"This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet." ~ Jalaluddin Rumi
Passionate mystic and lyrical poet Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was born the son of a religious teacher in what is now Afghanistan (1207-1273). In 1220, he and his family escaped from Genghis Khan's Mongol invasion, fleeing to Turkey.
"The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart," he said. His philosophy, considered an eloquent influence of the Muslim East and Christian West, speaks across all cultures and traditions.
According to legend, young Rumi was given the Book of Secrets by the famous old poet Attar, then further inspired by a chance meeting with the wandering Sufi mystic Shams ed-Din Tabrizi.
"Love is the energizing elixir of the universe, the cause and effect of all harmonies," Rumi believed.
He said music and dance led to God and paradise. A Muslim cleric, he founded his own religious order, the Mevlevi, or dancing dervishes, a leading mystical brotherhood of Islam. His shrine, the Green Tomb, still stands in Konya.
The main theme of Rumi's writing celebrated love, what he considered the true moving power of life. "Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love," he said.
More Rumi Quotations
