Omid Safi, a scholar of Sufism, presents a persuasive case that the way Rumi’s community learned about him was not only through reading his exalted poetry, but also by telling and retelling wondrous accounts of the great saint’s life.  These fantastic accounts (hagiographies) are not entirely transparent, as they deploy many layers of technical terms and allusion to Sufi practices. Omid Safi seeks to unlock these mysteries by reading these beautiful and heartfelt accounts closely, and identifying the background material, symbols and images that Rumi’s own community might have had in mind.

The image of Rumi that emerges from these accounts is not one of an otherworldly mystic detached from life, but rather that of a warm and compassionate, even humorous, teacher who is intimately connected to a wider community of faith.  

Omid Safi is an assistant professor of Islamic Studies at Colgate University, in Hamilton, NY. He specializes on Islamic mysticism, contemporary Islamic thought, and medieval Islamic history. He is a member of the steering committee for the Study of Islam at the American Academy of Religion, the largest international organization devoted to the academic study of religion. Omid has been nominated three times at Colgate for the "Professor of the Year" award, and before that twice at Duke University for the Distinguished Lecturer award. He is the author of the volume Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism (Oxford:
Oneworld Publications, 2003). His work Islam and the Politics of Knowledge, dealing with medieval Islamic history and politics, is currently under review. He is also finishing two works dealing with Islamic mysticism: his translation of 'Ayn al-Qudat Hamadani's Tamhidat is forthcoming from Classics of Western Spirituality series at Paulist Press. His translation and analysis of Rumi's biography (Rumi's Life: Wondrous Narratives, Sufi Teachings, Saintly Lives) is forthcoming from Fons Vitae. His articles have appeared in a number of journals, including The Muslim World, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Studies Bulletin, The Journal of the M. Ibn Arabi Society, etc. Omid is committed to interfaith conversations, human rights, and pluralism, and has participated in over 200 presentations and conversations about Islam post-9/11.

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