Figure 1 A page of a copy circa 1503 of Divan-i Kabir.

Divan-i Kabir also contains Arabic and mixed Greek/Persian poems [2].

In this article, we will discuss a lesser known side of Rumi. In particular, we will show that, in his poetry, Rumi (knowingly or not) pointed to an astronomical observation called “gravitational lensing.” We leave it to the reader whether this is only a pure coincidence or not.

We begin by investigating the following poem which illustrates unity and a love of humanity [1]. Originally, this poem comes from Divan-i Kabir. We would especially like to draw attention to the capitalized sentence below. In order to preserve the context and better understand how to interpret this sentence in relation to gravitational lensing, we included most of the neighboring parts of the poem.

Come, come, get closer.
Till when is this banditry going to continue?
Since you are I and I am you, what is this “us” and “them”?
We are God’s holy light; we are God’s mirror.
…
But why are we squint-eyed?
Although we are limbs of the same body,
why do the rich look down on the poor?
…
BUT WE HAVE SEEN ONE AS TWO
BECAUSE OF THE CURVATURE OF THE HEAVENS.
Come, liberate yourself from this selfishness
and reconcile with everybody and be nice to people.
As long as you are in you, you are a grain, a particle.
But when you mix and unite with others, then you become an ocean, a mine.
Every human being carries the same soul,
but the bodies are in hundreds of thousands.
Similarly, there are countless almonds in the world,
but there is the same oil in each of them.
There are many tongues and dialects in this world,
but the meaning of all of them is the same.
Waters put in different containers unite
when the containers are broken
and start to flow together as one stream.

Rumi makes several metaphors in the above poem. He, for example, compares the essence of all humans to individual mirrors serving one truth – that is, the reflection of God’s attributes in them. This truth makes our goals one and the same. We were all created with one thought, one mind, which is to exhibit the manifestations of His Names and Attributes on Earth. Therefore, Rumi says we should act like the limbs of the same body and not look down on the poor. We should give away selfishness and unite around the same goal, so that everyone gains one greater meaning. The reason why we have seen one meaning as two or more lies in the Divine Wisdom of God and the reflections of His Wisdom on subtle details of creation, such as the “curvatures of the heavens.” Despite these curvatures, everything – different bodies, countless almonds, and many tongues and dialects – has but one origin.

One of the Divine Wisdoms behind the diversity in creation is described in Al-Hujurat 13, in the Quran [3]:

“O humankind! Surely We have created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into tribes and families so that you may know one another (and so build mutuality and co-operative relationships, not so that you may take pride in your differences of race and social rank, and breed enmities). Surely, the noblest, most honorable of you in God’s sight is the one best in piety, righteousness, and reverence for God. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [4]

If there would be only one tribe with identical members, skills, and roles, there would be limited motivation to know each other. This would significantly hamper progress on Earth. Imagine a world with one big family with a million members and no other families to compete with, such as the primitive tribes of the Amazon. Imagine another world with a thousand families with ten members in each such as the modern multi-national world. In the latter, it is more likely people will be motivated to know each other, to build mutuality and co-operative relationships, to compete and progress. Thus, it is more likely to manifest the reflections of God’s attributes on Earth through piety, righteousness, and reverence for Him.

“Curvature” in astronomy

Having discussed the poem, now let’s turn our attention to astronomy. In particular, we will point out the relation of “curvature of the heavens” with astronomy. In the original poem, this phrase is given as [5]. The first word, “felek” can be translated as “heavens” and the second word, “munhany,” is Arabic, which can be translated as “curve” or “curved.” An old man with a bent body is also called “munhany.” Although this is an Arabic word, it is used in Persian, too.

In astronomy, every galaxy (or any other mass) deflects light, at least to some extent, coming from a distant light source in space such as a supernova explosion or another galaxy. Due to this deflection of light, if astronomers are lucky enough in terms of their position in space with respect to the deflecting galaxy, they can view two, or even more, images of the same galaxy by pointing their telescope in different directions. This is the result of the gravitational lens in astronomy [6] (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 Gravitational lensing. Light coming from a distant quasar behind a massive galaxy is deflected due to gravity. This results in the observation of multiple images from Earth. Credit: NASA/GSFC

A gravitational lens works pretty much the same way as optical lenses (see Figure 3), but uses gravity for refraction (or deflection) of light instead of an optically dense medium such as glass.

Figure 3 An image of the Golden Gate Bridge is refracted and bent by many different drops of water acting as lenses on glass. Credit: Brocken Inaglory

According to general relativity, light follows the curvature of space-time formed by massive objects (see Figure 4) [7]. Therefore, when light travels around a massive object, such as in gravitational lensing, it is bent.

Figure 4 Schematic of the curvature of space-time around a massive object. Credit: Johnstone

In Figure 5, taken by the Hubble telescope, multiple images of a single galaxy are shown [8]. The five blue circles show a unique, gravitationally-lensed quasar. This image is the first-ever picture of such an object. The red circles mark three remarkably different images of the same background galaxy. The galaxy is 12 billion light years away (corresponding to only 1.8 billion years after the Big Bang). The yellow circle marks a supernova that was found by comparing this image to a picture of the cluster obtained by Hubble earlier. It is interesting to note that not only is the Golden Gate Bridge in the background in Figure 3 analogous to the background quasar and the galaxy in Figure 5, but they both resemble the manifestations of the attributes of one God in various forms as metaphorically described by Rumi.

Figure 5 Gravitational lens may result in the observation of multiple images of the same object in space. Credits: ESA, NASA, Keren Sharon (Tel-Aviv University) and Eran Ofek (CalTech).

It is clear from this image that gravitational lens may mislead us into seeing one as two or more. Therefore we find the “curvature of the heavens” phrase in the poem quite striking. Astonishingly, Rumi somehow makes an analogy between the unity of humanity and the unity of a heavenly body that appears more than once to the astronomer due to the gravitational illusion produced by the curvature of the heavens, or perhaps space-time.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Zeki Saritoprak and Mustafa Kaya for their contribution to exploring the original edition of Divan-i Kabir. This article is produced either in part or as a whole at MERGEOUS (mergeous.com), an online article and project development service for authors and publishers dedicated to the advancement of technologies in the merging realm of science and religion.

References

1. Can, Sefik. 2004. Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought, NJ: 2004.

2. Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwan-e_Shams-e_Tabrizi

3. Hucurat 13, Kutub-u Sitte 1.5, Gold Soft, Akcag.

4. Unal, Ali. 2012. The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English, NJ: Tughra Books.

5. Foruzanfar, Badi’ ul-Zaman (ed.). 1984. Divan-e Kabir, Tehran: Daneshgah-e Tehran, 3rd reprint, vol. 6, pp. 243-44.

6. Schultz, Bernard F. 2003. Gravity from the Ground Up, Cambridge University Press.

7. Gravitational Lens, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_lens

8. The European Homepage for the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, “http://www.spacetelescope.org/copyright.html”

She began to question religious thought under the influence of philosophy she studied when she was eighteen. She searched for answers but failed to convince herself. Since her grandmother taught her to be “honest” all the time, she decided to end her connection with the church, stating, “I do not have the faith and I still continue to go to church; this is not right.”

One day, in the library of the Sorbonne University, she encountered a half page text describing the views of Rumi written by Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. She grew confused after reading the article. Either Rumi or the Greek philosophy which she had been reading up until that time was correct. She looked for publications regarding Rumi to investigate the matter comprehensively. But she failed to find any record related to the topic in the entire library. She read Muhammad Iqbal’s book called The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam in English, expecting she could reach the opinions of Rumi through him. She found many answers to her questions in this book. She became a Muslim in 1954, as a result of this enlightenment, and changed her name to Hawwa.

Hawwa was very impressed with the collections of Rumi, accepting him as a guide. She translated almost all of his and Iqbal’s works into French. She worked ten years to translate Rumi’s magnum opus the Mathnawi. She became the reason for many French intellectuals to discover and grow closer to Islam by her translations, radio speeches, and lectures. She made many visits to Turkey and attended Rumi programs.

In a live broadcast, Ms Hawwa gave the following long answer to questions such as, “Why did you choose Islam? What have you found in Rumi? Why Turkey and not another Islamic country?”

The Western media happens to have launched an attack against the religion of Islam. When you listen to French or German televisions and radios, you would hear awful statements regarding the Islamic religion. You would hear that Islam is about violence, jihad, fanaticism, etc. Despite these continuous attacks, there are scores of people in Western countries adopting Islam. I know many people who have accepted Islam in France, England, Germany, and Spain.

According to the data I have obtained from French authorities, many of the converts are intellectual people. They were seeking something and they found what they were searching and longing for in Islam. It is because their interpretations on creation and existence were not addressing these feelings anymore and also materialism disappointed them completely.

I have discovered a very different Islam than the one taught at the school or university, or depicted on newspapers and televisions. I am proud to say that the work of Rumi I last translated took ten years. This is an extraordinary book. In my opinion, the West was thirsty for spirituality. I also think this is very significant for our era. I go to Konya every year and love it there since it is the town of Rumi. I feel as if I am from Konya when I am there. I also love Turkey very much; since it represents my acquaintance with Islam, I am very happy there and I feel like a Turk. I found a religion in the Mathnawi that rejects radical religious ways, strict rulings, fanaticism, and conservative approaches; a religion which is entirely sincere, tolerant, and suitable to my beliefs.

The need for spirituality in our time is not satisfied. But I also do not think that humans can quench this by withdrawing from social life. In addition, scientific developments have demonstrated such an amazing universe. What is extraordinary of Rumi (which is not my reason for adopting Islam) is his projection and this impresses people, especially a young generation who has a passion for science. Consider that Rumi tells, ‘If you split an atom, you will find a solar system.’ He speaks of planets orbiting inside and outside of us, but also warns us to be careful. Since when these atoms open their mouths, they can eject a fire that can destroy the whole world. As seen, he talks about the dangers of the atomic bomb in the thirteenth century. It mentions the presence of nine planets, whereas modern science only proved this in the 1930s. Previously, seven planets were believed to exist. Number eight was found by a French researcher in the 1840s, and the ninth was discovered by an American scientist in 1930. However, Rumi already knew that there were nine planets back in his era. While the sun was believed to orbit earth in the West, Rumi tells that earth, like other planets, is a small planet that revolves around the sun. He also mentions other extraordinary things.

I often receive frequent phone calls, usually from intellectuals, even professors, authors, and journalists, and they tell me that, ‘Do you know Madam, I have accepted Islam and this was possible via Rumi.’

I now have translated all of his books including, ‘Majales-e Sab’a (Seven Sessions), Fihi Ma Fihi (In It What’s in It).’ The most important one is the Mathnawi. I am truly happy. Furthermore, I think that the time is very suitable for the publication of such works. This is because our world is being devastated by wars, conflicts, hatred, and aggression. However, Rumi’s works are full of love, peace, and tolerance, which are essential messages for today. True Islam is a universal religion with a perfect message of tolerance. The teachings of the prophets before Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, are accepted as valid. Therefore, Islam provides satisfying answers to people seeking clearer, universal and general answers compared to their own religions. Yet I am repeating once more that conversions are totally different from each other. For instance, I know people who adopted Islam suddenly. These people experienced something, saw something, and joined Islam. Some people like me, however, adopted Islam after doing many investigations, passing through many stages, completing PhD work on Islamic philosophy, but the goal as a result is the same. Spain was Muslim for 800 years; right next to it was France, and Spain was decidedly more advanced, intellectual, and civilized than France and the rest of Northern Europe.

I only assess the situation with a Western point of view and I do not mention either Turkey or Arabia. I am talking about the West. I am talking about such a tolerance in Spain, where ministers were Jewish, doctors were Christian, and Caliphs were Muslim. In this country governed by Muslims, business was advancing much faster than other countries. This was a great threat to Christian countries, kingdoms, and the Papacy. As you know, in order to get rid of something disturbing, it must be put down. The West did that. It started imperialism wars by putting down Islam. They expanded their propaganda and misinformation campaigns against Islam. For example if you ask someone in the street, ‘What do you think of Buddhism?’ They would answer, ‘I do not know,’ but when it is about, ‘the religion of Islam,’ they would reply with phrases such as, ‘Ah, yes, marrying four women, keeping them at home, having a tent.’ As you see, there is a type of partial lack of information present, there are clichés found on televisions and in newspapers; concrete symbols exist and all of these distort Islam entirely.

Today Islam is not known very well and people have gotten completely inaccurate ideas. Unfortunately, I think that these arise from failing to generate the necessary image about Islam by Muslim countries. In addition, the misinformation planted as the result of the wars of imperialism contributed to this. Unfortunately there are fractions observed among Muslim countries and this hinders the solutions needed for this and many other issues. Muslims have the same Book, the Prophet and his tradition, culture, and the Qur’anic language, which is Arabic. Yet these countries fight frequently and do not pay attention to this common heritage. In my opinion, the main reason for Westerners not to accept Islam is the lack of unity among Muslims. In fact, this is a separate issue. Islam as a religion should not be adopted through political and social reasons, but through the point of views and paradigms that it brings to the Creator, life, humans, and the universe.

In order to describe Islam as is, it is essential to read Rumi, Ibn Arabi, and briefly, the works of all the great Islamic thinkers. People get very surprised. The other day, I went to the doctor; they are very educated people. His wife, who called me in the evening, asked me ‘what are you doing now?’ I told her that I had just completed the translation of the Mathnawi. She asked what that was. I then told her that the Mathnawi mentions nuclear break down, the atomic bomb. They did not believe. As you see, people do not know the main reason of scientific developments in the middle ages.

The first medical school was established by Arabs in France. The greatest doctor of the era was in Spain. There were many successful scientists who were very ahead of their times, but nobody is aware of this. While I was doing my doctorate on Islamic philosophy at the Sorbonne University, I discovered Islam, but while studying at the university before starting my doctorate on Rumi, nobody taught us about Muslim thinkers. They were teaching German, English, Latin, and Greek philosophers.

There is a long way to go, so much to do. Now there are intellectuals who love and embrace Islam. These people should announce what lies at the essence of Islam to the world.

In her will, written to her spiritual stepson, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Ozturk, Ms Hawwa asked to be buried near the tomb of Rumi, in Konya. After she walked to the horizon of her soul on July 24, 1999, Dr. Ozturk went to great efforts to fulfill this will and she was buried at the Ucler Graveyard, near the tomb of Rumi, on December 17, 2008, exactly the time of “Seb-i Arus” the wedding day, as Rumi described death.

There are books that I have always kept within arm’s reach on my desk-books that I have enjoyed rereading over and over again, and from which I draw the strength, joy and peace of the heart. Many of the selections from the Mathnawi-the magnum opus of Rumi, the world-famous Sufi master and poetic genius-included in Tales from Rumi, were the first of his stories that I read in Turkish many years ago. Going back as far as I can remember, I was aware that I was reading stories from the celebrated Rumi, who lived and died centuries ago in the Seljuk Turks’ capital of Konya in the heart of Anatolia. Yet, I had no idea then that I was in touch with “world literature.”

I never thought that I was not reading the Mathnawi stories in their original language; instead, I read them in an abridged version in modern Turkish-a book that greatly broadened my perception of the world. I do not think that any of my peers had the language skills to read the original Persian, or even Ottoman Turkish, versions of the Mathnawi. Indeed, many of the world’s literary masterpieces are not read or offered in their original language, and except for a small subset of world literature, most works are unknown outside of their culture. Moreover, when they are translated and read beyond the author’s environment, they require so much local knowledge to be understood that they lose their flavor.

However, Rumi is one of the rare literary figures whose works have circulated beyond their culture of origin, either in translation or in their original language. Now, there are a substantial number of his works that are available in many languages. The Tughra Books has recently published Tales from Rumi, a selection of Rumi’s stories from the Mathnawi, which have been adapted for young readers. This collection of accessible and abridged tales makes the Mathnawi available in an attractive 130-page hardcover book in the English language. The range of stories is admirably broad; each tale in this collection-from “The Rabbit and the Lion” to “The Teacher’s Fear”-has a fascinating, action-packed plot and ends with a moral that reinforces the message. It is most likely that readers will come away with a burning desire to read more of Rumi. Its intended audience includes readers interested in exciting tales and in world literature, especially younger readers, who wish to eliminate barriers and to broaden their perspectives.

Recently, there has been a growing global perspective and the increased awareness of the need to expose children and teenagers to world literature and to broaden their understanding of the larger world. In this age of globalization, while acknowledging the cultural perspectives of Rumi’s stories, young readers will become better aware of the commonalities that exist across the boundaries of various cultures. The stories in Tales from Rumi are selected from among numerous stories in the Mathnawi, adapted and edited by Professor Ali Fuat Bilkan, and translated into English by Jeanette Squires Okur. The stories will provide an enjoyable avenue to this great work of world literature and will offer a truly global perspective for this age group as well.

I would like to especially point out the potential benefits of incorporating this world classic into a secondary education curriculum. Other than recommending it for a list of suggested reading at secondary education institutions, I think that this collection of selected and abridged translations of stories from Rumi’s world classic could also be successfully used in school character education programs, which focus on personal, social, and global dimensions. The classroom study of Tales from Rumi-in an explanatory manner, respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity-will offer teenage students excellent opportunities to discover similarities in values across geography, culture, and time. Rumi’s tales have a variety of vivid human or animal characters portrayed with all the character, wit, and failings of humans. The spectacular and amusing illustrations and snapshots throughout the book are also moving and meditative-bringing the tales to life.

Native and nonnative English readers can understand the virtues and vices of characters in the tales and draw important lessons by making use of their reasoning skills and their appreciation of the book’s enlightening and comprehensible morals. Indeed, there is always more to be found in all the tales when they are read and reread, told and retold, visited and revisited, and mediated upon. In this manner, the tales’ messages may reveal themselves variously at different stages of human development. The tales could provide younger readers with the key to a better understanding of the elements of a good character and provide them with an understanding of the universal traits of respect, modesty, generosity, and the need to learn from mistakes-wisdom that have been revered by the generations of the past and acknowledged by those in the present.

Tales from Rumi is surely a marvelous introduction to one of the best books of the world literature for the youth audience, readers who do not wish to be myopic but want to see more of the world and cross borders they have not yet crossed.

Huseyin Bingul is a staff editor of The Fountain.

What would it have to fear of the dogs or their barking?

The dogs continue to do what they are supposed to do

And the moon continues to beautify the face of the night.

A bit of weed floats on water

Yet the water does not lose its purity.

Mustafa¹ splits the moon in half

While Abu Lahab² utters silly curses.

Jesus revives the dead

While his enemies pull their beards out of hatred.

The sound of the dog never reaches the ear of the Moon,

If that moon is a friend of God”³

— M.J. Rumi, Mathnawi, “The Candy Seller Child (The Debtor Sheikh).”

The true “friends” of God reflect His light in their hearts, which have become like mirrors. Like the full moon on a bright night, they illuminate everything within their reach. They do not discriminate anyone; they can be called “champions of compassion without frontiers.” It is so difficult to contain light in a closed place, it seeps out and illuminates. Likewise, it is hard to confine the compassion of such people when they come in contact with others, their compassion and love touches, affects and transforms them. You cannot find any trace of the stereotypes of the idle or the harsh reactions of the conceited in them. They reach out and embrace. And the hatred, the misdemeanors, the biases, the bad habits, the doubts all dissolve and disappear within this embracing. In this article, we will present two examples of radiating compassion and love from the life of a famous scholar of Islam and a person of devotion, Bediuzzaman S. Nursi, and then turn to his inspiration for such outpourings.

Who was Bediuzzaman?

Said Nursi, also known as “Bediuzzaman” or “the wonder of the age” by his contemporaries, was born in eastern Anatolia (in modern Turkey) in a turbulent era towards the end of the nineteenth century.⁴ Earlier in his life, he was noted for his genius, unmatched scholarship and his balanced combination of Islamic spirituality with the duties of contemporary life. Over the course of his life, he inspired hundreds of thousands of students. Since his passing away in 1960, he has continued to inspire millions and his books remain as the bestsellers of all times in Turkey, as well as being translated into several languages. His main work, Risale-i Nur Collection (The Treatises of Light) is a collection of books that consists of more than 6,000 pages. This collection deals with topics such as logical arguments concerning the pillars of faith, the importance of worship, the significance of the Prophetic Tradition, the miracles of the Qur’an and the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him), consolation for the sick and elderly, treatments of perceived conflicts between science and religion, reflections on natural phenomena and the signs of the Hereafter, as well as perspectives of the believer and the disbeliever on the world and the consequences of these, among other matters.

The noteworthy stances of Bediuzzaman include his championing of representative democracy over monarchy and despotism among the tribes in Eastern Anatolia, as well as his support for republicanism, the marriage of natural sciences and theology, the complete rejection of gifts or donations, and his advocacy for dialogue among people of different faiths. He succeeded in securing funds from the Ottoman government of Sultan Reshad, as well as the subsequent Turkish Republican parliament, for the establishment of a university in eastern Turkey where theological and natural sciences would be integrated in a single curriculum.

Although Nursi supported the Anatolian resistance through his efforts in Istanbul, during the early years of the Turkish Republic, he was exiled by the government in fear that he might exert his influence on the people around him against the government. Though subsequent investigations failed to show any evidence for such political intentions, he ended up spending 25 years of his life in jail or in exile. In a piece he wrote later about these painful years, he said that he would not seek justice from God in the Divine court of the Hereafter if the people who had inflicted suffering on him had benefited from his works and died as believers.⁵ During these years, neighbors and witnesses reported in a collection of interviews published in Turkish that he used to spend most of his nights in prayers and remembrance, sometimes crying. In the prisons where he was held it was noticed that former criminals and killers, such as the so-called “Butcher Tahir” in the city prison of Afyon, were transformed into individuals who took care not to step on ants.⁶

In the following two stories, we will see examples of how this friend of God embraced people of diverse backgrounds and led them to become friends and fellow worshippers of God.

Bediuzzaman and the Two Famous Outlaws

During his exile in the city of Kastamonu, Bediuzzaman and his student from that town, Mehmed Feyzi, were climbing the skirts of the Karada€ (Black Mountain). Two famous outlaws had stopped to have something to eat by the road. Although these persons had been born into a Muslim community, they were living a wretched life full of crime and harassment. Mehmed Feyzi knew these people. They were notorious for their crimes around the city. Nobody dared say anything to them. Mehmed was worried about the safety of Bediuzzaman; so, he was praying silently for God to protect him.

Bediuzzaman walked by the men slowly, without saying anything to them.

The two outlaws looked at each other in surprise and one of them spoke:

–”Do you recognize this scholar?”

–”I do, indeed. I have heard that he is fearless. He is known for telling all the commandments of the Qur’an without hesitation.”

–”If that’s the case, how come he did not say a word to us?”

–”I think he thought it is of no use to try to teach anything to us. What does that tell you my friend? We are finished. We are doomed.”

The other one immediately grabbed the table with the liquor on it and threw it with all his power towards the mountain. And he proclaimed:

–”No my friend! We are Muslims and we will remain Muslims. We will clean ourselves of these sins; we will turn to God and obey His commandments. We will never mix in such dirty affairs again. Come, let’s go.”

The two men stood up and went to the public baths. After cleaning themselves they went straight to a mosque and sat down.

The members of the congregation were puzzled. They were pointing to the men and asking each other silently: “What are these guys doing here? What are they up to?” One of them asked the muezzin about them. The muezzin had heard about the incident on the mountain. He calmed them down and said: “Don’t worry. They have repented. They saw Bediuzzaman on his way to the mountain. They regretted what they have done and have come here to worship.”

Upon hearing these words, the congregation calmed down and continued with their duties. They had thought originally that these criminals had come to the mosque to kill people; they had not realized that the men had changed their lifestyle.

Bediuzzaman and the Gypsies

Bediuzzaman was exiled to the town of Emirda€. As they did every spring, the gypsies came from their dwelling places to the town and knocked on the doors, begging. Some of them were offered plastic utensils for laundry or household chores, goods that were no longer needed. They knocked on every door and asked, “In the name of God, please give us something.” They knocked on Bediuzzaman’s door as well. They did not know that the man who lived here was an old man exiled to the town with very little to live on.

Bediuzzaman opened the door and upon seeing who was there, he smiled. He gave them a piece of bread.

The next day, he was walking in the countryside with one of his students. He saw the gypsy tents and approached them. They immediately surrounded him and tried to kiss his hands. Some of them knew who he was. An older man among them approached Bediuzzaman and said: “Our teacher! We heard that you are a guest in this town. Please pray for us. We love you.”

Bediuzzaman replied: “Yes my brother. Indeed I love you too.” He put his hand on the old man’s back and continued: “You are among those who understand that this world is transitory. As nomads, you are my fellow travelers. I am a nomad like you.”

Upon reading incidents like the ones here, one wonders: Was Bediuzzaman the first devout Muslim to display such acts of compassion? Or did he have a teacher? And the answer is simple: He valued and championed the importance of the prophetic tradition of Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him; it was that very tradition⁷ that provided him with the source of his compassion that had no frontiers. Here is a striking example from the life of Prophet that shows the depth of this compassion:

The Mock Call to Prayer

Abu Mahzura tells his story:⁸ We were a group of 12 people and came across God’s Messenger on the road to Hunayn. When the time for prayer came, a muezzin began to recite the call for prayer. As he was reciting the words, we mocked him by repeating his words in a funny manner. I was leading the ridicule. The Prophet heard us and summoned us.

“Whose voice was it that I heard?” he asked. Nobody answered. He then listened to each of us individually and discovered that mine was the leading voice. He signed to the others to leave. He then turned to me and said: “Go ahead and recite the call to prayer.” I stood up with my head bowed down, but could not say anything as I did not remember the words. At that moment the Prophet was the worst person in my mind and the thing he was asking me to do was the worst thing to do. After seeing my silence, the Prophet taught me the words of the call to prayer, one by one. Then he gave me some money. He caressed my forehead, my face and breast and prayed “May God bless and protect you.” Then I asked, “O Messenger of God, would you allow me to make the call to prayer in Makka?” he answered, “I give you that permission.” At that moment, he was the most beloved person on earth to me.

This story illustrates beautifully the transformation of a man who was ridiculing something sacred to the believers into a different man devoted to serving the faith. With his compassion and patience, God’s Messenger had no trouble discovering and polishing a jewel. We can see a similar transformation in the incident of the man who urinated in the Prophet’s mosque.

The Man Who Urinated in the Mosque

In the Qur’an, God tells His Messenger: If you had been rough and hard-hearted with them, they would certainly have dispersed from around you (Al Imran 3:159). Indeed, the Prophet was known as the most compassionate and loving member of the community, and was able to balance these traits with his other roles as community leader and statesman. Abu Hurayra reported:⁹ A bedouin urinated in the mosque and some people rushed to beat him. The Prophet said: “Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.’’ Afterwards the Prophet called the man and gently explained to him that this was a place of worship and that it should be kept clean. Apparently, this person understood the point, for he was later observed in the mosque in his best clothes.

Conclusion

We have seen two examples of radiating compassion and love in a 20th century student of an eternal teacher and two examples from the life of his teacher. These examples are intended to show only the tip of an iceberg for those who are interested in exploring the spiritual dimension of Islam. At a time when this faith is associated with heinous crimes against humanity, it should be the duty of the inquisitive mind to transcend common stereotypes and explore the depth of spiritual richness in this source, which has produced world-renowned spiritual masters such as Rumi, the author of the verses at the beginning of this article, and continues to inspire hundreds of millions of people.

Notes

1. Referring to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, whose other name is Mustafa, or the chosen one, and to his miracle of splitting the moon in half, as mentioned in the chapter “The Moon” of the Qur’an.
2. Referring to the uncle of the Prophet who was one of the fierce enemies of Islam, and who strove in vain to undermine the Prophet’s mission.
3. Translation by the author from original in Turkish.
4. Vahide, S., Islam in Modern Turkey, State University of New York Press, New York: 2005.
5. ibid.
6. Necmeddin Sahiner, Son Sahitler Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’yi Anlat›yor (Last Witnesses Tell of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi), Nesil Yayinlari, Istanbul: 2005.
7. Gulen, M. F., The Messenger of God, The Light, Inc., Izmir: 2005.
8. Hadith Encyclopedia, Harf Information Technology, Cairo: 1996.
9. Khan, M., Sahih al-Bukhari: The Translation of the Meanings, Darussalam Publishers, 1997.

References

• E.H. Whinfield (Translator), The Mathnawi: The Spiritual Couplets of Maulana Jalalu-D-Din Mahammad I Rumi, Watkins Publishing Ltd., 2002.
• Reynold A. Nicholson (Editor), Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi, Gibb Memorial Trust; Set of 3 Books edition (June, 1990).
• C.Barks, Essential Rumi, Harper San Fransisco, 1997.
• Abdulbaki Golpinarli, Mesnevi Tercemesi ve Serhi (In Turkish), Inkilap Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1990.