Mevlana’s Solution: Overcoming Obstacles to Love
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi offers a profound understanding of obstacles in the journey of love in his Divan-i Kebir. The phrase “If the shoemaker’s daughter is the cause, a solution will be found; Sufis have different shoes, different footwear” emphasizes that each person may stray from different paths in their quest for love and that unique solutions must be found to correct these deviations. Love affects everyone differently, and Mevlana teaches respecting this diversity, breaking free from traditional patterns to find the path of love, because love itself is an experience outside the ordinary.
Beyond Words: The Aspect of Love That Cannot Be Expressed
Mevlana states that love sometimes transcends words. By saying, “If a Sufi’s word doesn’t know letters, there is another door to express the pain of love,” he expresses that love has an experiential and intuitive dimension that surpasses boundaries. The depth of love cannot be conveyed through ordinary language; therefore, Mevlana encourages opening the heart, clarifying the inner eye, and gaining spiritual experience in order to understand love. When words fail, love manifests itself in different ways: in music, in art, in grace…
In Pursuit of Inner Beauty: Devotion to Zülfükar
In Mevlana’s poetry, it is emphasized that love is an inner quest, far from ostentation. The couplet “It is a mirror; the beautiful ones look at it; but what does a beautiful face or an ugly face have to do with the mirror?” diminishes the importance of outward appearance, stating that true beauty lies in the heart. Love directs people to know themselves and overcome their inner flaws, which makes them more mature individuals. Prostrating before Zülfükar in Mevlana’s poetry is the highest expression of self-annihilation and submission to God; this surrender leads the person to true beauty.