Tanggal 25 Agustus 2009; Pukul 19:59


Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi


For centuries, Rumi has been speaking in his works to people from various cultures and backgrounds through the language of love. Rumi, as he is most commonly known in the West, is one of the few people who have exerted a great influence over space and time. As one of the most published poets in the West, Rumi builds bridges of understanding between the Islamic world and the West, and his works represents common ground for dialogue.

In the effort to promote Rumi and his Sufi path to the West, UNESCO not only declared that 2007 will be “Rumi Year”, but also announced that the Mevlevi Sama Ceremony has been accepted as a Masterpiece of the Oral Tradition of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity, which is an international distinction destined to raise public awareness of the value of this heritage.

The whirling dervishes have been whirling during the Sama Ceremony for centuries accompanied by the verses of Rumi, who anticipated, in fact, that his works would one day cross all boundaries:


I silently moaned so that for a hundred centuries to come,
The world would echo in the sound of my hayha (alas)
It would turn on axis of my hayhat (woe to me).


It is now 800 years later; people from all over the world are reading Rumi more than ever; he is well-known as Sufi saint-poet in the East following the path toward God primarily by means of love, and Westeners find his Sufi path of love the most appealing.

Having captured the hearts of so many people in the West, the words of this great Sufi cleric sends hope for the dark times we are living in. Rumi’s sweet-songed reed is needed to draw away the increasing sensuous drumbeats of the so-called inevitable clash of civilizations. At this time in history, it is most imperative that we find the time to come together, to talk and try to understand one another, to find common ground and shared references. Once again, eight centuries later, we need this outstanding poet, a revered mystic renowned for this understanding and wide-reaching embrace, to shed light on the interrelations of human beings. For not only did he talk about compassion and tolerance, but he actually produced an exemplary atmosphere where these values were upheld, thereby opening the door to dialogue through his message. Every word from his mouth is full of love and peace. His words are addressed to all humans and to all humanity.


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