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Rumi-background & two selections.(326)


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 millions inflicted by Mongol invaders. 
Here is a selection from Masnavi of Rumi. Khaliq M Khan (Aug 2005)

"All  these (various persons) are not in the right; nor again this herd is entirely astray,

Because nothing false is shown without the True,

The fool bought spurious coins in the hope of (it being) gold.

If there were no current (genuine) coins in the world,

how would it be possible to issue a false coin.

Unless there be truth, how should there be falsehood? That falsehood

receives brilliance from the truth..

Do not say, then, that all these utterance are false…

Do not say, then, that all (this) is fantasy and error:

Without truth fantasy exists not in the world.

Truth is the Night of Power (which) is hidden among the other nights…

Not all nights are (the Night of) Power".

* The seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

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