SUFI STORIES #19. MAWLANA RUMI & DR DEEPAK CHOPRA

On 7 December 1997, I attended a workshop by Dr Deepak Chopra, the renowned New Age guru and author based in USA. It was held at the Palace of The Golden Horses near KL.

I was an ardent fan of his books, and like many, I had paid a good sum to attend his workshop.  At that time he was finishing his work of recording Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s (May Allah sanctify his soul) poetry, with famous artistes like Madonna reciting the poems to the accompaniment of New Age music. So he mentioned Mawlana Rumi many times during the workshop. 

Mawlana Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (1207-1273) was one of the most famous Sufi Saints. He was also a poet, jurist and theologian. He was Persian, born in what is now Afghanistan, and lived much of his life in Turkey till his death. He is often referred to as simply Mawlana (Master) or Rumi.

He is revered as one of the greatest poets by Muslims and non-Muslims, and his works are the subject of study by scholars throughout the world. He is the best-selling poet in USA for many years (sources: BBC News, Time, NewYorker.com)

He was also the founder of the Whirling Dervishes (Mawlawiyya/Mevlevi Sufi Order), famous for their whirling Sufi dance. 

Before the workshop ended, I wrote Dr Chopra a note reminding him that he was quoting my Shaykh, and that we had to talk. He agreed to give me 5 minutes after the workshop but I had to wait until he finished with signing autographs for the people who bought his books.

Once we started talking in private, he told me he had a throbbing toothache and asked me if I could relieve it. I answered that if God wills, then anything is possible. So, after a short supplication, I did Qigong healing and his toothache was gone. That earned me a 30-minute session instead of just 5.

Just as we were about to end our discussion, I received instructions from Mawlana Rumi that he had a message for Dr Chopra, but it would be given later. I told Dr Chopra that I would deliver the message before he was to leave Malaysia the next day. The next morning I woke up and still had not got the message, and I panicked. 

I called Atta (my Qadiri Sufi Shaykh, see SUFI STORIES #12) and explained my problem. He laughed and said that Mawlana Rumi had given the message to him, to be passed on to me, and then to Dr Chopra.

Unfortunately, I could not get hold of Dr Chopra, who was already on his way to the airport by then (this was before the era of the ubiquitous smart phones). I could have emailed the message to him, but I thought the message must be given by hand.

In 2002 Dr Chopra again conducted a workshop in KL but I was not moved to meet him to deliver the message. It was really strange. I had waited 5 years and when he came, I decided not to deliver the message!

It was only in 2007, when he came to conduct the third workshop that I was moved to deliver the message to him. I had printed the short message nicely on an A4 hard paper and placed it in a nice envelope.

However, because I did not attend the workshop, the organizers did not allow me to deliver it to him personally. So it was handed to one of the organizer’s staff. I did not know the lady boss of the organizer company then. It was only in March 2019 that we became friends when we spent 1 week together on a spiritual sojourn in India (Delhi and Mount Abu) as guests of the Brahma Kumaris (a huge global spiritual organization).

Dr Chopra is a prolific writer. He has written over 80 books and is still writing more. His books are on New Age subjects, holistic health and healing, metaphysics and spirituality. I really enjoyed reading his bestseller The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. His other books ranged from Golf for Enlightenment to Life After Death. He even wrote books on Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad. Unfortunately, he insisted that Muhammad was not a Muslim.

In 2000, he wrote How to Know God: The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries. Only after I saw the title of this book did I understand why Rumi’s message was not delivered before that. He also wrote several other books on God, including God: A Story of Revelation and The Future of God: A Practical Approach to Spirituality for Our Times.

One must be an expert in golf to write a book on How to Play Golf. Likewise, in writing How to Know God, Dr Chopra implied that he knows God, and taught the readers on how they may also get to know God by following his tips.

Since Mawlana Rumi’s message to him is private, I shall not reveal the actual message, but the gist of it is applicable to us all – do not simply claim to know God!

 

MAWLANA RUMI – THE MASTER OF DIVINE POETRY & THE WHIRLING DERVISHES

Mawlana Rumi was born into a distinguished family. His father Bahā ud-Dīn Walad was a theologian, jurist and a Sufi Shaykh. He was called Sultan al-Ulama or "Sultan of the Scholars".

As a young boy, Mawlana Rumi’s spiritual attribute was already evident. In the afternoons, he and the village boys used to play on the top of their flat-roofed houses. Often he would suddenly disappear right in front of his friends. But he would always return home before the evening prayers. When asked, he would tell his parents that the angels took him to visit the planets.

When the Mongols invaded Central Asia sometime between 1215 and 1220, the family migrated westwards. Along the way, the young Rumi met one of the most famous Persian Sufi poets, the Saint Farid al Din Attar (1145-1220, may Allah sanctify his soul) in the city of Nishapur. Attar (not to be confused with my Qadiri Shaykh Atta) immediately recognized Rumi's spiritual eminence. When he saw Rumi’s father walking ahead of Rumi, he said: "Here comes a sea followed by an ocean." Attar gave Rumi his Asrārnāma, a book about the entanglement of the soul in the material world. This meeting had a deep impact on Rumi and later on became the inspiration for his works.

Rumi studied with Shaykh Al Akbar Ibn Arabi (see SUFI STORIES #18) in Damascus. But it was his teacher, master and friend Shams Tabrizi (Shams al-Din Mohammad 1185–1248, may Allah sanctify his soul) who had the greatest influence on him.

[Shams Tabrizi’s story is also full of mystery and intrigue. The story of his first encounter with Rumi is very amusing (though there are several versions of this):

[One day Rumi was reading next to a large stack of books. A stranger (Shams Tabrizi) passed by and asked him, "What are you doing?" Rumi scoffingly replied, "Something you cannot understand." (This is knowledge that cannot be understood by the unlearned). On hearing this, Shams Tabrizi threw the stack of books into a nearby pool of water. Rumi hastily rescued the books and to his surprise they were all dry. Rumi then asked Shams Tabrizi, "What is this?" To which Shams Tabrizi replied, "Mawlana, this is what you cannot understand." (This is knowledge that cannot be understood even by the learned). Rumi then knew that Shams Tabrizi was the master sent to guide him, and Shams Tabrizi knew that Rumi was the special student and companion he was longing for. They became inseparable for many years until Shams Tabrizi inexplicably disappeared.

[Of Shams Tabrizi’s disappearance, there are also several versions. One story is that some of Rumi’s disciples got so jealous of Shams Tabrizi (who had become Rumi’s favourite companion since their first meeting) that they plotted to kill him. On the appointed day, they lunged at him (from his back) with their daggers, but his body just vanished, leaving only his cloak. According to this story, his body was never found.

[Another story is that he suddenly left Konya (in Iraq, where they were) for Khoy (in north-west Iran, bordering Azerbaijan) and died there, where his tomb is.]

WHIRLING DEVISHES

The Mawlawiyya (Mevlevi) Sufi Order named after Mawlana Rumi is famous for the Whirling Dance, which is actually a form of dzikrullah (remembrance of God) expressed in both thought, words and action. Hence they are called the Whirling Dervishes. As the dervishes whirl, their thoughts are focused on the Oneness of God, their lips chant the names of God, and the whirling dance rehearses the spinning of the innumerable galaxies (reminding the dervish of the greatness of the Creator and His creation), at the same time reminding the spinning dervish that his own life revolves around and is a journey towards the One and Only God.  

Several other Sufi tariqas also do the same or similar devotional dances, but Rumi's Mevlevi Order is still the most famous for this.

Of course, many non-Sufis were quick to jump and accuse this of being an unacceptable innovation (bida’ah), adding more conflicts between them and the Sufis.

Rumi’s response was simple: “There are many roads which lead to God. I have chosen the one of dance and music.”

With the fall of the Ottoman Empire (which was a patron of the Sufis) and the rise of Kemal Ataturk in 1923, Turkey became a strictly secular nation. All forms of Islamic practices were banned in the public sphere. Kemal Ataturk considered Islam as a hindrance to progress. The Azan (call to prayer) was allowed, but only in the Turkish language. Sufi gatherings were banned and the Sufis went underground.

Later, the Turkish government saw the unique Whirling Dance (and its elaborate Sama/Sema ceremony) as a potential tourist attraction, and commercial versions were introduced in 1956 solely for tourism purposes, devoid of the real Sufi connection. These staged performances remain popular until now. Sufi practices remained banned until recently. Now the genuine spiritual whirling dances are being revived.

Nevertheless, these commercial versions do make people know more about the real Whirling Dervishes, Mawlana Rumi, Sufism and Islam.

In 2008 UNESCO confirmed the Mevlevi Sama Ceremony as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Of the Sufis and their methods of devotion, Imam Al Ghazali (May Allah sanctify his soul) said: “…all their motions and quiescences, exterior and interior, are learned from the light of the niche of prophecy. And beyond the light of prophecy there is no light on earth from which illumination can be obtained.”

To Rumi and his followers, the whirling dance is another form of poetry. It is in fact poetry in motion. It is an offering of love, and another bridge to reach The Beloved.

Rumi said: "All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!"

You do not know the joy of devotional dancing until you experience it!

In the next article I will share some of his poems that reflect his intense love for The Divine, and his wondrous wisdom.

You can know more about the Sama & Whirling Dance here:

https://youtu.be/O3wi-jhXhYw

Salam/Peace to all. See you at my next SUFI STORIES post!