Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi ( 16.4.1206)- (8.9.1272) mutasavvıf 30 Eylül 1207 tarihinde Afganistan'ın Belh şehrinde doğdu. Babası Bahaeddin Veled Mevlana'nın babası Belh'in ileri gelenlerinden Bahâeddin Veled'tir. "Bilginlerin Sultânı" diye anılır. Annesi Belh Emiri Rükneddin'in kızı Mümine Hatun'dur. Sultânü'l-Ulemâ Bahaeddin Veled, bazı siyasi olaylar nedeniyle Belh'den ayrılmak zorunda kaldı. 1213 yılında aile fertleri ve yakın dostlarıyla Belh'den ayrıldı. İlk durağı Nişabur oldu. Nişabur şehrinde tanınmış mutasavvıf Ferîdüddin Attar ile karşılaştı. Mevlana küçük yaşına rağmen Ferîdüddin Attar'ın ilgisini çekti. Aile Nişabur'dan Bağdat'a ve daha sonra Kûfe yolu ile Kâbe'ye hareket etti. Hac farizasını yerine getirdikten sonra Şam'a uğradı. Şam'dan sonra Malatya, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri, Niğde yolu ile Lârende'ye (Karaman) geldiler. Karaman'da Subaşı Emir Mûsa'nın yaptırdığı medreseye yerleşti. 1222 yılında Karaman'a gelen aile burada 7 yıl kaldı. Mevlana evleniyor Mevlana 1225 yılında Şerefeddin Lala'nın kızı Gevher Hatun ile Karaman'da evlendi. Bu evlilikten Mevlâna'nın Sultan Veled ve Alâeddin Çelebi adlı iki oğlu oldu. Yıllar sonra Gevher Hatun'u kaybeden Mevlâna bir çocuklu dul olan Kerrâ Hatun ile ikinci evliliğini yaptı. Mevlâna'nın bu evlilikten de Muzaffereddin ve Emir Âlim Çelebi adlı iki oğlu ile Melike Hatun adlı bir kızı dünyaya geldi. Bu yıllarda Anadolu'nun büyük bir kısmı Selçuklu Devleti'nin egemenliği altında idi. Konya'da bu devletin baş şehri idi. Konya sanat eserleri ile donatılmış, ilim adamları ve sanatkarlarla doluydu. Selçuklu Devleti en parlak devrini yaşıyordu. Devletin hükümdarı Alaaddin Keykubat idi. Alaaddin Keykubat, Bahaeddin Veled'i Karaman'dan Konya'ya davet etti ve Konya'ya yerleşmesini istedi. Bahaeddin Veled, Sultanın davetini kabul etti. 3 Mayıs 1228 tarihinde ailesi ve dostları ile Konya'ya geldi. Sultan Alaaddin onları muhteşem bir törenle karşıladı ve Altunapa (İplikçi) Medresesi'ni ikametlerine tahsis etti. Babası öldü Sultânü'l-Ulemâ Bahaeddin Veled 1231 yılında Konya'da vefat etti. Mezar yeri olarak, Selçuklu Sarayının Gül Bahçesi seçildi. Halen müze olarak kullanılan Mevlâna Dergâhı'ndaki bugünkü yerine defnolundu. Mevlana derse başlıyor Bahaeddin Veled ölünce, talebeleri Mevlâna'nın çevresinde toplandı. Mevlana'yı babasının tek varisi olarak gördüler. Gerçekten de Mevlana büyük bir bilgin oldu. İplikçi Medresesi'nde dersler verdi. Vaazları kendisini dinlemeye gelenlerle dolup taşıyordu. Şems-i Tebrizî ile karşılaştı Mevlana 15 Kasım 1244 tarihinde Şems-i Tebrizî ile karşılaştı. Ancak beraberlikleri uzun sürmedi. Şems-i Tebrizi aniden öldü. Mevlana, Şems'in ölümünden sonra uzun yıllar inzivaya çekildi. Daha sonraki yıllarda Selahaddin Zerkubi ve Hüsameddin Çelebi, Şems-i Tebrizî'nin yerini doldurmaya çalıştı. Hayatını "Hamdım, piştim, yandım" sözleri ile özetledi. Mevlana 17 Aralık 1273 tarihinde vefat etti. Ölüm günü /şebi arus/ yeniden doğuş günü Mevlana'nın cenaze namazını vasiyeti üzerine Sadreddin Konevi kıldıracaktı. Ancak Sadreddin Koneviçok sevdiği Mevlana'yı kaybetmeye dayanamayıp cenazede bayıldı. Bunun üzerine, Mevlana'nın cenaze namazını Kadı Sıraceddin kıldırdı. Mevlana ölüm gününü yeniden doğuş günü olarak kabul etti. O öldüğü zaman sevdiğine yani Allah'ına kavuştu. Onun için Mevlana ölüm gününe düğün günü anlamına gelen "Şeb-i Arûs" dedi. "Ölümümüzden sonra mezarımızı yerde aramayınız! Bizim mezarımız âriflerin gönüllerindedir" MEVLANA ENGLISH BIOGRAPHY Hz. Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, is known as Hz. Mevlana in the East and known as Rumi in the West. At birth, his family named him Muhammed, though he came to be nicknamed Celaleddin. As for “Mevlana”, it connotes to “our master”, while “Rumi” relates to “the land of Rum” or “Anatolia”, where he lived. In his lifetime, he was also referred to as “Hudavendigar”, meaning “distinguished leader”, whereas his present internationally renowned title “Mevlana” was very seldom used. The name “Rumi” was added to the end, rather later on. Hz. Mevlana was born on September 30, 1207 in the city of Belh, Horasan, which at the time was inhabited by Turkish tribes; (Belh, today, remains within the boundaries of Afghanistan). His mother Mümine was the daughter of Rükneddin, the “emir” (sovereign ruler) of Belh and his father, Bahaeddin Veled, was “Sultanu-l ulema”(chief scholar). Their clash of opinion with Fahreddin-i Razi, one of his contemporary philosophers, along with the probability of a Mongol invasion urged him to desert his hometown accompanied by his entire family. Their migration, via Baghdad, Mecca, Medina, Damascus, Malatya, Erzincan, and Karaman, ended up, on May 3, 1228, in Konya upon the invitation of Alaeddin Keykubad, the Seljuk Emperor. Following his marriage to Gevher Banu in Karaman, Konya, Hz. Mevlana had two sons whom he named Bahaeddin (Sultan Veled) and Alaeddin. Years later, during his time in Konya, and after Gevher Banu passed away, Mevlana married Kerra Hatun by whom he had two more children; another son, Muzafferreddin Emir Alim and a daughter Melike. As Mevlana begins attending his father’s lessons at a very early age, he pursues the divine truth and secrets. He acquires Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and common Greek as well as Classical Greek. He studies the other religions along with Islam. From history to medicine, he receives his initial education from his father and then from Seyyid Burhaneddin Tirmizi and other top scholars of the time. Later on he himself, in turn, teaches hundreds of students in Madrassahs (theological universities). Meanwhile, Sems-i Tebrizi, not fulfilled by the ultimate spiritual rank he has attained, is in search of another fellow acquaintance to match his own scholarly wisdom and to enjoy his company. Sems and Hz. Mevlana, who had their first encounter in Damascus, meet again in 1244, in Konya. These two God loving velis (guardians), focus intensely on divine discussions and together they attain heavenly wisdom. With most of his time spent in endless talks, poetry recitals, and whirling rituals with his spiritual soul mate, jealousy becomes aroused among Mevlana’s students. Unjust rumours are spread against Sems-i Tebrizi, who is offended and flees Konya for Damascus. Hz. Mevlana, in his deep grief, secludes himself from all friends and writes many of his verses which we read in Divan-i Kebir. The instigators of this unfavorable situation express remorse and a group led by Mevlana’s son Sultan Veled goes to Damascus and brings back Sems-i Tebrizi. Nevertheless, jealousy arises once again and Sems, this time, suddenly disappears altogether. Even though his tomb is assumed to be in Konya, whether he deserted the city or was murdered still remains a mystery. Hz. Mevlana enters a new stage in his life upon the disappearance of his close friend. He first appoints Sheikh Selahaddin-i Zerkub, who passes away, then he appoints Chalabi Hüsameddin, one of his own students, to teach on his behalf. As long as I live, I am the slave of the Quran I am the ground of chosen Mohammed’s way... Whoever carries a word of me apart from this I am complainant of him and I am complainant of those words too. As can clearly be inferred from his words above, he always pursued Hz. Mohammad’s teachings in his divine journey, always conforming to God’s commandments, preaching and practising in the Islamic discipline. He always complains about the fundamentalist ideas appended into Islam later on, and even more so about the destructive ignorance of the madrassah: Listen to this reed how it complains: it is telling a tale of separations. Saying, "Ever since I was parted from the reed-bed, man and woman have moaned in (unison with) my lament. I want a bosom torn by severance, that I may unfold (to such a one) the pain of love-desire. Every one who is left far from his source wishes back the time when he was united with it. In every company I uttered my wailful notes, I consorted with the unhappy and with them that rejoice. Every one became my friend from his own opinion; none sought out my secrets from within me. My secret is not far from my plaint, but ear and eye lack the light (whereby it should be apprehended). Body is not veiled from soul, nor soul from body, yet none is permitted to see the soul." This noise of the reed is fire, it is not wind: whoso hath not this fire, may he be naught! ‘Tis the fire of Love that is in the reed, ‘tis the fervour of Love that is in the wine. The reed is the comrade of every one who has been parted from a friend: its strains pierced our hearts. Who ever saw a poison and antidote like the reed? Who ever saw a sympathiser and a longing lover like the reed? The reed tells of the Way full of blood and recounts stories of the passion of Majnn. Only to the senseless is this sense confided: the tongue hath no customer save the ear. In our woe the days (of life) have become untimely: our days travel hand in hand with burning griefs. If our days are gone, let them go!-- ‘tis no matter. Do Thou remain, for none is holy as Thou art! Except the fish, everyone becomes sated with water; whoever is without daily bread finds the day long. None that is raw understands the state of the ripe: therefore my words must be brief. Farewell! (Translator: Feyzi Halici) His Works In addition to his best-known book of verse, Masnawi, the first eighteen lines of which were written down personally and the rest dictated to his student, Chalabi Husameddin, he also wrote Divan-i Kebir; Fih-i Ma-Fi, Mecalis- i Seb’a and Mektubat. Masnawi Hz. MevlanaIt contains 26 thousand couplets in six volumes, consisting of stories inspired by the Quran’s teachings about all that is created, as well as Hz. Mohammad’s words and their morals. Divan-i Kebir Preceding Masnawi, it is a collection of poems recited by Hz. Mevlana over a wide span of time. It contains approximately 40 thousand couplets within twenty-one moderate-size divans, as well as one “Divan-i Rubai” Fih-i Ma-Fih It connotes “What’s within is within” and contains Hz. Mevlana’s lectures. Mecalis-i Seb’a: As the meaning of the title “Seven Sermons” implies, it contains Hz. Mevlana’s seven lectures. Mektubat: It consists of the 147 letters Hz. Mevlana wrote to relatives, including his son Sultan Veled, and to friends, rulers, and officials of the State. The daily language of the time was Turkish, the scientific language was Arabic, while Persian was the language of literature. For this reason Hz Mevlana’s books are all in Persian. They were all translated into Turkish at a later time. In his books, Hz. Mevlana talks about how to be a wholesome human being: one who has inner peace and harmony, one who is both aware of and appreciates God’s blessings, one who takes a stand in the face of life’s hardships, one who is tolerant and loving. I would like to give some examples of Hz. Mevlana’s advice to his son, Bahaddin Veled, to indicate his spiritual and worldy viewpoints: Bahaeddin! Should you wish to be in Heaven forever, be a friend to everyone. Cherish not grudge in your heart, Demand not extra nor be extra Be like ointment and candle, not a needle. Should you wish no evil from anyone, Speak not of evil, Nor preach of evil, Nor think evil! Should you speak of a man in goodwill, you will always rejoice, And that joy is Heaven itself. Should you speak of a man in hostility, you will always despair. And this is Hell itself . As soon as you ponder friends, flowers will bloom in your heart’s garden, filling it with roses and basil. As soon as you ponder foes, your heart’s garden will be filled with thorns and serpents. Your heart will grow tired and you will lie idle. All prophets and saints did likewise, reflecting their character outwards. Fellow human beings, overwhelmed by their beautiful demeanor, voluntarily and happily followed their path. (Ahmed Eflaki, Ariflerin Menkibeleri II, 213, 214) More than seven hundred years have elapsed since the day of this advice and it still holds true for us all... Abstract of my life are these words: Raw I was, Cooked well Burnt I got. Hz. Mevlana, who summed up life in the above words, passed away on December 17, 1273 following a brief time on his sickbed and reached out to his Allah and his beloved prophet. Mevlevi disciples call this night Seb-i Arus (wedding night), the night of unity. I would like to conclude my words with the following advice from Mevlana to those who aspire to the pursuit of truth, even today: There is a life in you, search that life, Search the secret jewel in the mountain of your body, Hey you, the passing away friend, look for with all your strength, Whatever you are looking for, look in yourself not around. HAKKINDA YAZILANLAR Ben Rüzgarım Sen Ateş Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi Büyük Mutasavvıfın Hayatı ve Eseri Annemarie Schimmel Ötüken Neşriyat “Gençlik yıllarında Mevlana'yı tanıyan Annemarie Schimmel, hayatını, kendi ifadesiyle, sadece İslam tasavvufunun değil, genel olarak mistisizmin de bu en büyük şairine hasretmiştir adamıştır. Bugün ise ilmi ve şahsiyeti Mevlana'nın yörüngesinde kemal derecesine ulaşmış bu büyük alim, Avrupa'da ve hayatta bütün dünyada Mevlana'yı en iyi bilenlerden biri, belki de birincisidir. Tercümesini sunduğumuz bu eser, hem Mevlana'nın dehasını göstermesi bakımından hem de bizim fikir ve ruh iklimimizde kıvamını bulan büyük bir Avrupalı alimin derinliğini göstermesi açısından fevkalade önemlidir. Elinizdeki eserde Schimmel, Mevlana'nın sembollar dünyasında seyahat ederek onun dünya görüşünü, aşk anlayışını, şiire bakışını ve dua hakkındaki ince fikirlerini kendi şairane üslubuyla sunmaktadır. Kitap baştan sona Mevlana'nın kullandığı sayısız mecaz ve espirilerle adeta bir dantel gibi dukunmuştur. Mevlana hakkında yazılan her kitap şüphesiz kazançtır. Ancak Schimmel'in bu kitabı, Mevlana'nın bildiğimiz veya bildiğimizi zannettiğimiz fikirlerini yeni mana boyutlarıyla önümüze açmaktadır. O bakımdan bu eser, Mevlana'yı anlamak isteyenler için vazgeçilmez bir klavuzdur.” www.biyografi.net (Binlerce Biyografi)