The 13th-century mystic Rumi had a profound influence on Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam. This book explores the religious community that emerged from his teachings and examines the role his followers played in the religious life of Ottoman Anatolia.
Excerpt:
The story of the Mevlevis related here begins in thirteenth-century Konya and ends in seventeenth-century Istanbul. It covers the breakdown of the kingdom of the Rum Seljuks, Mongol suzerainty and brief direct rule in Anatolia, the rise of regional principalities, and the golden years of the Ottoman Empire. It spans a time beginning in the twilight years of the Byzantine Empire, when Christians and Muslims in Anatolia and neighboring lands lived intertwined social and political lives, and it ends when political and religious authority in the region rested almost exclusively with Sunni Muslims, albeit ones with differing outlooks and priorities. It begins in a period when Persian held almost complete linguistic and literary dominance among the Muslims of Anatolia, and it witnesses the subsequent growth of Turkish as a literary language followed by an era when Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish shared status as learned languages. It ends in a period when Ottoman Turkish had become dominant, while Arabic survived as the medium of technical religious scholarship and Persian was largely relegated to a few literary salons.
Who is this book for?
This book traces the development of the Mevlevis, a Sufi order inspired by the teachings of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī. Best known in the Western world for their Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevis were originally led by Rumi’s descendants before gradually expanding throughout Anatolia and establishing a place within Ottoman society. The book follows their history into the seventeenth century, spanning both the medieval and early modern periods.
This book will be of interest to those studying Islamic history, particularly Sufism, as well as religion in the Ottoman Empire. With nearly a third of its 276 pages devoted to endnotes and bibliography, it offers a wealth of material for academic researchers.
“Overall, the book offers a view of Mevlevi self-understandings that is not confessional, but that is interested in the Mevlevis as both an intellectual and social force in the Ottoman world through the 17th century. The arguments about Persian and Sufism that appear along the way enhance this central claim, further grounding the Mevlevis in a social milieu in which they had power to actively shape. By being simultaneously interested in the Mevlevis as both political actors and as intellectuals, Elias shows how the Mevlevis’ staying power is connected to their internal sense of their being an emotional community founded upon charismatic authority and a charismatic text. Observing Mevlevi self-presentation from a distance, the book compliments existing scholarship on Rumi by insisting on reception as a critical approach to communal self-understanding.” ~ review by Allison Kanner-Botan in Zemin: Literature Language and Cultural Studies
The Author
Jamal J. Elias is professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research focuses on Islamic thought, literary and visual culture as well as history in Western and South Asia. You can also follow him on Instagram.
After Rumi: The Mevlevis and Their World
By Jamal J. Elias
Harvard University Press
ISBN: 978-0-674-29614-5
The 13th-century mystic Rumi had a profound influence on Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam. This book explores the religious community that emerged from his teachings and examines the role his followers played in the religious life of Ottoman Anatolia.
Excerpt:
The story of the Mevlevis related here begins in thirteenth-century Konya and ends in seventeenth-century Istanbul. It covers the breakdown of the kingdom of the Rum Seljuks, Mongol suzerainty and brief direct rule in Anatolia, the rise of regional principalities, and the golden years of the Ottoman Empire. It spans a time beginning in the twilight years of the Byzantine Empire, when Christians and Muslims in Anatolia and neighboring lands lived intertwined social and political lives, and it ends when political and religious authority in the region rested almost exclusively with Sunni Muslims, albeit ones with differing outlooks and priorities. It begins in a period when Persian held almost complete linguistic and literary dominance among the Muslims of Anatolia, and it witnesses the subsequent growth of Turkish as a literary language followed by an era when Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish shared status as learned languages. It ends in a period when Ottoman Turkish had become dominant, while Arabic survived as the medium of technical religious scholarship and Persian was largely relegated to a few literary salons.
Who is this book for?
This book traces the development of the Mevlevis, a Sufi order inspired by the teachings of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī. Best known in the Western world for their Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevis were originally led by Rumi’s descendants before gradually expanding throughout Anatolia and establishing a place within Ottoman society. The book follows their history into the seventeenth century, spanning both the medieval and early modern periods.
This book will be of interest to those studying Islamic history, particularly Sufism, as well as religion in the Ottoman Empire. With nearly a third of its 276 pages devoted to endnotes and bibliography, it offers a wealth of material for academic researchers.
“Overall, the book offers a view of Mevlevi self-understandings that is not confessional, but that is interested in the Mevlevis as both an intellectual and social force in the Ottoman world through the 17th century. The arguments about Persian and Sufism that appear along the way enhance this central claim, further grounding the Mevlevis in a social milieu in which they had power to actively shape. By being simultaneously interested in the Mevlevis as both political actors and as intellectuals, Elias shows how the Mevlevis’ staying power is connected to their internal sense of their being an emotional community founded upon charismatic authority and a charismatic text. Observing Mevlevi self-presentation from a distance, the book compliments existing scholarship on Rumi by insisting on reception as a critical approach to communal self-understanding.” ~ review by Allison Kanner-Botan in Zemin: Literature Language and Cultural Studies
The Author
Jamal J. Elias is professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research focuses on Islamic thought, literary and visual culture as well as history in Western and South Asia. You can also follow him on Instagram.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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