This article sparked some debate into what harm there is in translations, and whether poetry could ever be accurately translated. The conclusion presented was that certain translations of Rumi’s work were not translations at all, but imaginative interpretations.

Rumi is the most popular poet in the world. Fact. Before Rumi, the Persian poet Omar Khayyam was the most popular poet in the West for over a hundred years.

In the 1980s however, Playboy magazine published several couplets by Rumi in its publication and it was a sign of changing time. It was the first time the pornography industry had become interested in poetry. Could it be because Rumi had become associated with sensual love? With wine and intoxication? Often the translator responsible for Persian poetry (or we should just call them interpreters) spoke little to no Persian, removed Islam partially or completely from couplets, then inserted themes, rhymes, icons and messages that would transmit the writers own view of spirituality and mysticism.

Rumi it seemed, alongside a few other Islamic (and non-Islamic) poets, thinkers, saints, had become the vessel for Western infatuation with eastern esotericism (spirituality and mysticism). The West, it can be argued has become void of spirituality and meaning, with rationalism and materialism as its primary religion (Christianity it appears was thrown out with the ‘enlightenment’). I argue the average person in the west feels the emptiness in this materialistic Godless society and looks elsewhere for spiritual fulfilment. This new-age need for a godless feelgood religion that has no church or temple has fed this thirst for secularised Rumi. Whether it’s Madonna pushing Kabbalah, Tom Cruise and Scientology, or your Hare Krishna hippies counterculture that followed the Beatles back from India into the streets of western capitals, there is a hole in the West that yoga and meme spiritual poetry will not fill.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

In 1859, an English man named Edward FitzGerald ‘translated’ the poetry of the 12^th century Persian Astronomer and Poet, Omar Khayyam. FitzGerald’s translation was rhyming and metrical, and rather free in its interpretation. Many of the verses written by FitzGerald are paraphrased, and some of them cannot even be traced to Omar Khayyam. To a large extent, the Rubaiyat can be considered original poetry by FitzGerald loosely based on Omar’s quatrains rather than a “translation” in the narrow sense.

By the 1880’s, “Omar Khayyam Clubs” (fan clubs) opened up in the English-speaking world, with FitzGerald’s extremely loose translations of Omar Khayyam becoming best sellers.

FitzGerald however was not done with simply re-writing Omar Khayyam, he directly attempted to remove Islam from his poetry. FitzGerald belonged to what is called the ‘Pre-Raphaelites’ (a set of English poets, artists and creatives who wanted to revive the honesty and spirituality in Christian art). FitzGerald began by claiming that Omar was “hated and dreaded by Sufis, who he called hypocrites”. Going as far as to claim, with support from his fellow Pre-Raphaelites that Omar was despised by other great Sufis such as Shams Tabrizi, Attar and Al-Ghazali. Who claimed Omar was not a ‘Sufi’ but a ‘free-thinking scientist’. A brave set of propositions by English writers and artists who spoke no Persian, had access to no original manuscripts but were keen to make Omar Khayyam one of theirs. The comedic value in mediocre English artists attempting to make such claims deserves applaud. In recent years news research even claims that Khayyam wrote no poetry himself, but the work of authors over a span of 200 years wrote quatrains that were attributed to the famous scientist (why, its not clear but perhaps because it would stick more if a name as big as Khayyam could be used, similar examples exist of poetry assigned to other Persian scientists including Ibn Sina).

Coleman Barks was asked once why he removed Islam from the poetry of Rumi, to which he replied:

“I was brought up Presbyterian,” he said. “I used to memorize Bible verses, and I know the New Testament more than I know the Koran.” He added, “The Koran is hard to read.”

Rumi has become the ‘Prophet’ of many people who associate themselves with no God or faith, he represents the age of a ‘feel-good’ religion, where spirituality is internal, goodness inherent, and kindness inevitable. All one needs to be at peace are beautiful harmonic verses that speak the ‘human language’. No Allah. No Prophet. No Quran. No Jibreel. Nope. No religion in Rumi. Please.

We now need to ask and answer the question: What do ‘we’ owe the West, if anything, for making Rumi this incredibly popular. Is there gratitude owed to the West for the translations of, importing to, and learning from the works of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.

Entry of Rumi into the West

It was in 1898, that James Redhouse wrote in his introduction to his translation of the Masnavi, that “the Masnavi addresses those who leave the world, try to know and be with God, efface their selves and devote themselves to spiritual contemplation”. For those in the West, Rumi and Islam were now separated a long time ago.

Some academics trace this removal of Islam from Islamic poetry back to the Victoria period (1837-1900). Translators and theologians could not reconcile the notion that a desert religion that the Christian Europe had been at war with for centuries, with its bizarre moral and legal code could produce beauty found in Rumi, Hafez or Khayyam. Later, Rumi became vastly more popular through translations by Nicholson A.J. Arberry (fluent in Persian), and Annemerie Schimmel. Rumi was to become a big name in the English-speaking world. Then came Barks. It was his interpretations of Rumi that skyrocketed Rumi into the hands of the young college student, pseudo poet/intellect, and the curious Westerner who wanted a taste (a mild one) of the mysticism of the East.

Barks however does not read or write any Persian.

“Of course, as I work on these poems, I don’t have the Persian to consult. I literally have nothing to be faithful to, except what the scholars give.” – Barks

Barks however did dabble in Sufism after which he had a dream in which a stranger appearing in a light told him “I love you”. Barks then began to rephrase other English translations into his own poetry. Thus, begins the re-framing, re-writing, and re-creation of Rumi in the imaginations of one man. Barks interpretation of Rumi’s poetry have become the most popular in the world. There is a high chance if you have read Rumi in English, you have read his work. He is to Rumi, what FitzGerald was to Omar Khayyam.

What do we then owe Barks for his contribution to the spread of the very Muslim Rumi?

For one, Barks began by removing most, if not all references to Islam from the work of Rumi. Sufism that Barks entertained did not insert, but rather encouraged him to de-couple all Islamic references from the Masnavi. What we in the Muslim world call ‘The Persian Quran’, Barks began to rephrase into pop-Sufism for dummies. The Masnavi in its essence teaches its readers on how to reach their goal of being truly in love with Allah. Instead, Barks has delivered the world a corrupt interpretation that has replaced the love of God with the love of a human lover, the anticipation and meeting with God, with sexual encounters, the pain of separation and ecstasy that comes with loving God with jealousy, grief and intoxication found in drunkenness. For Barks, who understands nothing of Persian or the richness of Islamic poetry, forget nuance, even the basic elements of metaphors escape.

Let’s revisit some interpretations by Barks.

Original:

“Whoever asks you about the Houris, show (your) face (and say) ‘Like this.’”

Barks Interpretation:

“If anyone asks you how the perfect satisfaction of all our sexual wanting will look, lift your face and say, Like this.”

Original:

“You say, ‘With the body, I am far and with the heart, with the Beloved’”

Barks Interpretation:

“You say you have no sexual longing anymore. You’re one with the one you love.”

Original:

An accurate translation: “If you have no beloved, why do you not seek one. And if you have attained the Beloved, why do you not rejoice?”

Barks Interpretation:

“If you don’t have a woman that lives with you, why aren’t you looking? If you have one, why aren’t you satisfied?”

Ok sure there are issues with translations, true, but Barks essentially gave the non-Persian world Rumi. Without him, none of us would be reading Rumi. Right? Including Muslims!

Rumi, although highly popular in the English language, is vastly more popular and present in the rest of the non-English speaking world. A reader of only English may view Rumi and other ‘Sufi’ poets as essentially ‘dead’, and argue that the average Muslim does not understand or appreciate the mastery of Rumi or other poets. This view is limited, as the analysis and conclusion would be drawn from an English world view. The richness and depth of Islam felt is vastly different if one sits by a pulpit in Old Cairo, Delhi, Isfahan to London, Montreal or San Francisco. If one wants to hear the words of Mawlana Mohammed Jalaluddin Rumi or Hafez, or Mohammad Iqbal, in a Mosque, Madrassa or Café, they will have to visit the East where these poets are often memorised by heart by the old and young and recited in debate, poetry recitals and even in political discourses.

Anecdote, my first introduction to Rumi and his message came whilst sipping tea in a rundown café in Shiraz. The reciter, a young man, trembled with excitement and love as they pulled a mini copy of the Masnavi out of their bag to read a few verses that they felt suited the conversations we were having. After the recitation was over, I replied “do you know what they say about Rumi in the West? they say he wrote these lines for his lovers in a state of intoxication”. In disbelief and shock, the young man refused to accept what I had just said. He responded “Mawlana is talking about Allah, this book in my hand is a guide to the Quran”.

I nodded and we left it there.

Whilst there are many reasons to mourn the loss and lack of appreciation of saints, scholars, poets and philosophers in the Muslim world (the Golden-age is long over), it is foolish to think the experience of Islam in the West is parallel to Islam in the East.

Rumi is alive.

Rumi has inspired poets and scholars for over 800 years

Rumi claimed he was inspired by Al-Ghazali, Attar, Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Bayazid Bistami, and of course Shams Tabrizi. The list of people he inspired is even longer. Including, Jami, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Abdolhossein Zarrinkoob, Abdolkarim Soroush, Hossein Elahi Ghomshei, Muhammad Iqbal, Hossein Nasr, Yunus Emre….and Coleman Barks.

So, what does Rumi or other poets owe the West?

While some of Barks verses and interpretations are admirable for their poetic beauty, he is a poet and deserves some accolade. We must also remember the light of the Truth, of the sacredness that leaks (even if in fractions) into interpretations, translations, no matter how corrupt they are.

Knowledge and its pursuit are a noble cause. No book is more important than the glorious Quran, and then the teachings of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for us understanding our faith. The Masnavi was written as a revealer of the Quran. The Masnavi attempts to explain the universals and the particulars. It was Rumi’s attempt to bring us closer to God, the One God, Allah swt.

Rumi in the West Today

Any ‘translations’ of Rumi by non-Persian speakers often rely on others translations. Unfortunately, not knowing the original language, the ‘translators’ “poetic inspiration” often leads them further away from the original meaning and spirit of the work- instead of closer, as one might hope. If the most popular translations (or interpretations) read today are by authors who have changed the message of the Masnavi (intentionally or unintentionally), what message is the Masnavi sending and how is it being received?

Do we as Muslims, need to wait for the European to discover our rich history, only to re-tell it to us in his own way in English or any other European language? How many young Muslims, unaware, have let interpreters like Barks introduce Rumi to them? Or shall we stop trying to keep the sacredness of Rumi alive in any and all translations?

To a non-Persian speaker, it is difficult, if not an impossible task, to separate a verse closer to the original to one that is entirely different. How can we tell from Barks translations which verse is accurate and which is not? How does the reader know? Does the Masnavi still act as the revealer of the glorious Quran? Or are we now entering a realm of spirituality and mysticism where the Islam of Rumi is less important, but the ‘feel good’ sensations from verses are the goal? Does integrity matter in translations and interpretations? Or are rhymes and pop-Sufi couplets that act as transient forces between the Islamic east and rationalistic West more critical?

If some western readers find Islam through interpretations (no matter how accurate), should we accept a western reading of Rumi that has no clear religion? No Allah, no Messenger, No Jibreel, no Quran? The glorious Quran was first translated into English in the 17^th century. The intended purpose was twofold – one, to provide a scholarly text for Christian scholars to study and refute, and secondly, to feed mistranslations into the European world to reveal the “true darkness” of this desert religion. Should we celebrate and applaud the early European translators of the Quran? Should Islam, in its true beauty, remain in the works of Rumi and other Islamic poets? If the West needs to learn and ‘build bridges’ between the ‘Secular’ West and Islamic East, should not Islam in all its oddities remain in work of Rumi?

Unlike before, we now have excellent translations of Rumi. Barks has had his time; we must now reject every and all translations and interpretations that remove the sacred Truth of Islam out of the works of Rumi and other very Islamic poets. Jawid Mojaddedi, a native Persian speaker has released the best to date English translations of the Masnavi.

I am the servant of the Qur’an as long as I have life.

I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one.

If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings,

I am quit of him and outraged by these words.

– Mawlana Rumi

The post Reading Rumi in the West: The burden of Coleman Barks appeared first on Zirrar.

Who was Muhammad Rumi? A Poet, a Faqih (Jurist), an Islamic Scholar, a Theologian and Sufi Mystic and above all a lover of our beloved Muhammad ﷺ.

Born in greater Khorasan, Balkh (now Afghanistan), Mawlana Rumi today is arguably the most popular and most read poet in the world. His name and the English translations of his poems are on the tongue of all new age spiritualists who have tapped into the sacred light that emits from the words of Rumi, and who have then kept Islam out of any understanding they might absorb incidentally. Rumi then is a meme poet, one who deserves no more space than a twitter word limit or the place below an Instagram photo.

The name Rumi comes from the Arabic word for ‘Roman’. Rumi lived most of his life in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), a land that had been only relatively recently been conquered by the Muslims from the hands of the Romans when Rumi was born, his title then was his incidental connection to this land. But for clarity, there is nothing roman about Rumi, his roots and his faith all point to Khorosan, and unlike the near eastern Romans, Rumi was an migrant to what is now known as Turkey.

Why is Rumi so popular?

Poetry is dead, at least in the West. The Poetry genre barely moves any books each year but one man is an exception – Rumi. Mawlana Rumi has been popularised in the west mostly due to the efforts of a single man, Coleman Barks, an American who with the help of other Persian speakers translated the works into English. Barks himself speaks no Persian, has had no regular or reliable access to Persian translations, but has worked to re-interpret Rumi into a language, style that appeals to his world view without being true to the original author – Rumi. The view Barks presents is one absent of God, the Muslim God, of Islam, of the beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, of any orthodox Islam that is part of Sufism. Rumi then is identified as a ‘mystic’, ‘saint’ or enlightened man but never as a Muslim from reading any of Barks works.

“Of course, as I work on these poems, I don’t have the Persian to consult. I literally have nothing to be faithful to, except what the scholars give.” – Coleman Barks

The modern spiritual cauldron that non-Muslims grasp onto has defined the image of Muhammad Rumi. The problem transcends unfortunately into the Muslim readership, notably the non-Persian speakers who rely heavily on popular translations provided to them for digesting the works of a saint and in turn read and understand a body of work entirely different to how the author had intended.

As mentioned, the largest culprit is Coleman Barks. His translations or versions of Rumi have sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. In a world where poetry rarely sells, this is a master achievement.

Let’s examine some examples of the mis-translations or interpretations.

Poor and Accurate Translations

Example One

Consider the famous poem “Like This.”

“Whoever asks you about the Houris, show (your) face (and say) ‘Like this.’”

Houris are virgins promised in Paradise in Islam. Barks avoids even the literal translation of that word; in his version, the line becomes, “If anyone asks you how the perfect satisfaction of all our sexual wanting will look, lift your face and say, Like this.”

The religious context is gone. And yet, elsewhere in the same poem, Barks keeps references to Jesus and Joseph. When he was asked him about this, he said he couldn’t recall if he had made a deliberate choice to remove Islamic references. “I was brought up Presbyterian,” he said. “I used to memorize Bible verses, and I know the New Testament more than I know the Koran.” He added, “The Koran is hard to read.”

Other interpretations that need an honorary mention, for they too are guilty are those by Shahram Shiva, John Moyne, Andrew Harvey and Deepak Chopra. These authors have all made a name for themselves as modern spiritualists, and have had a degree of commercial success in profiting from Muhammad Rumi.

Example Two

“Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion or cultural system.”

This is not an authentic Rumi poem. This version was based on Nicholson’s translation: “What is to be done, O Moslems? for I do not recognise myself. I am neither Christian nor Jew, nor Gabr, nor Moslem.”

Example Three

“You say you have no sexual longing any more. You’re one with the one you love.”

An accurate translation: “You say, ‘With the body, I am far and with the heart, with the Beloved'”

Example Four

“Love puts away the instruments and takes off the silk robes. Our nakedness together changes me completely”

Accurate translation: “He put harp and (strings of) silk on (his) lap, (and) kept playing this song: ‘I am happy and ecstatic'”

Example Five

“They try to say what you are, spiritual or sexual? They wonder about Solomon and all his wives”

An accurate Translation: “O Love, you are known by the fairies and humans. You are more known than the seal-ring of Solomon”

Example Six

“This night . . . is not a night but a marriage, a couple whispering in bed in unison the same words. Darkness simply lets down a curtain for that”

An accurate translation: “Tonight . . . is not a ‘night,’ Rather, it is a wedding (festival) for those who seek God. It is an elegant companion for those who testify to (God’s) Unity. Tonight is a lovely veil of happiness for those with beautiful faces”.

Example Seven

“If you don’t have a woman that lives with you, why aren’t you looking? If you have one, why aren’t you satisfied?” 

An accurate translation: “If you have no beloved, why do you not seek one. And if you have attained the Beloved, why do you not rejoice?”

There are hundreds of examples, perhaps thousands where Rumi’s words have been mis-translated and changed entirely. To either suit a particular ‘spiritual path’ or journey the author wanted, or to purposely steer the reader away from the true message behind the words of a very Muslim scholar and saint. Coleman Barks, who continues to take focus in this study, even includes entirely new words and phrases that Rumi never uses. In one example Rumi is quoted to have used the word Hindu, Buddhist and Zen in one of his poems but these are all false. There is no evidence at all that Rumi was familiar with these religions other than what was mentioned in the Quran. But for the purpose of mass appeal Barks has applied a false translation to say ‘look Rumi wasn’t a Muslim, if you’re a Hindu or Buddhist, he is equally relevant to your spiritual path’.

The criminality behind modern interpretations

The most troubling aspect of the translations is how some words, phrases and then the intended message behind the words are changed so much that Rumi himself is misunderstood entirely from being a very pious Muslim to a highly charged ‘modern sexually liberated’ man. 

When Barks was asked why his interpretations of Rumi are so popular, Barks is quoted as claiming his work is closer to the true ‘essence’ of Rumi. One has to perform incredible mental gymnastics to understand how a white man that speaks absolutely no Persian, nor understands even basic principles of Islam can make such a big claim.

Barks translations are guilty of many things, while some claim that certain Persian words have double meanings or there is ambiguity, there are far greater cases where the essence of a poem has been slanted towards a very sexual direction. In these cases it is hard to believe this an innocent mistake, but rather a purposeful direction taken by the interpreter Barks.

Rumi was a mystic; he remained a pious devout Muslim inclined towards ascetism. Adultery, participating in orgies, and full nudity – all indicated in these translations are forbidden in Islam and appear nowhere in original Rumi works.

Rumi in meme culture

With the mass adoption of social media and the rise of the meme culture surrounding us, we must absolutely disassociate ourselves from placing the sacred text of our scholars and saints on these platforms. While the temptation is high, lets accept that Rumi is not a new age pop psychologist who can address our specific or general issues of love, self-identity and low self-esteem. For Rumi the Qur’an was his blueprint, the Prophet ﷺ was his beloved, and God was his final union.

The spiritual gap or hunger that is present in the west is where the appetite for these interpretations arise. As the western obsession with selective eastern religions and traditions grows, we must be prepared for our literature, music, and wider culture to be adopted in selective terms, where what the west considers ‘acceptable’ or interesting is picked with the ‘Islamic’ or ‘Muslim’ part discarded. We must be aware of our own education and how we digest what is presented to us.

Example Eight

“Listen and obey the hushed language. Go naked”

An accurate translation: “So runs his whispered tale, ‘Go not without the veil’”

When Coleman Barks was asked to explain his method of translation, he said: ‘Yeah, the fundamentalists or people who think there is one particular revelation scold me for this.'” 

Example Nine

“All my mysteries are images of you — Night, be long! He and I are lost in Love.”

The translation is over-sexualised. The intended meaning of the lines suggests for one to stay awake and long for the beloved, for more worshipping is required. Again, there is no way for one to know this line is about God.

Example Ten

In other places the spiritual elevation placed in the words of Rumi has been reduced to pop-psychology.

“All my life I tried to please others, Pleasing myself he is wishing me.”

The original meaning has to do with the tendency of the spiritual seeker to become attached to “spiritual stations” (maqamat), or levels of spiritual attainment- which can be a barrier to seeking God directly. 

The Masnavi, the masterpiece produced by Rumi over 13 years has been termed as the ‘Persian Quran’.  Rumi himself described the “Masnavi” as “the roots of the roots of the roots of religion”—meaning Islam—“and the explainer of the Koran.” And yet little traces of religion remain his translations.

Translators and theologians of our time have had to reconcile with widely accepted Islamophobia of our time with the mass appeal of certain Islamic cultures. Including poetry (Hafez, Saadi, Omar Khayyum) and Islamic Art and Architecture (almost all major museums in the west include exhibitions on Islam), so what is the result? How do you balance an appreciation for one aspect of a medieval religion and then at the same time promote the flowers that blossomed in its bosom?

You do it like this:

• Mistranslate and interpret the literary works to such a degree that even Muslims use your sources for referencing their culture. If Islam is taken out, who can claim and who can reinstate? With Rumi now so popular globally, it is too late for new translations to become the standard when Rumi is already a meme poet.
• You exhibit the richness of a culture as a by-product of a civilisation, not of its faith. Persian Art, Indian art, Moor and Mamluk architecture – there is no Islam necessary.
• When all fails and it is not possible to de-tangle Islam from the poets or scholars, you recognise the connection but ensure its either seen as a one-off period in an other-wise dark period of backwardness and intolerance. Finally, you ensure that no Muslim today can claim heritage to the rich civilisations of their ancestors. The exhibitions in the British Museum or Louvre that present for all to see the marvel of Islam art are narrated as one that belonged to a period that is long over. The native today is a dumb, stupid and weak by-product of a wealthy ancestry.

Religion for many western translators of Rumi, or Hafez or Avicenna, or Ibn Rush is purely an obstacle. The view is that these people are mystical, geniuses and achieved not because of Islam but in spite of it.

Was Rumi really a pious Muslim?

Rumi writes:

“The Light of Muhammad has become a thousand branches (of knowledge), a thousand, so that both this world and the next have been seized from end to end. If Muhammad rips the veil open from a single such branch, thousands of monks and priests will tear the string of false belief from around their waists.”

and

“I am the servant of the Qur’an as long as I have life.
I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one.
If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings,
I am quit of him and outraged by these words. “

Why has this happened?

[ the following are extracts from an article by the New Yorker linked at the end]

“Discussing these New Age “translations,” Omid Safi said, “I see a type of ‘spiritual colonialism’ at work here: bypassing, erasing, and occupying a spiritual landscape that has been lived and breathed and internalized by Muslims from Bosnia and Istanbul to Konya and Iran to Central and South Asia.” Extracting the spiritual from the religious context has deep reverberations. Islam is regularly diagnosed as a “cancer,” including by General Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national-security adviser, and, even today, policymakers suggest that non-Western and nonwhite groups have not contributed to civilization.”

“For his part, Barks sees religion as secondary to the essence of Rumi. “Religion is such a point of contention for the world,” he told me. “I got my truth and you got your truth—this is just absurd. We’re all in this together and I’m trying to open my heart, and Rumi’s poetry helps with that.” One might detect in this philosophy something of Rumi’s own approach to poetry: Rumi often amended texts from the Koran so that they would fit the lyrical rhyme and meter of the Persian verse. But while Rumi’s Persian readers would recognize the tactic, most American readers are unaware of the Islamic blueprint. Safi has compared reading Rumi without the Koran to reading Milton without the Bible: even if Rumi was heterodox, it’s important to recognize that he was heterodox in a Muslim context—and that Islamic culture, centuries ago, had room for such heterodoxy. Rumi’s works are not just layered with religion; they represent the historical dynamism within Islamic scholarship.”

“Rumi used the Koran, Hadiths, and religion in an explorative way, often challenging conventional readings. One of Barks’s popular renditions goes like this: “Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field. / I will meet you there.” The original version makes no mention of “rightdoing” or “wrongdoing.” The words Rumi wrote were iman (“religion”) and kufr (“infidelity”). Imagine, then, a Muslim scholar saying that the basis of faith lies not in religious code but in an elevated space of compassion and love. What we, and perhaps many Muslim clerics, might consider radical today is an interpretation that Rumi put forward more than seven hundred years ago.”

Where do we go from here?

There is a clear shortage of criticisms of popular Rumi translations (or as we have been saying, interpretations), so this must continue. We must place literature boycotts on these loose interpretations, on these or any texts that claim to represent the sacredness of entirely Muslim authors. The colonisation of our literature might grow in the west, but as Muslims or people of the east, we must recognise the dangers that we face when we make non-Muslims our teachers, especially those that actively work to remove Islam from inextricable.  

What translations to avoid?

• Anything by Coleman Barks
• Other interpretations that need an honorary mention, for they too are guilty are those by Shahram Shiva, John Moyne, Andrew Harvey and Deepak Chopra. These authors have all made a name for themselves as modern spiritualists, and have had a degree of commercial success in profiting from Muhammad Rumi.

Recommended Accurate Translations

Jawid Mojaddedi, who has aspired to translate all six books of the Masnavi into English. Four of them are completed and available on Amazon.

References and further reading:

http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-erasure-of-islam-from-the-poetry-of-rumi

https://ajammc.com/2015/03/09/rumi-for-the-new-age-soul/

The post Reading Rumi – The Erasure of Islam from Rumi appeared first on Zirrar.