Rumi

Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, Turkish: Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi, also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi, (September 30, 1207–December 17, 1273), was a 13th century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian. His name literally means "Majesty of Religion", Jalal means "majesty" and Din means "religion". Rumi is a descriptive name meaning "the Roman" since he died and lived in later parts of his life in Anatolia which was part of the Byzantine Empire two centuries before.

Rumi's major work is Masnavi-ye Manavi (Spiritual Couplets), a six-volume poem regarded by many Sufis as second in importance only to the Qur'an. In fact, the Masnavi is often called the "Qur'an-e Parsi" (The Persian Qur'an). It is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of mystical poetry.