The Gift of Rumi by Emily Jane O'Dell

Author:Emily Jane O'Dell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Rumi’s teacher, Shams, was also a staunch defender of sema. He wrote, “It is blasphemy to say that the Sema performed by God’s people is a sin. That hand which moves without the Divine exuberance will burn in hell for sure, and the hands that rise in Sema will reach paradise—for sure.”4 Defenses of sema in medieval dervish manuals included the fact that beautiful sounds are allowed in Islam, poetry recitation is allowed according to the Sayings of the Prophet, and appreciation of the blessings of beauty is incumbent upon a believer. Shams even warned about criticizing or forbidding the sema:

The shaykh said, “The Caliph has forbidden the Sema.” This prohibition turned into a knot within a certain dervish. He fell ill and they took him to a specialist. He examined his pulse and looked for the cause of illness. It was like nothing he had ever learned about. He couldn’t find anything wrong with him, but the dervish died. Afterward, the doctor performed an autopsy and found the knot within his chest. It had become a carnelian. The doctor kept this gem until a time when he needed some extra cash. The gem passed from hand to hand until it reached the caliph, who had the gem set into a ring. One day, that same caliph was attending a Sema, watching from above, when he discovered that his clothes were covered with blood. He examined himself but could find no wound anywhere. He felt for his ring and the stone was gone. Later they traced that gem back to its original owner and the doctor told them the whole story mentioned above.5

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