Islam 101

Lesson 3: Famous Muslim Mystics

This lesson focuses on the careers of six famous Muslim mystics.

Islam does not have an official “church”, and thus there is not official means of canonization or declaration of a body of “saints”. However, just as those who are more able to lead in worship and theology, based on their understanding and ability to reason with the Qur'an and Islamic law, and with aptitude in rational thought and moral practice, those who have written significant works, developed expedient practices, or in some other way set themselves apart as extraordinary individuals, are remembered in the history of Islam.

These people are often – but not always – mystics or “Sufis”. Sufism will be discussed in further detail in a later lesson; for now, all one needs to know that a Sufi is a Muslim practitioner of mysticism. All the important figures in Muslim history are not necessarily mystics – there are kings, philosophers, poets, theologians, and folk heroes. All types of people contribute to the development of a religious tradition. However, in this lesson we will focus on Sufis, as Sufism is a definitive element of Islam.

At the close of this lesson there will be one critical analysis question, one further research question, and several multiple choice questions. As before, these are designed to help you with critical understanding and fact retention.

Rumi and Al-Ghazali

Perhaps not the greatest of all Muslim poets, but certainly the best known in the contemporary West, was the poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, often known just as Rumi (1207 – 1273 CE). His work has come to be known as the “Qur'an of the Persians”, not because it in any way should be thought to replace the Qur'an, but because of its sublime eloquence and its vast popularity in Persia.

Rumi (so named because of his home in Rum, or Konya) was the son of a famous teacher and scholar, and showed enough promise at a very young age to warrant the prediction to become a most successful Muslim teacher. When his father passed away, he continued teaching in his father’s place, and he also continued to receive instruction in order to further his knowledge and his ability to teach. He became a Sufi in the hope that he could better understand God. In the mid-thirteenth century he met a fellow Muslim seeker named Shams al-Din – the connection between the two was immediate and powerful. A fruitful, intense two year friendship grew between the two men, in which much deep mystical and powerful discussion took place. Eventually Shams al-Din left, and Rumi found himself unfulfilled in his absence. He would eventually return, only to leave again – following these events, Shams al-Din was murdered under suspicious circumstances.

The poetry which Rumi wrote often describes God in a mystical sense, which is logical considering that it acknowledges the depth to which Rumi pursued the Sufi doctrines. Often allegories involving the sun and its shining attributes are used. The title of Rumi's most famous work, the Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi contains the name of his good friend.

Another among the list of famous Sufi poets is Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali, more commonly referred to as simply al-Ghazali (1058 - 1111 CE). He was a master in law, theology and philosophy, but would later decide that the Sufi order would grant him greater insights into the true nature of God. His focus was on both reason and revelation, and he hoped to show the two were not in contention but instead quite complementary. Though he would often criticize philosophers, he was not against philosophy itself, as he used the precepts of philosophy himself. His major contention was with the conclusions some philosophers would arrive at, which were contradictory to the teachings of the Qur'an.

Al-Ghazali's impact on the intellectual development of Islam is his most lasting achievement. His tireless efforts to show the congruence between reason and revelation are still considered in Islamic scholarship to this day. In his time he was greatly supported by the local rulers, given their blessings and granted a prestigious teaching position. However, near the end of his life, he decided to retire to a Sufi convent to further pursue a deeply personal, mystical connection to God.

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