CAIRO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) is commemorating the 800th anniversary of the birth of famed Sufi Persian poet and philosopher Jalaluddin Al Rumi, whose works continue to inspire researchers, Sufis and writers of all nationalities. Some 18 Western universities worldwide, who have a special interest in the Sufi poet, are participating in the event. Western intellectuals were exposed to the true spirit of Islam through the writings of Al Rumi, as opposed to the rigid, belligerent approach adopted by some Muslim fundamentalists. There have been numerous studies on the life, philosophy and poetry of Al Rumi. But no dramatist, novelist or playwright has attempted to portray his life in a purely fictional setting. "Jalaluldin Al Rumi by novelist Rawia Rashed, however, is the first attempt at filling this gap. Published and released last month by Madbouly's, "Jalaludin Al Rumi is a play that took the author seven years to complete. Although this represents Rashed's first foray into stage drama, the result is a rich, thoughtful and lively work that - despite that fact that it is an easy read - manages to evoke many feelings and trigger controversy on issues of philosophical and existential nature. Jalaludin Al Rumi (1207-73) was born in Balkh in today's Afghanistan. He lived and died in Konia when it was part of the Seljuk Empire. As a theologian and, philosopher, he attracted many and ended up with a lot of followers who formed the Mawlawi order after his death. "When someone is in a position of power, he is bound to take a number of decisions, Rashed told Daily News Egypt, commenting on her work. "Whether these decisions are right or wrong, eventually they will figure in any assessment of his character. This, in my opinion, is the essence of any character-based drama, added the author. "Setting out to write about Al Rumi, I was inspired by the ordeals he had gone through. In his life story I detected elements worthy of a stage drama: a figure of his learning, fame, popularity is suddenly undergoing a metamorphosis that ends in his tragic downfall, Rashed explained. "Jalaludin Al Rumi focuses on the final part of the great Sufi's life when he meets Shamsudin Al Tabrizi, a dervish, whom Rumi thought came to seek his advice. But what happened next was contrary to all expectations. Rumi was overwhelmed by the dervish's pessimistic view of life, although both remained at loggerheads until the end. Rumi believed that one could reach truth through examining and discovering the diverse, mundane and philosophical aspects of life. He concluded that one has to live to be able to attain reality. But Tabrizi's approach was one marked by rejection. For him life was a fault that should be corrected and only death could reconcile someone to reality. "I tried to leave my own touches in the play, but was adamant in sticking to the real story of Rumi and Tabrizi, said Rashed. "To deal with the life of a figure like this, you can't sacrifice the real story to create your own drama. The drama showed Al Rumi as a man who failed to familiarize himself with the way of the world. His teachings could only influence his followers and, like a typical intellectual, he failed to approach the public. Apart from an exclusive circle of his followers, people were only attracted to his fame and reputation rather than by his knowledge. The play highlighted some of his shortcomings as his outlook conflicted with Tabrizi's and his family's. His son, Alaaduin, is shown as a cynic who is the mastermind of a gang of gypsies who raid marketplaces to steal the merchants. His wife, Jawhr, is portrayed as a materialistic person who is keen to dominate the poet, tempted by his fame and popularity.
