Hi Sue,
I was totally but quite heartfully busy with the first story in Masnavi trying desperately to gather some thoughts that could reveal some of my deeper views regarding Rumi, his Masnavi and the Persian mysticism to you, my very dear friend. I seemed to be silent, but in every moment of all these past days I have been thinking and talking to you in my heart. I am very grateful to you to be reading this important mystical book with us. I am sure you will make countless discoveries in the Persian culture and mysticism through Masnavi for it has a huge, profound influence on my people and culture. Let me copy and paste my short essay here:
On our journey in Masnavi we have reached line 50 with Sabber and Maryam.
In the beginning of this huge reading, it is necessary to have at least a general outline of the book we have before us. Masnavi, which some scholars call the greatest book in the world of mysticism, is a mystical Odyssey in the Persian literature – the story of the restless soul seeking to return to his origin. But unlike Homer’s Odyssey, here the Penelope is God and the unruly suitors are the jealous angels and the Satan who did not agree to man’s creation in the first place and will definitely do anything to prevent him from his return.
In the context of Persian mysticism love is at the core of the creation. Persian mystics rely for their philosophy on a sentence God told Solomon in answer to his question about why He brought the creation into being. God’s answer was that “I was a hidden treasure. I loved to be revealed.” Therefore, God created everything out of love and in the eyes of our mystics, every being is a revelation of God’s enthusiasm and his love for revealing his hidden beauty. A beautiful poem says, “You revealed yourself in a hundred thousand beautiful displays so that I watch you with a hundred thousand eyes. (Ba sad hezar jelve boroon amadi ke man / Ba sad hezar dide tamasha konam tora.)” The problem with all the other beings before the creation of man was that they were only dutiful and glorified The King in awe and not in love. They were not aware of God’s beauty and only appreciated his innocence and power. Like earthly kings, God was obeyed dutifully by every part of his creation, but this same God had a daughter ( = his beauty ) whom He wanted to have her marry someone who knew love. That was why a fistful of dust was chosen for the creation of man and then raised to a rank that demanded the angels to bow before him. Satan openly refused, but even those who did, hid their hostility and jealousy inside them.
Like Homer’s Odysseus, man / Adam had their own Troy war to be defeated in. Satan finally managed to tempt Adam to eat the forbidden fruit and be banished from paradise to earth. Mowlana’s Masnavi is the story of this return journey.
In this new reading of Masnavi, I have noticed something very beautiful which in my view is a unique interpretation of Masnavi’s first story. We all know that Eve and hence women in general are blamed for man’s banishment to earth. But here, right in Masnavi’s first story, we immediately notice two things: first, we must fall in love in order to take the first step in our long Odyssey, and second, it is the love for a woman that helps us take our first step on the return journey. Has Rumi forgiven Eve? Possibly. And perhaps in his own way, Rumi is telling us that women were worth being banished from the Paradise. Once someone asked a mystic, “Where was man’s situation better? In Paradise or on earth?” And the mystic answered, “On earth because in Paradise he was in the prison of his own desires and on earth he was in the prison of love.”
See how interesting Masnavi is because unlike all the stories of kings and their glories in other stories, the kingdom of our king in Masnavi lasts only two lines before he immediately falls in love with a slave woman. And then all that exists is a king who is a slave and a handmaiden who holds the king’s life in her hand.
Let’s love to continue this extremely lovable book then!
Ali, at almost 2 am
1 comment:
Dear Friend,
Thank you for thinking of me-so many miles from all of you, and with an acknowledged different historical base. And yet, and yet, as I read what you have written, dear friend, we are more alike in the land of Rumi than we are different.
In our Old Testement, Adam was created by God and needed a companion and so God took a rib from Adam and made Eve. I like the idea that Eve was first and then came Adam! Eve has been blamed for causing Adam to eat the apple and losing paradise, but tell me, don't you think he should have thought for himself? Just joking a bit.
To me the creation of Adam and Eve shows me that God has created us for one another. He has created us to need the love and companionship of others in this life and without that sense of connection, and even community, we are doomed and separated from the love of God. .
I will be anxious to read further, for I see one possible difference in how we look at all of this: Christians put a lot of emphasis on doing good while we are here, and not on being 'a restless soul' wanting to return. We believe that faith and works are necessary to return, so our actions on earth are very important. (Although you might not believe it some times!)
Some Christians believe there is a Satan that causes us to sin, while others believe that the Devil doesn't make us do anything. The Devil, for example, doesn't make us mean. Rather, when we're mean, we make the Devil. Literally, our actions create him.
Conversely, when we behave with compassion, generosity, and grace, we create God in the world.
I personally hesitate blaming my evil on Satan.
Somehow this seems like we are all walking on the same path with slightly different branches. The difficult part is whether we see the rocks in our path as obstacles or opportunities to know God.
And now I will be quiet and learn from all of you.
Your friend, Sue
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