Chapter One

A Great Secret

"When I run after what I think I want,
my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety;

if I sit in my own place of patience,
what I need flows to me, and without pain.

From this I understand that what I want also wants me,
is looking for me and attracting me.

There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it."

This poem was written in the 13th Century in what is now modern-day Turkey by the Sufi mystic and poet called Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī. He is better known in the West as Rumi. This work is a translation from the original Persian and along with the rest of Rumi’s work has been read by millions of his fans around the world.

In this work, the writer is telling us that chasing after what he wants is stressful, but if he is patient and waits, what he needs comes to him easily. It goes on to say what he wants, is seeking him, and will attract him to it. Rumi finishes the piece by referring to this as a great secret.

This makes no sense. Since when do things materialize lap like this? In our own experience rarely does what we want to happen actually occur without spending time and effort. Rarely, if ever, do things work in our favor and then when they do, we call it luck or chance.

There is however an eclectic group of people who proclaim that there is a way to make this ‘simply happen’. This is called the New Thought movement and they refer to the manifestation of things as the Law of Attraction.

As Charles F Haanel, author of the Master Key System, states:

“It is the combination of thought and love
which forms the irresistible force of the law of attraction.”

Modern advocates of the Law of Attraction tell us it has been around since the dawn of time, usually it has remained secret but known to a few rare historical figures throughout the ages. Leonardo Da Vinci, Ludvig van Beethoven, Sir Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, and Victor Hugo are just some of the supposed practitioners according to the New Thought supporters. Rumi’s name is certainly famous enough to join their ranks.

One of the most famous of the current practitioners is Rhonda Byrne, author of the Secret and numerous other works on the Law of Attraction. It is in her book, The Secret, that she states:

The greatest teachers who have ever lived have told us that
the Law of Attraction is the most powerful law in the universe.”

Was Rumi one such teacher and is his ‘great secret’ referring to the same processes and practices that we now call the Law of Attraction?

Rumi is considered by many to be the greatest poet that ever lived. He wrote over 2,000 rubaiyat, four-line rhyming poems, over 3,000 ghazals, lyrical, rhymed poems, and a massive six-volume work known as the Masnavi which exceeded 50,000 lines.

“In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you,
but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.”

- Rumi

Poems such as this have been inspiring his readers for 800 years, he is most famous for his love poetry but is there something more powerful hidden between the lines of his works? To begin, we need to understand a bit more of the Law of Attraction. Jack Canfield, the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and firm advocate, explains the Law of Attraction as:

“Simply put, the Law of Attraction says
that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on.
Whatever you give your energy and attention to will come back to you.”

On first impressions, this may seem too easy, effectively like making a wish. What would seem a glorious idea if it were true, surely we would all be rich, carefree, and living out our own dreams. Reading the writings of advocates like Jack Canfield and Rhonda Byrne, the Law of Attraction may sound easy but on further investigation, we see it has a number of tantalizing parts to it and is not as straightforward as it seems.

The Law of Attraction, we are told, exists primarily on a mental level and in its simplest form can be put in three words. Author of You Were Born Rich, Bob Proctor puts it simply as:

“Thoughts make things.”

We all have dreams, for some it's winning the lottery, early retirement, or finding that special someone, unfortunately for the majority of us our dreams don’t come true. When we do try and pursue our goals it can often lead to heartache and disappointment, as Rumi puts it:

"When I run after what I think I want,
my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety;”

We may not describe life as a furnace of stress and anxiety but we can certainly feel it. Trying to meet all the expectations we put upon ourselves can be a full time job in itself and all our hard work is often a waste of time.

By applying our thoughts, the Law of Attraction implies, we can gain our goals, dreams, and objectives by a mutual relationship with the Universe or Higher Power. This is the effortless, make a wish or magic wand and it happens, part of the process and appears to match Rumi’s writing when he states:

“If I sit in my own place of patience,
what I need flows to me, and without pain. “

The first part of this could refer to a mental or spiritual state when Rumi refers to his ‘place of patience’. The art of meditation may seem an obvious translation of this phrase, finding the mental calm that quietens the troubled mind. It goes on to say ‘what I need flows to me, and without pain’. The flowing of our needs to us seems far more desirable from the previous ‘furnace of stress and anxiety’, Rumi confirms this with:

“and without pain”

Here our interest is truly piqued, our needs fulfilled without stress or bother sounds amazing, but already Rumi has suggested that meditation be included. Does Rumi’s knowledge extend beyond mediation, what other knowledge does he hold to manifest his needs. More importantly, do they match those declared by his modern counterparts? Let us begin by finding out more about this enigmatic character.

The poet we now know as Rumi was born Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī and known as Celaleddin. Rumi at the time meant Roman or of Rome and refers to occupants of the old Byzantine Empire and maybe a reference to his birthplace. He was born 30 September 1207 in Balkh, part of the Khwarezmian Empire in what is now present-day Afghanistan.

Rumi’s mother was Mu'mina Khātūn. Rumi's father, Muhammad ibn Husayn Khatibi, known as Baha al-Din Walad, was a theologian, preacher, and Sufi mystic. Sufism is the mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through the direct personal experience of God. At around the age of eleven, the threat of Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes forced his family to leave Afghanistan and head West. Traveling around 2500 miles, the young Rumi and his family went to Baghdad, Mecca, and Damascus, before finally settling in Konya in what is now Turkey.

“The sweetness and delights of the resting-place
are in proportion to the pain endured on the Journey.
Only when you suffer the pangs and tribulations of exile
will you truly enjoy your homecoming.”

- Rumi

The famous poet Farid od Din Attar is supposed to have met Rumi near the end of his life when Rumi was only a boy and gave him his book Asrarnameh (“The Book of Secrets”) as a gift. If the legend is true, who knows what secrets Attar left for the young boy? It is clear that his influence does show in Rumi’s works when he begins his poetic journey.

Ironically after a fearful period in his youth, Rumi and his family went on to enjoy the Pax Mongolica. The period of relative stability in Eurasia under the Mongol Empire during the 13th and 14th centuries. This meant that the Silk Road network, which had been dangerous to travel due to warring kingdoms, fell completely under Mongol control and the countries involved lived in relative peace. Rumi remained in Konya for most of his life.

Rumi's father became the head of a religious school, and when he died in 1231, Rumi, aged twenty-five, inherited his position and title as Maulvi. Even at a relatively young age, Rumi displayed a great understanding of religious law and practices.

One of his father's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in religious law and Sufi mysticism which Rumi practiced as a disciple until Burhan ud-Din died. On his death Rumi became an Islamic Jurist or religious judge, issuing fatwas, teaching, and giving sermons. Up to this time, there are no recorded works from Rumi so it appears that something had to happen to trigger his poetry, that something happened when Rumi reached 36 years of age.

On 15 November 1244, Rumi met a dervish called Shams-e Tabrizi. A dervish was a Muslim holy man who, like a monk, lives a simple life away from the temptations of the world. Their focus was on the universal values of love and service and deserting the illusions of ego to reach God. This was the beginning of a brief but profound friendship.

Legends surround the meeting, but all that is known as they formed a strong bond of love and friendship. It was this meeting that completely changed Rumi's life, transforming him from a teacher and jurist into a poet. One of the stories surrounding that initial meeting is as follows.

One day Rumi was reading next to a large stack of books. Shams Tabriz, passing by, asked him, "What are you doing?" Rumi scoffingly replied, "Something you cannot understand." (This is knowledge that cannot be understood by the unlearned.) On hearing this, Shams threw the stack of books into a nearby pool of water. Rumi hastily rescued the books and to his surprise, they were all dry. Rumi then asked Shams, "What is this?" To which Shams replied, "Mowlana, this is what you cannot understand." (This is knowledge that cannot be understood by the learned.)

Because of his later fame, Rumi’s life is obscured with colorful myths concealing much of the truth. What is known is that the two mystics became inseparable and lived together for many months. Shams Tabrizi became the center of Rumi’s existence to the detriment of his students and even his family.

Legend has it that Rumi’s followers grew resentful of this relationship, blaming Shams for stealing their mentor from them and wanting him to leave. In February 1246 Tabrizi left for Syria without any warning.

Rumi, on finding out it was his students' influence, was angry and withdrew from them even more. He then began to write poetry which later, would be considered some of his best work.

Rumi’s students apologized for their error and when they learned that Shams was in Damascus, they sent a letter to him, asking him to return. It is said that Rumi’s eldest son, Sultan Walad took a group to Damascus to find Shams and successfully returned with him in April 1247.

Their final parting was also the stuff of legends. One tale states on the night of 5 December 1248, as they were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. It is rumored that Shams was murdered with the connivance of Rumi's son, 'Ala' ud-Din who was jealous of the friendship. Another legend has it that Shams returned to Khoy, where he later died.