Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī and Shams Tabrizi
Rumi and Shams stayed together for a short time, about 2 years in total, but the impact of their meeting left an everlasting impression on Rumi and his work. After Shams was extinguished by Rumi's youngest son (an honor killing), due to events that are explained further down on this page, Rumi fell into a deep state of grief and gradually out of that pain outpoured nearly 70,000 verses of poetry. These thousands of poems, which include about 2000 in quatrains, are collected in two epic books named, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi and Masnavi (Massnavi, Mathnawi).
friendship with Shams
It seems that the universe brought these two opposing characters (a wealthy nobleman and a poor, wondering, wild holy man) together to remind us that it is impossible to know where your next inspiration may come from or who might aid furthering your growth. For Rumi life of mystics is a "gathering of lovers, where there is no high or low, smart or ignoran.
Rumi & Shams:
A Love Story, of Rumi and Shams
To comprehend the often misunderstood and misquoted connection between Rumi and Shams we begin by reviewing the personalities of these two historic figures.
Rumi, born into wealth, power and world of politics, was a member of high society. He was known to pull and offer favors. His mother was a relative of the king in the province of Khorasan in Eastern Persian Empire, where he was born. His father was a respected court advisor on jurisprudence. Rumi indulged in personal contacts, favors and friendships. He was known to deepen his friendship to his favorite people by any means necessary. For example, he was close with a goldsmith in Konya, his last name was Zarkoob. Since it was socially unacceptable for a member of elite class to socialize with merchant class, he arranged for his eldest son, Sultan Walad, to marry the daughter of the goldsmith to formalize his connection with him.
Shams, by the time he met Rumi was in his 60s. By then he was known mainly as a blunt, antisocial and powerful spiritual wanderer. His nickname was the Bird. The Bird, because he couldn't stay in one place for too long, also he was known to be in two distant cities around the same time, as if he could fly or transport his essence at will.
This wanderer is known to have been seeking a "grandmaster student"--a student who would be greater than many masters at the time. He chose Rumi as his "master-student." Apparently he initially notices Rumi when he was 21, but judging the time inappropriate and the student not ready he waits 16 or so years to approach Rumi again.
They meet again when Rumi was in his late 30s and Shams in his early 60s. The initial spark of their connection inspires Rumi to take Shams into his home. Shams from then on becomes the new friend, the latest companion.
As you can imagine problem is brewing from day one. Shams, same as the goldsmith wasn't from elite class, but far from it. He was a simple wanderer, a powerful spiritual figure yes, but still a poor, homeless wanderer. Also, Shams was terribly antisocial, drank, had a bad temper and used to curse in front of the children. The problem initially was put aside by Rumi's magnetism; however, it gradually grew into a much bigger issue.
It is important to understand the dynamic of this situation. Here are two totally opposing figures from extreme ends of social class structure of the time (bookends really) coming together in a highly structured society. It is not unlike the story of Rasputin and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. In fact the similarities are quite striking with both Rasputin and Shams being disliked by one and all and be extinguished not by strangers but by insiders.
There was no room for Shams in Rumi's social circle. Rumi was number one citizen of that region; he was even above the emir (the ruler), since the emir was one of his students. Yet Rumi managed to use all his wit to keep Shams around as long as possible even by offering him an extremely hard to ignore gift.
After receiving repeated threats Shams decides to leave town. So, the first association between Rumi and Shams ends at this point. Soon after, Rumi falls into a deep state of grief. Rumi puts out reward notices for any news of Shams. Not long after, news arrives that Shams has been spotted in Damascus (in today's Syria). Rumi immediately orders a caravan of gifts on horseback and sends his eldest son Sultan Walad to locate Shams and beg him to come back.
Sultan Walad finds Shams in Damascus as reported and upon meeting of Shams falls on his knees and begs him to return. He tells Shams that his father is dying. He says everyone is sorry. Rumi's household, his friends, his students, the townspeople and even the merchants, they are all sorry that they have caused any discomfort for Shams.
Sultan Walad points outside to the caravan of gifts and says smartly, these are not just from master Rumi, they are from everyone in Konya. Shams agrees to return. Sultan Walad places Shams on horseback, but he himself walks all the way back to Konya out of respect.
The scouts bring news of Shams' arrival early to Konya and the whole town rejoices. For them the life of their master Rumi was more precious than petty bickering about social class and vulgar tongue of this wandering dervish. As the caravan gets close to town's gate, a parade is thrown. So Shams is brought back into Konya with much fanfare. After all Rumi's health and well being was worth more than social boundaries.
It only took a couple of weeks for a sense of guilt and despair to overcome Rumi's family and by extension their friends and townspeople. People were saying we should have waited a couple of more months, our master Rumi would have certainly forgotten Shams. So the threats against Shams start anew.
This time, Rumi decides to legitimize Shams' presence in his home and uses the same tactic as with the goldsmith. Rumi marries his very young step daughter Kimia (alchemy) to Shams. Kimia was a princess of a girl, raised in a very cultured, wealthy and highly sophisticated household. Basically Rumi makes Shams an offer he couldn't refuse.
Kimia was around the age of 12 at the time. It is said that Shams for the first time falls in love. This must have been a truly memorable moment in his life--not only being with his chosen student, but also being married to his student's very young daughter. The situation in the household quiets down during this time, after all Shams was now a relative. A short few months later, due to illness caused most probably by grief and depression (some reports suggest domestic violence) Kimia dies and with that comes the end of Shams and Rumi's companionship.
One hypothesis suggests that Shams leaves Rumi, in dead of night, and becomes the wandering, wild bird that he was. Another places Shams in the hands of Rumi's youngest son and Kimia's step brother to die for ruining Rumi's pristine reputation and causing Kimia's death. Another attributes Shams' disappearance to a successful assassination attempt for religious blasphemy. Yet another story places Shams in India (and today's Pakistan), as an inspiration for a few spiritual figures at the time.
I believe Rumi's youngest son who had special closeness to Kimia, committed honor killing on Shams for causing her death. (More on topic 6.) Rumi should have expected this when he forced-marry his precious young daughter to someone of Shams' personality type and old age.
It is important to point out that the only person who didn't know of this honor killing was Rumi. An honor killing, which is still performed in many parts of the world, is not considered a crime. It is justified retribution approved and accepted by the wounded party and that particular society in general. So, the honor killing of Shams was considered just by all and the whole town buried the secret and kept it from Rumi.
History tells us that the body of Shams was never recovered, that's because the whole town, including the police force, approved the honor killing and intentionally didn't take the investigation seriously. Rumi never found out what happened to Shams. He thought his favorite Bird flew off again, but no amount of reward brought any news this time.
While Rumi was waiting for any news of Shams he vehemently refused to accept that he was dead. He wrote about this experience in this quatrain from Divan-e Shams, which is published on page 104 of my Rending The Veil:
Who says that the immortal one has died?
Who says that the "sun" of hope has died?
Look, it is the enemy of the "sun" who has come to the rooftops,
Closing both eyes shut, crying out, "O, the 'sun' has died."
(The word shams means the sun and Rumi routinely plays on this word association throughout his work on the first collection, Divan-e Shams.)
Rumi waited 40 days and after no news of Shams, he put on a black robe and wore black from then on and proclaimed Shams dead.
The core explanation of Shams and Rumi's relationship is that Rumi without Shams would not have been known to history. Rumi used all his wit to keep this powerful, wandering, wild Bird in a cage for as long as possible and even tempt him with his young step daughter. And in the process Rumi becomes a major spiritual master and an artist of truly world-class stature. In the meantime, Shams achieves his dream of a "grandmaster student," and falls in love for the first and only time and pays dearly for it. A love story, a tragedy or a personal necessity?
