An Introduction Who was Rumi? Sufism and Islam God and the World Universal Man The Fall The Trust Union with God The Nafs Knowledge and Method The Limitations of Rational Knowledge

slide 2 of 11 “Rumi (commonly referred to as Mawlana, or ‘our Master’), was born on September 30, 1207, in Khurasan. He composed over 70,000 verses of poetry, including the Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz, and the epic poem Mathnawi, which has had an immense influence on Islamic literature and thought. He died on December 16, 1273. There has been unceasing praise for Rumi’s poetry ever since it was first set down in writing during his lifetime. Western orientalists have called Rumi ‘without doubt the most eminent Sufi poet whom Persia has produced,’ ‘the greatest mystical poet of Islam,’ and even ‘the greatest mystical poet of any age.’”