Who was Rumi?

Rumi, in full Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic and poet (born c. September 30, 1207, Balkh, now in Afghanistan)-(died December 17, 1273, Konya, now in Turkey), was famous for his lyrics and spiritual couplets. His work has an all-embracing universality. A call from an independent soul yearning for true freedom from dogma and hypocrisy, Rumi, also writes about the abolishment of the fear-based religious orders of the world. For Rumi fear-based religion is a prison and his remedy is love-based doctrine-a life journey free of guilt, fear and shame.

During the last 25 years of his life, Rumi composed over 70,000 verses of poetry collected in 2 distinct volumes. His works have sold more than 2m copies worldwide and have been translated into 23 languages. A few years into the early 2000's, Rumi became the most widely read poet in America. He's on par with Beethoven, Shakespeare and Mozart. By the end of the 20th century, his popularity had become a global phenomenon, with his poetry achieving a wide circulation in Western Europe and the United States. Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Turks, Greeks, and Muslims have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries.

Versions of Rumi's love poems have been performed by Hollywood figures such as Madonna, Goldie Hawn, and Demi Moore in "A Gift of Love", a CD produced by Deepak Chopra. Recordings of Rumi poems made it to the USA's Top 20 list.