D O ·c; U D ·j L L E R i

FARSÇA, ARAPÇA, URDUcA, HİNDOLOJİ ~ SİNOLOJİ ARAŞTIRl\ıALA~

IL Cilt - 3 Sayı

ı 9 7 7

RELEVANCE OF .MEVLANA JALALUDDIN RUMI TO INDIAN THOUGRT

. S. A. H. ABIDI

There are a number of the.ories explaining the nature of Sufisn;ı. But none of them may be its true and full e:ı...-position and at the same ti­me may not be entirely devoid of truth. J os ep h V an Ram~er finds a

· great deal of relationship hetween 'the Sufis and the ancient gymnosop­hists, w hile Daı·a Shukoh 1 w as convinced that the doctrines of advaita

. ' (nonduality) and Sufism are the same 1vith different terminologies. Mo­!reover, Al-Biruni2 and Dara Shukoh have traced parallels hetween the ~Upanishads and Sufism. Alm Bahu al-Shibli believed that Sufism "is . ! the control of the faculties and observance of the breaths3" ,'which indi-. cates that the Vedantic philosophy was profounded by the Sufis.

Indo-Tui:kish Sufism, which is the soul of Persian and Urdu poetı·y, seems to he different from Arab mysticism and orthodox Islam. It is · the confluence of Islam and Christinity, Zorastrianism and B'!J.ddhism, Vedantism and Neo-Platonism. Such diverse trends cannot be ruled out as they were in the alı and must have made their impact. Thus, Sufism looks to be the product of speculative developments of Islamic mono­theism, Christian asceticism and the philosophies of Greece and Inclia. Moreover, early Islamic mysticism meant asceticism, -quietism, personal love of God and minimisation of formal worship. But later from the ninth century A.D. on w ard pantheism ma de i ts appearance.

Smith writes, "Religiously, .the fundamental innovation was the spread of Sufism . . . . A~ the Aralı period began to weaken, more and more the Muslim society turned to this sornewhat predous veı·sion of the faith .... There was development also in interpretation. For example, the greatest of the Sufis, Jalalu-d-Din Rumi, produced his .... Masnavi a few years after the fall of Baghdad ... Non-Aralı Islam is steeped in

1 A.H. 1024-1069/ A.D. 1615- 1658

2 A.H. 362-431/ A.D. 972-1039 3 Jalaluddin Rumi, p.27

28 S. A. H. ABIDI

$ufism and even the Arahs, in post-classieal period, infused mueh that is Sufi intheir understanding of the faith4

". Fazlur Ralıman says, "The iliama system .. a did not fail to generate a new and mueh mor e far reaehing tension within Islam than the nationalism of the Hellenizing elements. This was the emergenee of Sufism5

".

Ahu Hashim6 is generally said to be the first man to be ealled Sufi, w hile so me mention the name of J ahir bin Hayyan, an alehemisı of Kufa. 'Besides, J ahiz of Basra7 was the first Arahie Writer to use the word Sufi. Zun Nun al-lVIisri8 is helicved to be the first to give sufism a proper shape, while R abia of Basra9 was the first eminent woman to join this faith. Swami Yatiswarananda seems to he very much influen­eed by Rabia, as he has mentioned her name and has quoted her sa­yings in "The Seeret of Inn er Poise10". Surprisingly Rabia die d in J eru­salem, where a Christian built a eonvent (Khanqah) for the Sufis at Ramla.

Bayazid Bistami was the great grandson of a Majian, w.hile Mansur-i :E!allaj, the ·greatest Sufi of all .time, was alsô the son of a Magian. Man­sur-i Hallaj had travelled widely and had visited India also. He was put to deathin A.H. 309/ A.D. 922, during the ealiphate of al-Mnqta­di.r11, because he had shouted "Anal Haq" (I am God).

Khorasan, Sistan, most of Mghanistan and Baluchistan were Budd­hist before they embraeed Islam. The Nav-Vihara at Balkh, in the pre· sent day Mghanistan, was a great Buddhist .temple where pilgrims use d to go from distant. plaees. Barmak or Bermecide is the Sanskrit word Pramukha (Chief}. The walknown Bermecides originally belonged to Kashmiı· and were the ehief priests of the Nava Vihara. Later; their suecessors went to Baghdad and heeame famous ministers of the Ah­basid Galiphs. They w~re largely instrumental in establishing the Aeademy and getting Indian and Greek works translated into Arabie Balkh was also the centre of the Baetrian Greek Kingdom and is also associated with the name of Zoroaster12•

4 Islam in 1\Iodcrn History, p. 42

5 Islam, p. S

6 A.H. ISO/ A.D. 767-8 7 A.H. 255-6/ A.D. 869 8 A.H. 245/ A.D. 859-60

9 d.A.H. 185/ A.D. 801 10 Vedanta for Modem :Mau. ll A. H. 295-320/ A.D. 908- 932 12 Bctween 630 and 541 B.C.

..

llELEVANCE OF MEVLANA JALALUDDIN RUMI 29

Among the eminent scholars of Balkh were the astronomer Abu Ma'shar and Ahu Zaid, the rival and pupil of Kindi respectively.

This is to illustrate the impact of several factors on the develop· ment of Sufistic philosophy. Sufism took its deep roots in the land of

' Balkh. A large number of early Sufis like Abu Ishaq Ibrahim. Balkhi13,

Abu AI,i Shaqiq Balkhi14 and Abdur Ralıman Balkhi15 came from there. The greatest Persian poet of India Hazrat Amir Khusro called Tutiy-i­Hind16 originally helonged to Balkh, while the greatest Sufi poet, Mav· lana Jalaluddin Rumi was horn there in A.H. 604/ A.D. 1207.

Mavlana J alaluddin Rumi came at a time when Ibn Rushd1Z (A· verroes) Imain Ghazali18 and Shaikh Mohiuddin Ih.n,Ul-Arahi19 had res­pectively raised Greek Phüosophy, Islamic Theology and mysticism to their climax. Thus Mavlana Rumi was fortunate enough in inheriting a great wealth int~llectu.ally and spiritually. Nicholson comparing Ru­mi with Ihnul Ara~i says, "The Andalusian always writes with a fixed philosophical purpose . . . and much of his thought expresses itself in a dialectic hristling with technicalities.- Rumi has no such aim20• Khalifa

i Ab dul Hakim· ·wıites, "Ghazali is systematic, precise and lucid; J ala-. ; luddin allegorical, rambling, tedious, ·often ohscilre, yet Ghazali can

seldom compe~e with him in order and exaltation of feeling in origi­nality and profoundity of thought, or in power and freedom of e::\.'pres· sion21

". Smith says, "The Arahs did not have the creativity - to produce Sufi _poets of the Persian quality and depth- It is at least questiona:Qle whether the intellectual expression even of a Ghazali or an Ibn al-A­l'abi can in the nature of cas e he as adequate an expression of the truth that the mystic have grasped as the artistic expression of a Rumi22",

Ameer Ali writes, "His (Ihn Sina) main endavour was directed towards the demostration of the theory that there exi~ted an mtimate connecxion hetween human soul and the. Primary Ahsolute cause -a conception­trac~d in every line of Rumi23".

13 d. A.a:. 161-166/ A.D. 777-783 14 d. A.H. 173/ A.D. 790-91 IS A.H. 651-725 / A.D. 1253-1325

16 d. A.H. 1230 ,tl

17 A.H. 520-595/ A.D. ıl26-1198 18 d .. A.H. 505 J A.D. ını

1.1 t, .. _,

19 A.H. 56ı-637/ A.D. 1166-ı239

20 Rumi, p. 24

21 The Metaphysics of Rumi, pp. 7-8

22 lslıım in Modern History, p. 31 23 The Spirit of Islam, p. 427

30 S . A. H. ABIDI

Mavlana Rumi w as. a man of supreme vision, which kaept him above dogmas, sects and creeds, and he used to show the same regard to Mus­lims, J ews and Christians. At his death a weeping Christian said, "W e esteem him as the Moses, the David, the Jesus of our time; we are his disciples, his adherents24".

Mavlana Rumi used to consider him.self as a successor of Attar and Sanai25, the two great Sufi poets ofPersian, while his Mathnavi is regarded·. as the Quran in the Persian language. .

Nicholson says, "The forms in which he dothes his religious· philo­sophy had been fashioned before him_by the two great Sufi poets, Sa­nai . . and At~ar . . Though he makes no seeret of his debt to both of them, his flight takes a wider range, hiş materials are ıicher and more varied, and his method of handling the subject is so original that it may just be deseribed as a new style.26"

W e aı·e told that in Turkey Sufi works used to foı·m a prominent part of the academic cuiriculum.. Besides, there were a number of Math­navi Khanas (lVIathnavi Houses), where the M~thnavi of Mavlana Rumi used to be taught to th~ exclusion of every other work of Pcrsian. Had­Iand Davis writing about it says, "The lVIathnavi has all the pantheistic beauty of the Psalms, the music of the hill, the colour and scent of ro­ses, the swaying of forest, hut it has considerably more than that.l'"

The Mathnavi of Mavlana ·Rumi hegins abruptly with the "song of the Reed", the musical instrument of Lord Kri.shna:

"Bishnu az nai chun hikayat mikunad, w az judaiha shikayat mikuna d"

"Listen . to the reed how it tells a t ale, complaining of separations-"

Surdas, a blind poet like Rudaki, is the best devotional writer of the Krishna cult in Hindi literature. He spent his whole life in composing sacred hymns and in poı·traying Brahma, Maya, Time and Soul through Krishna, Radha, Serpent and Gopi.

Hawkridge says, "The (Love) songs of mystic Persian poets stili clıarm a ı·eader whether or ·not he realizes that they express, as ~d the chowheard's wives surrounding Krishna with passion, the pains and longings of the soul on the way to God28".

2•1 Jalaluddin Rumi, p. 34 25 d. A.H. 525/ A.D. 1131 26 Rumi, p. 22 27 Jalalu'D-Di.Jı Rumi, p. 38 28 The Wisdom Tree, p. 32•l

RELEVANCE OF MEVLANA JALALUDDIN RUlıU 31

Sikanda Purana tells us that "Brahm.a as sound is the . highest29•

Brahma". Moreover, according to the Vedic text, "When a man enjoys grace, flute is played on for him~0".

The Mathnavi is a collection of a number of stocles which are from anÇJ. about India. There is the story of a merchant who took a message from his parrot for the parrot of India. There is also the story of a man who seing the angel of death went to Soloman and requested him to send him· to India to save his life. Besides, many fahles have been taken from the Kalila and Dimna, the .A.rabic and Persian name of the Pancha­tantra. Beginning a story Mavlana Rumi Says:-

"Az Kalileh baz ju an qisseh ra. Wandran qeisseh talab· kun heisseh ra".

Seeli the story from Kalila (and Dimna).

And search ~ut the moral (coıitained in the story).

; There is the story of jackal that fell in to the dyeing-vat and pretend-~d to be a peacock, and also the story of the three fishes . .

There are als o a number of Buddhist stories like the story of blind man and the elephant taken from Udana. Zaehner writes, "It is known that the Buddhist material passed into Islam in a litorary foı.:m ... A­part from the various versions of Balram and Josiıphat we find the sto­ry of blind man and. the elephant . . . reappearing in .. a J alalu-Din Ruıni31". But Mavlana Ruıni's treatment is allegorical, as he says:

"Khushtar an hashad ~ sine dilbaran1

G:ufteh ayad d.ar hadithe digaran"

"I t is better that the lover's seeret should b~ told in the talk of others32" .

Through these Mavlana Rumi deals with innumerable problems like indiscipline, diyine suggestion, sensual desire, trust in God and exertion.

Mavlana Ruİni has been obviously influenced by India, w hile on his part for seven hundred years he inspired mystic movements in India directly or indirectly. Moreover, India contributed the largest number of manuscripts, commentaries and printed editions of the Mathnavi.

29 Religious Poetry of Surdas, p. 89 30 Religioııs Poetry of Surdas, p. 90 3~ Riudu and Muslim Mysticism, p. 100 32 Nicholson, Vol. p. II

·32 _ S. A. H. ABIDI

. Baba Lal; a great mystic of the 1 7th century A.D. and spiritual guide of Prince Dara Shukoh, was the disciple of Chetana Swami. Baba Lalis worship one Go d and believe in V edanta and Sufism. D ara Shu­koh met him in A.D. 1649 in the garden of Jafar Khan and asked·him a number of questions on Sufistic doctrines. These questions and their answers were written in Persian by Munshi Chander Bhan Brahman~3 and Yadu Das Khatıi; and are known as Nadirun-Nikat, Makhzan-i­Nikat ·and G-hosthi Baba Lal Dayal. While answering Dara Shukoh, Baba Lal has quoted a number of lines from the Mathnavi of Mavlana Rumi.

Agra is known 'throught the world as the city of Taj Mahal. Bui it is equally or ratheı· more important as a centre of the Radha Swami faith. Swami Maharaj34, the august founder of this faith, has not only been inspired by the Sufis, he considers them as avatars (manifestati­on:s of God). He enumerates Shams-i-Tabriz35, Maulana Rumi, Hafiz36,

Sarmad37, Muj addid Aif ... Thani38 and others as perfect and true san ts

(saints), sadhus (Holymen) and faqirs (men:dicants). From ·among the Sufi thinkers, he is chiefly int1uenced by Mavlana Rumi and quotes from his mathnav.i frequentiy in his discourses.

The main emphasis of Mavlana Rumi is on a living spiriual guide, whom he calls murshid {spiritual guide), pir {religious chief), qutb (axis), arif (saint), mumin (faitkful), malıram (confidant), wali (saint), marde Khuda (man of God), merde pak (holy man), handa-i-Khuda (servant of God) .

. Shams-i-Tabriz, a mysterious personality and a wandering sixty year old darvish (religious medicant), was the mystic precepter of Mav­lana Rumi, who became entirely changed after hi~ encounter with him.

For Mavlana Rumi, Shams-i-Tabriz was a perfect man, and in lo­ving this ineamation of God he loved God. He has expressed his fee-ling and joy in this way:- . .

"Chun hadithe ruye Shamsuddin rahid,

Shamse Charum asınan sar darkashid"

33 d. A.H. 1083/ A.D. 1662-1663 34 Tulsi Ram, Better known as Shiv Dayal Sahib (A.D. 1818- 1878)

35 d. A.H. 645/ A.D. 1389 36 d. A.H. 791-A.D. 1380

.37 d. A.H. 1072/ A.D. 1661

38 A.H. 971-1034/ A.D. 1563- 1624

RUSYA'DA İRAN FİLOLOLİSİ VE İRAN DiLLERİ 33

When news arrived of the fa ce of Shamsuddin (the Sun· of the Religion)

the sun of the foruth heaven drew in its head (lid itselfıfor shame).

Badiuz-Zaman Faruzanfar, the greatest authority on Mavlana R~ deseribes this episode in these words, "Suddenly the sun of love and truth cast its eyes on that pure soul and so fired and influenced him that his' eyes were dazzled3Q". Nicholson writes, "J~al-al-Din found in the stranger that perfect image of the Divine Beloved which he had long been seeking40

".

The adherents and disciples ·of Mavlana Rumi resented the associa­tion of the two as scandalous. They accused them of infatuation and even threatened to kill Shams·i-Tabriz. Consequently he fled from Qo­nia and took refuge in Damascus, but was brought back.· However, Mavlana Rumi's. intim.acy with Shams lasted for about f~een months ap.d came to an abrupt end in .A.H. 644/ A.D. 1246. The latter suddenly disappeared or preobably met violent death.

i ; Mavlana Rumi's best lyrics are the result of this shocking sepa-

ration. Moreover, he has called his collection of ghazals Diwan-i-Shams-i­TP>riz (lyrics of Shams-i-Tabriz). It means that Shams and Mavlana Rumi had lost their separate indentitiss and had hecome one qnd the same person. In adi tion, Mavlana Rumi in the mi d st of immense grief and loss, had instituted Molevi dance and music.

The cheief characteristic of the Radha Swami Faith is the search and worship of a living spiritual guide, whom they c~ Sant Sat Guru (holy preceptor} or murshid . and perfect faqir.

Swamiji Malıaraj helieved that the devotees should have faith in bygone sants only a long as they do not meet the perfect guru of the time. But when they m.eet the Sat Guru of the time, they should, like a · faithful wife, accept Him as all in iıll who is "the incaı·nation of the suprems Father Radhaswami Dayal, and not put faith in anyone else".

According to Swamiji :M~haraja seeker after truth should consis­tently search for a perfect living and spiritual guru (guide or teacher) and should consider him as an embodiment of God and all the pl'ecee­ding avatars (manifestations of God), and devatas (godheeds), pro-

39 Classical Persian Literatu.re, p. 215 40 Rumi, p.l8

34 S. A. H • .ABIDI

phets, Mahatmas (supreme spirits) ind sants (saints). If one has m perfect faqir (mandicant), he has seen the Almighty God~.as ther no di:fference henveen the two. Then he quotes Mavlana Rumi t c rengthen hiS point:-

Chun ki kardi zate :ı:ı;ı.urshid ra ·quhul, Ham Khuda dar zataslı amad ham rasul

If you accept someone to he your spiritual guide, You will find him an emhodiment of Go d and t he Prof

One cannot see the Supreme Being in a mosque or te.ı:nple, hut · in the perfect and true spiritual guide. He further ciaborates his F by ~oting the following couplet ·of Mavlana Rumi:-

M;asjidi hast andarune auliya, Sijdegahe jum.le hast avja Khuda

The heart of saints is a veritahle mosque, Where all mankiud can worship God.

And further qu<;ıtes the following:-

Guft paighamher kc Haq farmude ast, Man nagunjam hich dar halan hast, Dar dile mumin higanjam. in ajah, Gar mara khwani az an dilha tal?h41 •

According to the Prophet, God has said, No place, high or low, can accommodate me. Surprisingly I reside in the hearts of the faithful; If you want me seek me in those hearts.

A turning point in the social history of Bengal was the appeaı of Raja Rammohan Rayı, t he founder of the Brahmo Smaj (Th Church). He knew Persian, Arahic, English, Bcngali, Sanskrit, GreeJ Latin. He read the Quran in Arahic and also Tuhfatul-Muwahllidin (l to Monotheisits) in Persian with an Ar~hic perface. Besides, he edi Persian newspaper named Mir'atul Aklıhar {1\furor of Intelligence

Raja Ram.mohan Ray was deeply influenced by Vedanta an mystic works of Persian Sufis like Mavlana Rumi, and m~ de a thOJ study of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Max Muller consider: as ccthe first man to effect a synthesis of East and W est~2" . Monieı

41 A.D. 1772-1833 42 Raja Rammohan Ray, p. 26

RELEVANCE OF liiEV.LANA J.A.LALUDD1N RU.iU.I 35

liam adm.fres him as "the first really ecırnest investigator in the science of comparative theology, which the world has ever produced43".

Raja Rammohan Ray was succeeded by Prince Dwarka Nath Tahkur44 and his s~n Mah.aı·ishi 'oevendra Nath Thakur45, the father of Rahindra Nath Tagore. The Maharishi wa·s revered by the Muslims, who used to call him Zebardast Molvi ( Surpassing Scholar or Doctor). He used to begin his morning with the reading of the Upanishads and Sufi poems. This ·assiniilation carried through the Brahmo Samaj reached its elimax in Guru Dev Rabindra Nath Tagore.

Swanıi Rama Tiı·t~a was a great mystic and the Poet Monk of the Punjah. He was bornin A.H. 12901 A.D. 1873 and was drowned in the Ganges in A.H. 13241 A.D. 1~06 at the age of thirty three. ,Allama I q-bal has .paid trihute to him in the following lines :- ·

"O restlest drop of water; you ~r~ marged in the river;

Formerly you were a pearl, now you have become a unique J ewel.

How marvelously you have probed the mysteries of the varities (colour and smoll of this life);

While I am. yet struggling in its meshes.

H aving passed out of (this tumultuous existence you have made yourself as the hearald of the hectic Day of jud­gement :

Y ouı· earthly plane, now extinct, has transformed itself into the Atash Kada (fire temple) of Az~.

Mortification of self is a fact of the iıspired mind;

Right in the ri ver of la ( there is no other go d) lies concealed the pearl of ill allah (except the Alnıighty).

The ultima te results and upshots are hidden from the blind eye

Immediately as the pulse-beat stops, the body has not value like the quick silver reduced into silvery dust.

The idol (Ahraham) of love breaks the fı:amework of exis­tence;

Verily the ecastarv of divine .love (Tasniın-i-Ishq) is the elLxir of con~ciousness,.

43 The English Works of Raja Ram.ı:ılohan Roy, p. XV. 44 A.D. 1774-18•l6 45 A.D. 1818-1905

36 S • .A.. B:, A.BIDI

However, Swami Rama Tirtha was not only attached to Hinduism, Vedantism, Judaisim, Christianity and Islam, rather all these faiths had become part of his heing. He used to say "Krishna I am, Muhammad I am; hear ·them freely46

". If he was fully familiar with the authors of , the Upanishads, western thinkers, Kabir and Nanak, he was equally

acquinted with Artar and Hafiz, Shams-i-Tabriz and Mavlana RUmi. He concludes one of his lectures with the description of Shams-i-Tabriz and ·says, "Now Rama will conclude by relating to you the life of;one of the greatest men· in the world. . . . Shams Tahriz is his name4~ ".

He was well varsed i.iı. Arabic, Persian and other Indian aİıd foreign Ianguages, and used to .compose verses in Urdu. He studied Vishnu Pu­ran, a great treatise on Advaita (Non-duality) Vedanta, through its Persian translation. Moreover he used to quote in his latters and dis­courses verşes from Mavlana Rumi.48

Allama Iqbal, 'the greatest Urdu and Persian poet of our country in the twentietli century, calls himself an Indian disciple (Murid-i-Hin­di) of Mavlana o Rumi and says:-

Mara bingar ki dar Hindustan digar nami bini Barahmanzadai ramy ashnai Rumu Tabriz ast

Look at me,. for in India you will not see again A Brahmin by descent famillar with the secrets of Rum and

Tabriz.

Mavlana Rumi was to lqbal as Virgil was to Dante. lt is said that Rumi ıİı.et him in a vision and asked hiriı to sing. Ab dul-W ahid writes, "lqbal was perhaps the first great writer of repute to interpret ·Rumi correctly49

" • .

o In the J avid Nama Iqbal goes to different planetsin the company of Mavlana Rumi. There he meets great personalities like Mansur Hal-

. Iaj, Nasir' Khusro50, Tahira, Syed Ali Hamadani, Ghani Kashmiri51 , Ja­

han Dost (Lover of Creation), a Hindu sago, Bhartrihari, Ghalib, Ja­maluddin Mghani, Said Halim Pasha and leans truth. He comes across the tablets of . Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.

46 Inwoods of God Realisat:ion, Vol. IV, p. 24

47 Ibid, p. 169 48 1877-1938 49 Iqbal, p. 68 50 d. :A.H. 204/ A.D. 818 51 d: A.H. 1019/ A.D. 1668

BELEVANCE OF IıiEVLANA JALALUDDIN BUllll 37

Mavlana Rı.ımi and Iqbal both believe in perfect min (Insan-i­Kamil), greatest force of love and survival of personality. Neither of those believe in the annihilation of the individual.

Dr . . Bhagwan Das was a great theosophist and thinker of India who lived in the 20 th century. He believedin the inherent unity of all religions and studied them thoroughly. His range of studies covered Hinduis~, Budd.hism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianıy, Islam, C~nfuc­

ianism, Laotism, .Shintoism, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism. ln the study of Islam his chief sources were the Quran, the traditions and Sufi works especially those of Mavlana Rumi. Moreover, he do es not believe in "ruthless priesthood", and holds the view that a man should proceed step by step from the lowest to the l:ı.ighest stage. He illustrates this point with a quotatioiı from the Mathnavi, wherein God reİ>Ukes Mo­ses with these words:-

Tu barai wasl kardan amdi, N ai baria fasl kardan am di

Dr. Bhagwan Das conrludes his book, the Essential Unity of All Religions, with the story of blind men and the elephant given in Math­oavi of Mavlana Rumi. In fact, he considers it as "a co.mplement of the well-known Vedanta story". He further writes, "The Vedanta story is a parable of the synthesis, by metaphysics, of the different material sciences, each viewing one fact of the universe of matter. The sufi story is a. parable of the identificatioiı, by the same metaphysics, of all religi­ons".

S. A.. H. A.BIDI, Prof. Head of the Department of

A.rabıc and Persıan

Dean, Facalty of A.rts, Unıversıty of Delhı, Delhı (INDIA)