Islam and Sufism an introduction

Maulana Jalal Uddin Rumi (1207-1273) is burred in Konia, Turkey.  Rumi implies, from Rome because Constantinople (Istanbul) was the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire  and later became the seat of Eastern Orthodox Church ( Byzantium) . Rome of the western R.Empire and became the seat of Catholic Church (Vatican). All this happened after the conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity in 330. It was Constantine who had convened the conference of all Bishops in Nicaea (Turkey) in 325 where the Christian creed also known as Nicaean creed was agreed upon.   Jalaluddin himself did not use "Rumi" much but after the 17th century its use became more frequent by Oriental studies authors.. Some of  his contemporaries of Rumi were Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), Shaikh Saadi (1194-1283) and Farid Uddin Attar who was killed in 1222 when Mongols sacked Naishapur(Samarkand and Bukhara were sacked in 1220). They witnessed the destruction of Islamic institutions and death of m...

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was born in Balkh, Afghanistan in 1207 and died in 1273 and is buried in Konya, Turkey.  Al Ghazali (1065-1111) had a great influence on Rumi. His father Burhan Uddin was also a known scholar. At the age of 34 Rumi had become a well  known scholar and a professor. After  meeting Shams, a Sufi ,he embarked on a spiritual search that lasted 13 years. From 1245 to1261, he wrote fifty thousand versess known as Diwan-Shams e Tabrazi. After 1261 in twelve years he wrote 25,700 verses known as Masnave. The best English translation of Masnavi is by Professor R A Nicholson of Cambridge University done during 1925 and 1940. It is in 6 volumes, called "Masnavi of Rum". Here are two short selections from Masnavi. Khaliq ------------ 1. "The Prophet said "Trust in God, yet tie the camel's leg.' 'The worker is the friend of God'; Through trust in Providence neglect not to use means. Go, O fatalists, practice...

A BBC radio interview of Dr. Timothy Winters (Shaikh Abdullah Hakim Murad) of Cambridge University.   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Q0vCf_4eZ1Q&t=360s

Sharia, violance and other issues by Dr. Jonathan Brown of Georgetown University. Dr Brown became a Muslim in his university years and is a professor of Islamic studies at Georgetown. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OLFGcIcZbl8