on Rumi after Shams left the second time, 172, 175, 179
on Rumi and Salahoddin, 201
on Rumi and Shams, 158, 351n116
on Shams marriage to Kimiya, 160
Serajoddin Ormovi, 257–59, 293
sexual appetite, Baha Valad’s, 17–18
Shadbakht Madrase, Aleppo, 95
Shafii School of Islamic jurisprudence, 128–30, 277
shahed-bazi practice, 54, 178
Shahname, or The Book of Kings (Ferdowsi), 23–24, 78–79
about, 115, 124–29, 132–34
in Aleppo, 151–54
challenges of living near Rumi’s harem, 164–65
in Damascus, 151
death of Sham and Rumi’s acceptance, 188–91, 193–98, 195, 196–98
disappearance of, Rumi’s despair, 147–48, 153–54, 172, 173–77, 178–88
gossip about Rumi and, 124
harassment at Madrase, 139–41, 147, 158, 163, 166–68, 170–72, 177–78
and Ibn Arabi, 130–31
in Konya with and without Rumi, 137–39
living in seclusion with Rumi for
Shams of Tabriz (Shamsoddin) months at a time, 118–24, 134–35, 174, 272
marriage to Kimiya, 159–61, 163–66
meeting Rumi for the first time, 116–18, 351n116
parents of, 126
personality of, 122–23
religion of the heart, 123–24, 168
return to Konya and Rumi, 154–57
and Rumi, 139–41, 146, 170–72
Rumi expressing his love for, 142–43, 145
Rumi merging with Shams in his heart, 186–87
Rumi’s commitment to, 125
and Rumi’s Masnavi, 289–90
as Rumi’s teacher, 119–24, 168–70
rumors of death of, 177–78, 187–88
scholars’ and Rumi’s followers’ disapproval, 142, 143–45
on separation from Rumi, 168–70
and Shafii jurisprudence, 129–30
and Shehab Harive, 131–32
stories of, in Rumi’s Masnavi, 249–50, 265–66
travel lust of, 158–59
Shams (Rumi’s friend), 7
Sharaf (Sharafoddin Samarqandi), 32–33, 40
Sharia (religious law), 53, 327
Shehab Harive, 131–32
Sheikh Mohammad, 130–31. See also Ibn Arabi
Shia (minority branch of Islam), 97–98, 327–28
shrine to Rumi in Konya, 6–7
siege of Samarkand, 30–31, 342n26
Silk Road
about, 43–44
Baghdad, 50–56
Baghdad to Mecca, 56–60
Nishapur, 44–49
shift from Persian to Arabic, 49
slaves and slavery, 238
Stoning of the Devil hajj ritual, 58–59, 345n58
Sufism (mystical branch of Islam)
about, 328
in Baghdad, 54–56
Bayazid’s hymn of praise, 116–17
and Borhan, 87–88
disapproval of Rumi within, 254–55
guiding notion about a living spiritual world axis, 195–96
and Ibn Arabi, 63
Kermani and, 129
New York City group, 4–5
persecution of Sufis, 96
resilience in spite of Genghis Khan, 69
saints of, 55–56
and Seljuks, 71
shahed-bazi practice, 54
in Tabriz, 126–27
words and logic as “veils” hiding the truth, 123
Sultan Han caravanserai, Konya, 80–81
Sultan Valad (Rumi’s son)
about, 276
on Attar’s and Sanai’s influence on Rumi, 48
on Baha Valad, 74
on Baha Valad’s funeral, 85–86
birth and childhood, 72–74
chastisement from Rumi while studying in Damascus, 109–10
delivering verse letters for Sham, 150, 151, 152
and Faridun, 287
on Hosam and Rumi, 245
and Hosam as Rumi’s successor, 260–61, 295–96
as leader of Mevlevi Order, 303
marriage to Salah’s daughter Fateme, 212–13, 214–16
presented to Shams as boy for serving him, 121
and Rumi, 238
on Rumi after Shams’s death, 195
on Rumi’s comparison of his Masnavi to the Quran, 270
on Rumi’s preaching, 111
on Rumi’s transformation in Damascus, 190–91
and Salah, 210–11
and Shams, 135, 144, 163, 170
on Shams’s disappearance, 174
violent temper of, 193, 214–15
Sunni (majority branch of Islam), 26, 35, 71, 328, 343n35
Tabriz, 125, 187–88
takhallos (signature, tag, or pen name of a poet), 185–86, 204, 328
Termez, Khorasan, 39, 67, 87
“Testament” (Razi), 19
Tigres River, 52
Time magazine, 4
transliteration process, 319
Treasury of Secrets (Nezami), 64
turbaned class, 93, 107
Umayyad dynasty, 50, 328
Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, 98
Vakhsh, Tajikistan, 13–18, 24–25, 40, 340–41n13
Venice and Venetians, 95
visions of angels, 11–12, 128
wealthy or wordly people, Rumi’s avoidance of, 239–40
whirling and whirling dervishes
dervishes, 88, 90, 133, 289, 325
by Gooch in Aleppo, 7
reemergence of, 304
Rumi creating poetry at the same time, 226–27
Rumi’s use of when Shams disappeared, 175–76, 180
Shams learning about, 127–28
Shams teaching Rumi about, 124
Whitman, Walt, Rumi compared to, 2–3
Yaqut, 45, 51–52, 68
Zolaykha’s coded language, 289–90
About the Author
BRAD GOOCH is a poet, novelist, and biographer whose previous ten books include Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and New York Times bestseller; City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O’Hara; Godtalk: Travels in Spriritual America; and the memoir Smash Cut. The recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities and Guggenheim Fellowships, he earned his PhD at Columbia University and is a professor of English at William Paterson University. He lives in New York City.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Brad Gooch
Smash Cut: A Memoir of Howard & Art & the ’70s & the ’80s
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor
City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O’Hara
Scary Kisses
Zombieoo
The Golden Age of Promiscuity
Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual America
Finding the Boyfriend Within
Dating the Greek Gods
Jailbait and Other Stories
The Daily News
Credits
COVER DESIGN BY SARAH BRODY
COVER IMAGES : © LANA VESHTA / SHUTTERSTOCK (TEXTURE); © ANNA POGULIAEVA / SHUTTERSTOCK (ORNAMENTATION)
Copyright
RUMI’S SECRET. Copyright © 2017 by Brad Gooch. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-199914-7
EPub Edition JANUARY 2017 ISBN 978-0-06-219907-2
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com