"The Pocket Rumi" by Rumi, edited by Kabir Helminski
Rumi (1207 - 1273), a now much quoted poet, is also an Islamic saint. In The Pocket Rumi , a good amount of his poems and verses are published, and out of these many referenced Christianity: Jesus and even the Virgin Mother. Not in a negative light at all. I do feel it is of importance to note Rumi's Persian and Islamic background. The prophet Muhammad is also mentioned very frequently in his work, which drew me to a closer understanding and appreciation of Islam, without having to open the Koran. Frankly, it doesn't sit well that a lot of his poetry is not something we might call common humanity or shared human values. Tell me, what historical struggle, what coming together of societal conditions, what political events urges a person such as Rumi towards love? Rumi doesn't believe in good and evil, in the moral sense, but he cannot deny his striving towards goodness . It's in his work, this combining of goodness and love and also, quite differently than t...