Poems & Poets

This poem is authored by Jalal-od-Din Mohammad Balkhi (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى‎; 30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), also known as Mawlavi, Mawlana and Rumi. Mawlana was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Khorasan in Greater Iran (present-day Afghanistan). His works focus on “the roots of the roots of the roots of the religion”, in that they address the heart and soul of the Qurʾanic message and the Prophetic legacy. He is arguably the most well-known of all Persian poets and mystics.

This ghazal is about a group of people who have gone for the Hajj pilgramage. The pilgramage takes place in the Hejazi desert which is arid and exhausting. Mawlana alludes to these people, asking them what exactly they are seeking 'in this dizzying desert'? While 'this House is sublime', Mawlana emphasises that it is not the House, built of bricks and mortar, that is the goal of the pilgramage. Rather, it is to seek the 'Lord of the House', who is closer to the human being than his 'jugular vein', as recounted in the Qur'an. As such, 'the Beloved is right here'.

Reference: Mawlavi – Divan-e-Shams – Ghazal 648