'Mevlana aims to benefit humans without discrimination'

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

KONYA, Turkey (AA) - Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi addressed people, and he was a scholar who only aimed to be beneficial to humanity without any discrimination, said Turkey's culture and tourism minister on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Sheb-i Arus, commemorating the death of 13th-century Islamic Sufi scholar Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: "Mevlana only addressed people. The great scholar only aimed to be beneficial to humanity without any discrimination."

"The main point is to approach with tolerance instead of condemnation, to find a way to go to the hearts instead of finding defects. Mevlana achieved that," Ersoy added.

Ersoy added that millions of people from all over the world, regardless of their religion, language and race, still go after Mevlana's call even after hundreds of years after his passing.

Konya held various commemorative events to mark Rumi’s union with God, which is called Sheb-i Arus, or the wedding night.

Centered around the theme the Time of Fidelity, this year's events took place on Dec. 7-17.

- Rumi

Born into a Turkic family in 1207, in what is now Afghanistan, Rumi is one of the most widely read philosophers in the world, with teachings that transcend boundaries of race, color, and religion.

In Turkey, Rumi is fondly remembered by his followers as Mevlana -- which means scholar.

Rumi's poem the Masnavi, with more than 50,000 verses, is considered the most influential work in Sufism, and has been translated into 25 languages.

He penned the poem on man’s predicament in search for God after losing his friend, the wandering dervish Shams Tabriz.

Upon his death in 1273, Rumi’s followers founded the Mevlevi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for the Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony.

Every year, an international commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of Rumi’s union with God, known as Sheb-i Arus or night of the union, is held in honor of the Muslim scholar.