He asked inwardly again and again, "Who will be my friend?" Finally, a reply came in the form of a question. Legend has it that, at the same time, a wild mystic, hermit and wanderer, Shams of Tabriz was praying to meet someone who yearned for God in the same passionate way he did, someone who could hold what he had to give. With all his knowledge and growing fame, it is said that Rumi knew his studying was incomplete and limited he longed for deep transformation, not just more learning. He also married, fathered four children, and from the letters one of his sons preserved from this time, we know that he was actively involved in the practical affairs of the life of the community, as well as guiding it spiritually. However, he himself continued to study with several renowned teachers, to deepen his understanding both on an intellectual and mystical level. Seeing the young Rumi walking behind his father, (Bahauddin Walad, a highly respected theologian and mystic, and head of a medrese, a dervish learning community) Attar said, "Here comes a lake, followed by an ocean." After his father's death, when Rumi was still in his early twenties, he became head of the medrese, quickly gaining a reputation as a great scholar, with many students. It is said that a great poet and teacher, Fariduddin Attar, recognized Rumi's greatness even as a boy. One of the first legends about Rumi comes from this time of traveling. During his childhood his family moved a number of times, fleeing before Genghis Khan's armies, finally settling in Konya, Turkey. Rumi was born in 1207, near the city of Balkh, in what is now Afghanistan. In recognition of his world-wide influence, UNESCO designated 2007 as The Year of Rumi. Calligraphers decorate his lines on hand made paper, illustrators paint his passionate images of love, dancers whirl to his mystical metaphors, and musicians improvise while poets recite his ecstatic verses.
You find his poetry quoted in a huge variety of places -in books on creativity, psychology, and business, in self-help and spiritual books, on calendars, bookmarks, greeting cards. But it's not just celebrities who have embraced Rumi. There is a moving story of Leonard Bernstein, the night before he died, asking for several Rumi poems to be read to him over and over. Popular icons such Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Demi Moore, and Julia Cameron quote him and express gratitude for the gifts he has brought into their lives -which they share with their large audiences. Although Rumi began to be widely known in the English speaking world only about a hundred years ago, interest in his poetry has exploded to such an extent in recent years that he become the best-selling poet in America. Throughout these centuries, his work has inspired, encouraged, and delighted millions throughout the Middle East and beyond. To this day, the more I enter Rumi's world, the more I discover the many-layered richness and variety of the perspectives he gives on life. You set out to find God, but then you keep stopping for long periods at mean-spirited roadhouses. Half-heartedness does not reach into majesty. Gamble everything for love if you're a true human being.