Rumi and Shams’ Silent Rebellion

Mostafa Vaziri is a visiting scholar in Anthropology and Oriental Studies at Princeton University.

"In these troubled times, when many focus their attention on the differences between religions, Vaziri masterfully presents us with the vision of one of Islam's greatest saints who perceived the same divine spirit of love and wisdom operating in all religions." - Mark S. G. Dyczkowski, Sanskritist and Scholar of Kashmir Shaivism and Tantra "The author draws a new and unusual picture of Rumi a picture not only of a great poet, but also of a great philosopher. Vaziri places Islamic mysticism and philosophy into a comprehensive intercultural context, revealing many surprising parallels between Western, Near Eastern, and Indian thought systems and cultures." - Reinhard Margreiter, Emeritus Lecturer of Philosophy, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany

• Acknowledgments Author's Note Abbreviations of Sources 1. The Need for a New Narrative about Rumi 2. The Need for a New Interpretation of Shams and Rumi 3. Shams' Rebellious Paradigm 4. Rumi Unlearns His Pious Past 5A: Rumi's Philosophical Pyramid 5B: Rumi's Case Against Dualistic Thinking and His Wisdom About the World 6A: Rumi, Vedanta, and Buddhism 6B: Rumi, Kashmir Shaivism, and Tantra Conclusion Appendix: Certain Influences of Shaivism and Tantra on the Islamic Mystics