Dancing before God's beauty : exploring Rūmī's poetic universe, mystical philosophy, and reception history / edited by Ali-Asghar Seyed Gohrab.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Seyed-Gohrab, A. A. (Ali Asghar), 1968- editor.

Series:

Sufism studies, the mystical philosophy of Islam

Sufism studies - the mystical philosophy of Islam ; volume 4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, Maulana, 1207-1273--Criticism and interpretation.

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī.

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, Maulana, 1207-1273--Appreciation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2025]

Summary:

This book presents fresh insights into the life, teachings, and enduring legacy of the Persian mystic poet Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Across thirteen chapters, scholars introduce innovative perspectives on under-explored and emerging themes, from the hagiography written by Rūmī's son, Sulṭān Valad, and his journey towards accepting spiritual leadership, to Rūmī's passionate relationship with his beloved friend, Shams-i Tabrīzī. The volume also provides new approaches to reading Rūmī's monumental didactic narrative, the Mathnavī. Topics range from shāhid-bāzī - worshipping a beautiful face to commune with the divine - to supplication (munājāt), immolation, sensory perception, and the transformative role of music in reaching ecstatic states. Chapters deal with Rūmī's reception history, examining the works of figures such as Anqaravī (d. 1041/1631) and Abdülbâki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982), as well as the Dutch-Iranian novelist Kader Abdolah. The book further explores Rūmī's visual reception history and his impact on contemporary artists. Finally, it examines Rūmī's popularity in the United States, analysing how his poetry continues to offer people from diverse backgrounds a Lacanian "imaginary": an internalized representation of the spiritual.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Notes on Transliteration

Rūmī Revisited: New Insights into His Life, Teaching and Legacy / Ali-Asghar Seyed-Gohrab

Reassessing Rūmī's Relationship with Shams-i Tabrīzī / Abolfazl Moshiri

The Oldest Account of Rūmī's Life: The Verse Hagiography of Rūmī's Son, Sulṭān Valad / Ali-Asghar Seyed-Gohrab

Intensification and the 'Circle of Existence' in Rūmī's Mathnavī / Alan Williams

Rūmī's Reflections on Handsome Young Boys: Shāhid-Bāzī and the Case of Awḥad al-Dīn Kirmānī / Lloyd Ridgeon

Windows into Ottoman Sufism: Reading Rūmī's Poetry Through the Prism of Mevlevī Commentator Ismāʿīl Anḳaravī (d. 1041/1631) / Eliza Tasbihi

Talking to God Through Munājāt ('Private Invocation') / Maarten Holtzapffel

The Pleasures of Being Burnt: The Image of Fire in Rūmī's Story of Ukhdūd / Arash Ghajarjazi

Problematising Truth-Writing: The Parable of the Elephant in the Dark / Fatemeh Naghshvarian

Rūmī and Poetry, Music, and Dance / Rokus de Groot

Reception History

Writing the History of Islam In-Between: Abdülbâki Gölpınarlı (1900

1982) and His 'Thorny Claims' on Mevlânâ, 'Women in Islam' and Alevi Mevlevis / Gökçen B. Dinç

Discursive Role of References to Sufi Poets in the Work of Kader Abdolah / Ewa Dynarowicz

Rūmī's Mystical (Re-)Orientation of Contemporary Art Practices / Kasper Tromp

Chalice of Love: How Rūmī's Language of Love Affects His Readers Today / Fariba Enteshari

Contributors

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Online resource; title from PDF title page (DeGruyter Brill, viewed on My 29, 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Dancing before God's beauty.

ISBN:

3111708446

9783111708829

3111708829

9783111708447

OCLC:

1525277783

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license