By Abu Syed Golam Dastgir - The Daily Star - Dhaka, BangladeshTuesday, October 2, 2007
Some months ago, the Rumi Society held a seminar in which I presented a paper on Jalaluddin Rumi's Sufi philosophy at the RC Majumdar Hall, Dhaka University.
In May, I attended an International Symposium on Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi in Turkey. The title of my paper was “Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi's Divine Love for World Peace”.
Jalaluddin Rumi was a harbinger of divine love. It is this love that made him humble, a prerequisite to understand Allah as the Quran states: “Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded, who know that they will have to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are returning. (2: 45-46)”.
In seeking this true divine love, a devotee finds an inexplicable beauty with unlimited inspiration to return to the origin from which separation has taken place.
One can realise the mysteries of creation when one understands the meaning of this divine love. He/she blissfully rises above the everyday narrow-mindedness. Once love empowers one with the sense of reality, man attains the strength of humility and nobility.
Osman Bechcet, teacher at the Kadikoy Imperial College, Turkey, has aptly written in his book on Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi: “Mawlana sips from the elixir of divine love of Allah the Almighty as he reaches His nearness with his religious ecstasy…”
In fact, the theme of Rumi's famous Masnawi is love and separation, that is, the sublime, profound and perennial union of the individual soul with the pure universal soul.
Professor Dr. Dilawar Guler of the Seljuk University's Department of Theology wrote, “According to Islamic mysticism in reaching the Almighty Creator Allah, the nearest sample to a human being is again he himself.
The more people who love each other for Allah's sake, are genuine and deep in their love, the better they help each other and become each other's step to reach the divine truth to be in the immediate vicinity to the eminent Creator Allah.”
Mawlana Rumi described 'Miraj' (ascension to the presence of Allah in heaven) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as an ineffable condition of seeking divine love.
Rumi said, “Jisme khak az Ishq her aflak shod,” which means, “Due to the power of divine love, the body made of earth could rise to the heavens.”
The inaugural programme of the symposium was attended by 162 participants from nearly 32 countries.
On the second day, I delivered a speech under the chairmanship of Professor Nasrollah Pourjavady from Iran. Later, I was interviewed by a TV Channel, on three subjects: Hazrat Ali (Radiallahuanhu), Mawlana Rumi, and Sufism.
After sunset, we had a gala dinner at Hotel Ciragan Kempinski, a spectacular palace of Sultan Abdul Majid, by the Bosphorus strait.
Sacred relics of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) collected during the long Turkish rule are preserved in Turkey with love and respect. Although Kamal Ataturk modernised Turkey and freed it from religious fanaticism, symbols of valuable Islamic heritage were carefully guarded.
We also went to Konya where Mawlana Rumi was buried 800 years back. We attended the Sema Ceremony, typical of the Mevlevi Sufi Order, at the Mevlana Cultural Center. It had a sober, solemn environment.
To explain briefly, Dr. Jalaluddin Bakir, grandson of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, had written, “Sema is the unification with Allah in order to hear the question of Allah to spirit particles: Am I not your Lord and the answer of them, 'Yes you are our Lord' and be in an ecstatic attitude.
Those particles whirl around the light of the Sun performing Sema like Sufis; however, no one knows which tune, which beat, and with what sort of instrument they do that.
Sema is a greeting from the secret corners of the heart...Sema is the comfort and peace to the soul of the livings. The ones who have spirit in their soul know this.”
On our last day in Konya, in the morning after saying prayers, we reached the Mevlana Cultural Center for a two-and-half-hour symposium, chaired by Professor Dr. Mahmud.
After exchanging greetings, we were taken on a guided tour to the shrines of Hazrat Mawlana Rumi, Hazrat Shames-i-Tabrizi, Hazrat Sadeddin Konevi and Sircali Madrash.
The visit was greatly educational -- a hub for a large number of scholars, mystics, writers and poets and learned Sufis.
Group Captain Abu Syed Golam Dastgir (Retd) is former Director of Education, Bangladesh Air Force
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