When I start over, he is my leader.
When I seek my heart, he is its beloved.
When I search for peace, he is my intercessor.
When I go to war, he is my dagger.
When I come to a gathering, he is the wine and sweets.
When I enter the rose garden, he is the narcissus.
When I go into a mine, he is the ruby and carnelian.
When I come into the sea, he is the pearl.
When I wander in the desert, he is the oasis.
When I fly to the heavens, he is the stars.
When I exercise patience, he is my heart.
When I burn with heartache, he is the censer.
When I enter battle in wartime,
he, as commander, controls the formation of the ranks.
When I go to a banquet for festivities,
he is the wine pourer, musician, and cup.
When I write letters to friends,
he is the paper, pen, and ink.
When I awaken, he is my new awareness.
When I fall asleep, he enters my dreams.
When I seek a verse for my poetry,
he stretches my mind for rhyme.
Whatever form you can imagine,
he stands above it—
like painter and pen.
No matter how much higher you look,
he is higher than that “higher” of yours.
Go and leave behind lectures and textbooks.
You’d be better off having him as your manual.
Now be silent, for all six directions are his light.
And when you pass beyond the six directions, he is the ruler.
O love, your satisfaction is my satisfaction—
this is what’s most effective.
And your secret is my secret—
therefore, I won’t reveal it.
Bravo, Shams of Tabriz,
who is shining like the sun,
and deeply worthy of himself.
In Rumi’s imagination, Shams, in reflecting the beauty of
the beloved, assumed the place of the qibla—the direction
for prayer. The qibla directs the bodily prayer practice of
Islam, whereas a shaykh guides the soul through the inner
mystical dimensions of the religion. According to Rumi, the
mystical dimension is essential to religious devotion. He
even boldly suggests that in a heightened state of spiritual
ecstasy, the outer world—including the most sacred site of
Islam—can disappear completely.
The Ka‘ba is the black-clothed cube shrine in Mecca,
which Muslims believe was rebuilt at God’s command by
Abraham and Ishmael. In its eastern corner is the Black
Stone set in a ring of silver, which pilgrims kiss, touch, or
point to while on pilgrimage. For Rumi, praying toward
Mecca was obligatory for the body, but gazing upon the face
of Shams was prayer for the soul. Shams pointed Rumi’s
longing and loving heart toward the divine within.
The Gift of Rumi: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master
