Speech Without Words

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi was born in 604 AH in Balkh and died in 672 AH in Konya. He and his father migrated from Balkh to Konya a few years after his birth, just before the Mongol invasion. Their migration was also due to problems Baha-ud-din faced with the royal court. Rumi became the Sheikh of Konya and held preaching sessions until Shams came to visit him. Shams turned his essence into gold and made him a passionate mystic who elevated mysticism and took mystical poetry to its peak. Among Rumi’s works are the book Fihi Ma Fihi, a collection of his discourses; his answers to various ethical and mystical questions; his explanations and interpretations of Quranic verses and Hadith; Maktoobat, his letters for the daily affairs of his disciples and acquaintances; Majalis Sab’ah, his sermons and exhortations; and his Divan of Poems, which includes his most passionate ghazals, and the Masnavi Ma’navi, which contains profound mystical concepts conveyed through allegories and stories. Mohammad Najari has compiled the book Speech Without Words as a collection of articles from the fourth International Conference on Shams and Rumi. These engaging and influential articles help us better understand this mystical poet, grasp his mysticism, and study his books with a higher level of comprehension.