Although not defined as a religion itself, Sufism is considered to be a branch or subdivision of Islam. It can be defined as a mystical tradition that emphasizes to search for God inside oneself and to oppose materialism, the idea that possessions and objects are more important than spiritual values. Rumi was a poet who studied Sufism and wrote about it in his work. Of his many poems, the one that intrigued me the most was the second one that we had to read for class. It emphasizes to let death come and to not be afraid of death. The poem starts by reassuring the reader that when we die, we will all receive new life. It then continues to go on to say “Die now, die now, and break away from this carnal soul, for this carnal soul is a chain and you are as prisoners.” The term carnal refers to physical needs or desires, so I believe that this line is saying that our souls are trapped in our physical bodies right now and when we die we will be free and receive new life in Heaven. I think that besides reassurance, the main use of this poem would be for comfort. When a loved one becomes ill, it is nice to have this kind of reassurance in our lives that we shouldn’t be sad and that we should be excited for what comes next.
In the story of Layla and Majnun from The Mirror of the Invisible World, Qays is the son of the sayyid. When Qays first attends school as a young boy, he is fascinated by this girl in his class, Layla. Although they don’t speak, they share the same passion for one another. As they grow older, Qays becomes more and more obsessed with Layla, wandering through the streets shouting “Layla! Layla!” People start to spread the rumor that the young man has gone mad, and people start calling him Majnun, or the madman. Multiple times throughout the story Majnun journeys out into the desert to be alone, but his family goes to rescue him. Finally, the sayyid decides to travel to Mecca during pilgrimage to ask God to cure his son. Instead of asking to be cured of love, Majnun touches the Kaaba and asks that his passion and love for Layla only grows. I believe that this shows how strong love is in some people. Although his family opposes, Majnun loves Layla with his whole heart and refuses to live life without her. In the end, the two are finally together, but not until their deaths. Layla passes, and Majnun goes to her grave and is surrounded by his wild animals. Majnun sits there and weeps for days until finally he dies and the animals disperse and leave only his bones.