Rumi introduced himself, saying: I am neither Christian nor Jew, Neither Persian nor Muslim. I am neither the East nor West, Neither from land nor from water. He refused to be confined to any faith or shackles of time and space.
Rumi’s entire exalted philosophy is not only the kernel of Sufism but also the essence of humanity. Rumi’s magnanimous philosophyis the template for Sufism and a panacea to all conflicts and confrontations. The constant conflict of numerous dissenting views leads to bad blood and unrest in the world.
Instead of challenging the ideas in a sane and civilised manner, we challenge the individuals. We seem to have lost the sanity to accept others’ viewpoints and sanctity to defend their views if the need arises. What could be the solution to tackle the growing indifference among people, communities, religions, races and nations? Sufism gave a unique philosophy to the world, which Prof Hamilton Gibb defined as ‘mystic egalitarianism’.
As the very name suggests, this philosophy, propounded by the Sufis, respects and accommodates all views and ideas without being judgemental. Our problem is that we’re all more or less tendentious and prejudiced. We tend to form an opinion at the drop of a hat and start behaving accordingly to justify our opinion.
We also tend to look at the perceived negative side of anything. Man’s mind has several options and possibilities. And because of this quality, we perceive truth in myriad ways.
Sufis understood this th.
