The Secrets of the Self, Part 16: Rumi and Shams-i Tabriz

What it is

This is a text of about 1,359 words, held on Wikisource, titled The Secrets of the Self, Part 16. It is dated 1920 and is a verse narrative. The excerpt names Shams-i Tabriz and Jalaluddin Rumi and describes Shams seeking Rumi at his college. The text opens with a note that it contains precepts written for Muslims of India by Mir Najat Nakshband, generally known as Baba Sahra'i, followed by verses about the self.

Why it matters

The poem shows how later writers retold the story of Rumi's friendship with Shams-i Tabriz. Because it was written centuries after Rumi lived, it reflects how his life was remembered rather than recording events directly. Its opening verses, attributed in the text to Baba Sahra'i, speak of the self and of spiritual effort, themes that appear in the works of Rumi as well.

Look closer

• Which details of Rumi's meeting with Shams does the poem emphasize, and which does it skip?
• How does the writer's own time and purpose shape the way Rumi is portrayed here?
• Why might a reader trust this text less than a poem Rumi wrote himself?