There is nothing worse than poetry - Part 2 of 2
May 7, 2015
I wish to make people happy so much that, when friends come to visit me, I recite poetry so that they will not be sorry and bored. Then for some time I stop the poetry, and they become sad and want me to recite poetry again. And I cannot refuse them, so I recite poetry. Otherwise, where am I and where is the poetry? By Allaah, I am away from poetry, I care nothing about poetry.
In my sight there is nothing worse than poetry. What is this situation like? Upon the request of his guest someone has taken an animal’s stomach (tripe) and is washing it. This act of his and his enduring the dirty smells is to fulfill the request of his guest because he knows that his guest likes the meal prepared from the animal’s stomach. In our hometown -- the city of Balkh -- there was no occupation or craft more disgraceful than poetry. If we had not come here [to Konya] and had stayed in our hometown, we would have followed their ways. We would have worked the way they wanted. We would have been occupied with teaching, giving lectures, and classifying books, and we would not recite poetry.
(adapted from Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought,
translated by Sefik Can, p. 201)
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The previous post examined the distinction between poetry and divine revelation in Arabia during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) As the religion we call Islam spread throughout and beyond Arabia, and people’s embrace of it evolved over time, some Muslims continued to revere poetry, others developed a distaste for it. Yet there is an element of grace in divine revelation that presents itself in a way that people are fond of -- in a way that makes people happy. This informs Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s use of poetry as a saint: a spiritual inheritor upholding the spiritual lineage and service of the prophets and messengers who preceded him.
Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s life crosses between two places that held differing opinions of poetry. As he states:
In our hometown -- the city of Balkh -- there was no occupation or craft more disgraceful than poetry. If we had not come here [to Konya] and had stayed in our hometown, we would have followed their ways.
When he was young, his family moved from Balkh to avoid spreading war in the region. His family eventually settled in Konya which loved poetry, but his hometown’s disposition toward it remained: I care nothing about poetry. Most poets compose poetry, in part, because of the joy they derive from it. But this becomes irrelevant for one who serves in surrender to be a vessel of divine revelation.
Jalaal ud-Diin states: I wish to make people happy so much that, when friends come to visit me, I recite poetry so that they will not be sorry and bored. Yet we should not assume that this is the sole purpose of choosing a medium favorable to the people: the vital purpose is to convey the message of the Beloved. Thus, Jalaal ud-Diin delcares:
Every line of poetry the saints and prophets bring forth, every tradition [saying], every verse they write [recite], is like a witness bearing testimony. They bear witness to every situation according to the nature of the situation. ... The inner form of their testimony is always the same; it is the outer meaning that differs. I pray that Allaah may cause these words to bear witness to Allaah and you alike.
(Fihi Ma Fihi, adapted from the translation by A.J. Arberry, p. 62 - 63)
There are two levels to divine revelation, and within these levels may be various meanings. One level bears witness to the listener: verses flowing through Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi as poetry to those who like poetry, the beauty and power of this flow being appreciated (on the mental level) as poetry. We may call this the outer level since the orientation of the mind is outward: even what we think “internally” is based on external phenomena (objects, experiences, conceptual associations, etc.) It is also on the level of the mind that we have likes and dislikes, experience happiness or sadness in relation to phenomena -- these mental states are fleeting and always subject to change. Thus, the outer form can vary from poetry to talks to other expressions.
The second level to divine revelation bears witness to the Beloved: conveying Its message and revelation in ways that may reflect upon but also exceed the mental