I delivered this speech at "Figurations and Conceptions of Evil in Different Religious Contexts," Interdisciplinary and Interreligious Workshop at the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 19-21 September 2012.
Rumi and the soul-making of evil
Prof. Seyyed
Hassan Eslami Ardakani, URD, Qom, member of faculty
Jalal
al-din Muhammad al-Balkhi, or as he is well-known in the West "Rumi,"
is one of the greatest mystical Persian poets. He actually represents the
mystical interpretation of Islam and tries to give a unified understanding of
its teaching from a Sufi outlook. As a mystic and Sufi thinker, Rumi has much
in common with Muslim philosophers and theologians, but at the same time he has
his authentic way for dealing with Islamic teachings and confronting problems he
faces as a thinker.
His
impact and heritage is so deep and profound that after more than seven hundred
years of his death (indeed he passed away in 1273 A.D), no thoughtful Muslim
can ignore his mystical poems. For instance, in the contemporary Iran, most
people of letter and educated persons, even those who oppose mysticism
strongly, quote his poems in their writings and use them orally. His impact is
not confined to Persian-speaking world; Quite the contrary, his fame and impact
is spreading throughout the world.
To
solve the problem of evil and to answer some relevant questions, Rumi combines
theoretical and philosophical thoughts and arguments with metaphorical and
poetical language and then he puts them in long poetical narrations and old
fables. As a result, any sophisticated reader can appreciate his thoughtful
assertion, while ordinary readers can enjoy his poems and accept his claims.
In
my paper, I have discussed Rumi's approach for confronting evil, and have come
to a conclusion summarized as below:
1.
Good and evil have one origin and are created by one God. So, the Magians, or
Zoroastrians, who believe in two sources for good and evil, are mistaken.
2. Evil
is willed by God, and without his will no evil would appear in the world.
3.
There is no absolute or pure evil in the world and even the worst evil that we
can imagine, is in some respect good. At least it is good for itself. In short,
good and evil are inseparable.
4.
Therefore, good and evil are relative and to name one particular thing as good
or evil depends to our outlook. For instance, the poison of the snakes look
evil to us, as humans, but it is doubtless good for them and a vital element of
the snake life.
5.
Furthermore, some sorts of evil are useful for our self-purification.
6.
Besides, evil, in some situations, can be a warning from God to us, inviting us
to pause and think about our deeds and behaviors.
7. Some
sorts of evil, is within our own nature as humans. Indeed, many of wrongdoings
are brought in the world by our choice. Since, our souls, as Rumi describes,
are sleeping dragons by our actions we awaken them and bring evil to the world.
8. And finally, Rumi
invites us, as adult persons who seek spiritual development and evolution, to
welcome all kinds of evil which we face in our lives and look at them as
opportunities and instruments for self-actualization. From this viewpoint, evil
is a gift sent to us from God, in disguise.
دریافت
