Maulana Rumi (1207-1273) some of his thoughts. (Post 46)

"An excerpt from the Life and work of Jalaluddin Rumi by Dr. Afzal Iqbal".

Rumi says that there is a danger in judging life from the analogy of our own limited experience. Logic and intellect are limited. It is only the revelation, inspiration and act of the grace of God that illuminates the mind of man.

He says that Sense and perception are extremely limited. He compares reality to an elephant in a dark room. A man feels it with the palm of his hand and it falls on the trunk, he thinks the elephant is like a water pipe. The palm of another touches its ear; to him it appears to be a fan. Palm of another touched its legs and to him the elephant is like a pillar. . The eye of the sense of perception is like the palm of the hand. The palm has no power to reach the whole elephant.

Comments

Shahi Qila decorative work in Lahore Paklistan (297)

Shahi Qila Lahore Pakistan. Decorative work.

Role of Muslim women as Sufis, scholars and rulers (post 259)

Islam had a glorious past. The golden age of Islam started in the 7th century and lasted to the 18th century and ended when the European powers took control of the Muslim region. It is interesting to note that so many women rulers, scholars and Sufis were in a period when scholarship in Islam, sciences and all other fields was at its height. The decline in the role of women appears to happen when a deficit in the knowledge of Islam among its followers occurred. Deficit in Islamic knowledge when combined with lack of respect for civil liberties and justice for all creates a breeding ground for ignorance, hate and radical groups. This can only be eliminated with high quality education available to all and nurturing values such as inclusiveness, respect for civil liberties and sense of fairness and justice for all. Here is a brief overview of women's role as Sufis, scholars and rulers. Khaliq 1. Muslim Women Sufies and Scholars Rabia Al Basri and...

Al Ghazali, an overview and a quote.To look....( 234)

Al Ghazali (Abu Hamid Mohammed Ibn Mohammed) was born in Tus , Iran in 1058 and died in 1111 about one hundred year before Rumi was born in 1207. He was a philosopher and a great scholar of Islam. He wrote about 18 scholarly books in Arabic on philosophy and Islam. He had a great influence on Rumi and other scholars of Islam. A recent book on Al Ghazali by professor Frank Griffel of Yale is worth looking into. An interview that gives the gist of the book on Mac Millan report is provided in a link below the Quote. This link is also available in post 59 of this blog. The work of professor Timothy Winters of Cambridge University on Al Ghazali is available in videos, prints and books. In addition to these relatively recent works in English, there are numerous publications in many language are available on Al Ghazali and so is the translation of his books. Khaliq Here is a short quote from Al Ghazali. Those who look for seashell will find seashells; those who open them ...

Islam and Sufism an introduction

Search This Blog