Ecstatic Memory: A Glimpse of Rumi

Although there is now a plethora of books by and about Rumi (I noticed an almost exponential increase of Rumi related texts from the 1980s onwards), I thought it might be instructive to republish a small portion of Edward Henry Whinfield's English translation of Rumi's Persian masterpiece.

I think it is vitally important in today's social climate to focus on those aspects of Islam which elevate humankind and I can think of no better place to start than with the Sufi mystics of Islam, of which Rumi is the most famous (and perhaps finest) example. Rumi has such a rich understanding of the human condition, and what it yearns for, that he becomes at various turns a sort of "doctor" of the heart. His unbreakable bond with "Shams of Tabriz" exemplifies one of the greatest love stories ever told and though written centuries ago it still resonates today. The following is but a small glimpse of Rumi's prodigious outpourings. My hope is that readers will want to delve deeper into his writings, since a close analysis of Rumi will undoubtedly benefit the reader in unforeseen ways.