Discuss the importance of Rumi’s poetry in relation to the Sufi tradition.

What will be an ideal response?

The great Sufi poets emphasize the pursuit of the beautiful, often in the form of a beautiful woman or, in the case of Rumi, a beautiful man. However, such a pursuit is an allegory for, or figurative representation of, the pursuit of the beauty that is God. Transition to Rumi’s poetry, especially the Mathnavi, an epic-length verse collection of mystical stories composed of some 27,000 verse couplets. The text is considered the masterwork of the Sufi tradition, “the Qur’an in Persian.” The stories illustrate theological concepts. For example, each story invariably ends happily, which illustrates God’s limitless mercy toward humankind. In addition, Rumi repeatedly invokes the Qur’an’s message of hope. For Rumi, hope is virtually synonymous with faith. The stories interpret the Qur’an in terms of human potential for mystical union with God.