Sheb-i Arus

Jalaluddin Rumi… He made his first breath when he honored this world with his birth, it happened in Balkh many centuries ago, and now he was prepared to breath his last in Konya…  The allotted to him heartbeats, measured in blessings, love and faith, were coming to their end.  Rumi’s will was gravitating towards the other side.

“How can you know my soul’s Sultan and the universe?!
Be not confused by gilded yellow face. My foot is iron-hard.
I am the glorious sun, the ocean filled with pearls.
My heart is heaven-sized.
I am the bee that flies around the bowl of world.
But hardly can you hear my buzzing.
I fill my hives with verbal honey.
And ‘tis more sacred than Kalam.
I have a dove house built for doves of soul.
Oh, doves of spirit, come to me, yet, come!
I will subside: your mind is weak, no strength you gained for understanding.
You look spellbound: “My mind can grasp what you are hiding.”
Forget, you cannot fool me!”

At the hour the red sphere of the sun touched the Tekeli mountains, the Head of the Konya Medrese, Mevlana Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi was gone.

But the author of “the Mathnawi” and “Fihi Ma Fih” (“It is as it is”), the inspirer of the Sufi tariqa Mevlevi, the poet, the philosopher, one of the greatest sages – Jalaluddin Rumi – has remained with the mankind forever to be reborn with each new generation for as long as the mankind itself remains to exist.

The day of the meeting with the Beloved one

For Mevlana the completion (end) of our terrestrial life is a spiritual transformation and true existence: a human is happy before their birth, because their spirit is free and unchained, but after being born they become a hostage in their own body.

Rumi believed that our soul becomes free from terrestrial chains and reunites with the Beloved, the Creator of all things. And it is not what we need to be afraid of, because a transition to the other side, in its essence, is a meeting with the Almighty and the beginning of eternal life. This is why Mevlana called the day of death “Sheb-i Arus”, which stands for “the wedding day” or “the day of the meeting with the Beloved”. He asked his friends not to grieve after his death.

On the day I die, don’t wring your hands
Don’t cry, don’t talk about separation!
This is not parting, but a goodbye day.
The luminary has gone down, but it will rise.
The grain has fallen into the ground – it will sprout!

Since that time several centuries have passed, but Jalaluddin Rumi’s teaching continues to enlighten human souls and paths.

His poetry is addressed to all people, beyond times, cultures and beliefs. And its effect will last as long as generations of people are born: “If all nations translate and read Mevlana’s works in their languages, hostility, wars, revenge and hatred will disappear from this world.” (I.Melikoff).

Mevlana’s messages, which incorporated grains of wisdom, were aimed at seeding love, peace and understanding among people, are gaining a special meaning nowadays, and light the way to life in peace and harmony.

This year, by the will of Almighty, we organized on 16 December 2021 a live broadcast of the Sema ceremony from Riga, and having united our hearts in common aspiration, we honoured the memory of the Great Sage Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi.

Love,
The Mevlevi Order in Riga

Sources:
R.Fisch, Sh.Jan, Open Educational Resources.