by S. Sarwal

Mevlana Jalal-e-Din Mevlavi Rumi was born in Wakhsh, Tajikistan under the administration of Balkh. He was born on the thirtieth of September in the year 1207 A.D. The father of Rumi was Baha’u-‘d-Din Veled Sultan-‘l-Ulema.  Little information regarding Rumi's father and mother is known. Rumi had two siblings. The eldest was Ala’u-d’-Din who was two years older than his sister. Nothing is known about his sister other than the fact that she married and remained in Balkh. 
 Rumi’s father was a professor in religious sciences. His mother's occupation is unknown, though it is assumed that she took up housewife duties. At the age of five, Rumi’s family left  Balkh for Bagdad. His family traveled a great amount. From Bagdad to Mecca and to Damascus and lastly to Malatia. The reason for their constant departure from place to place was because of Genghis Khan who took over most of the area at that time. Balkh (current day Afghanistan) was known for its fertility. A large variety of fruits and vegetables grew there and excellent breed of sheep were raised in green Hindu Kush slopes. 
 All his life, Rumi had only two teachers. Rumi’s childhood teacher was Burhanu-‘d-Din Serr-Daan el Muhaqqiq of Balkh. Later in his life, his teacher was Shams-e-Din Muhammad Ibn Malik-dad Tabrizi. Rumi became a famous mysticist and wrote many poems in a series of books. Most of his poems were about life and death. 
 At the time Mevlana Jalel-e-Din was alive, the Mongols took over a tremendous amount of territory.  Since Rumi and his family fled many times, Rumi and his family do not appear to be a part Genghis's conquers.
 Rumi’s father instructed him for nine years in the science of prophets and states. During this time Jalel-e-Din spend more than four years in Aleppo and Damascus studying with some of the greatest minds of the time. After some years had past, Baha’u-‘d-Din decided that it was time for his son to be on his own. He felt that he had taught him all that he could. His father told Rumi that a great friend would come to him and he shall become greatest friends with this man, Shams of Tabriz. Mevlana met this spiritual nomad at the age of thirty-seven. After knowing Shams, he had become an inspired poet and a great lover of humanity unlike before when he was just a professor of religion and a highly attained mystic. Shams and Rumi were friends for only a brief time. Shams had disappeared twice within the time of their friendship. The first time he was gone, Rumi’s son (Sultan Veled) had searched for him and found him in Damascus. The second disappearance was unfortunately a final one. It was believed that people who were upset with him for his influence over Rumi murdered Shams. For more than ten years after meeting Shams, Mevlana had composed many odes, which had been collected in a large volume called the Divan-i Kabir. While this was going on Melvana had developed a very close and spiritual relationship with Husameddin Chelebi. Rumi also had two other works. One was called Mathnavi and the other Fthi ma Fihi. Mathnavi was Rumi’s most famous work in seven books and twenty-four thousand six hundred and sixty verses in Farsi as well as Arabic. This work of Rumi’s is often referred to as the Persian Quoran. Fihi ma Fihi was a book on introductory discourses on metaphysics.
 Rumi married at age nineteen to a woman by the name of Gevher Khatun. They moved to Konya, which is located in the northwestern provinces of Persia (in present day Turkey). They had four children. Three sons and one daughter. Only the name of one son is known, Muhammad Baha’u-’d-Din Sultan Veled. Another son was killed with Shams and the other is unknown of. Their daughter married a local prince and left Qonya. (Konya) Mevlana also had a second wife but nothing is known of her.
 The Mediterranean Sea is located in the northwestern part of Konya. The condition of this region was hot and it was dry for most of the year.
 It is said by many people around the world that his work on Masnavi is a source of wisdom and guidance. The main accomplishments of his lifetime were the volumes, which he wrote.  Today, his location of burial is unknown to the world.  Rumi's archaic family line is unknown today, although it is believed that his descendents currently reside around the area which he had lived.  Today it can best be said that Mevlana Jalal-e-Din Mevlavi Rumi has individually influenced the modern world with his poems on mysticism and moral values.