Spiritual Study on the Concept of Life and Death in the Poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Abstract

One of the universal occurrences, death seems to have inspired great poets and writers in Iranian and international literature. This study examined how Rumi’s poems address one of the most important life facts, which is death. He regarded death as similar to life or subsequent birth, which is unpleasant and bitter, however, it is also something that poets are eager to embrace and relish for its scrumptiousness. The qualitative content analysis method was used to analyze the concept of life and death in Rumi’s poetry. Several poems on life and death were chosen randomly from Rumi’s masterpiece Mathnavi to be analyzed in this study. Moreover, this study attempted to express the ideas of life and death through some of his famous poems selected from Rumi’s world-famous pieces of writing. The analysis showed that Rumi’s concept of death is bent toward Sufism. He considers death as a rebirth and reunion. For Rumi, death is a reality that people do not have to worry about because it is a reunion with God but rather being happy and having a firm belief in God.

Keywords

• Maulana Rumi, spiritual study, life, death, Mathnavi.