explore these and many other questions in the process of unravelling the life and thought of a figure whose message is as timely and meaningful today as it was almost eight centuries ago.