Notes

Mevlana wan Anatolian holy man who gave hope and inspiration to humanity.

Mevlana was born in 1207 in Balkh, afghanistan and died in 1273 in Konya.

He took his first lessons from his father Bahaeddin Veled

At an early age his family left Balkh because of the danger of the invading Mongols and settled in Konya, Turkey, which was then the capital of the Selçuk Empire.

As Mevlana begins attending his father’s lessons at a very early age, he pursues the divine truth and secrets. He acquires Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and common Greek as well as Classical Greek. He studies the other religions along with Islam. From history to medicine, he receives his initial education from his father and then from Seyyid Burhaneddin Tirmizi and other top scholars of the time. Later on he himself, in turn, teaches hundreds of students in Madrassahs (theological universities)

As the years passed, Mevlâna grew both in knowledge and consciousness of God.

According to Mevlana, love is the only thing necessary to attain God. A plant or an animal may also love, but it is only man who has the capacity to love with his body, mind, thoughts and memory.

Followers of Mevlana (Mevlevi) spin around and around in a ritual called “sema.” This ritual symbolizes a world united in love and keeping step with the world’s universal rotation

According to mevlana all mankind are brothers, and differences between religions do not square well with the divine presence. Mevlana attached great importance to women and maintains that men and women are equal.

Mevlana's famous words :
Come, no matter what you are,
Whether atheist or sun worshipper.
Whether you’ve backslid a thousand times,
Come, no matter what you are.

His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Mevlana has been described as the "most popular poet" and the "best selling poet" in the United States.

To many modern Westerners, his teachings are one of the best introductions to the philosophy and practice of Sufism

he always pursued Hz. Muhammad’s teachings in his divine journey, always conforming to God’s commandments, preaching and practising in the Islamic discipline.