Research Paper on:
Sufi Poet and Mystic Jelaluddin Rumi

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
revered in the Muslim world for centuries, it has only recently been discovered by American readers of all faiths (Tell 204). Readers are drawn to Rumis verse because he offers  a "vision of humanity that seems...boundless in its vitality and compassion" (Tell 204). Rumis ecstatic approach to worship is evident throughout his writing. Rumis intense spiritual devotion led him  to embrace a feeling of unity among all living beings. An examination of three of his works demonstrates the lyrical beauty, as well as the insight that Rumi possessed into  the intricacies of the human soul and the nature of good and evil, life and death. A common theme can be seen in all three works, which deals with the  relationship between what the West perceives as opposites. Rumis verse shows that everything is connected -- that it is all part of the same fabric of life. For example,  in Rumis poem "Life & Death," he asks "why are you so busy/ with this or that or good or bad/ pay attention to how things blend" (lines 7-9). As  this suggests, Rumis principal theme in this poem is the cyclical nature of life. Noted Islamic scholar Annemarie Schimmel points out that "The Most Beautiful Names of God, as  they are found in the Koran, point to this constant interplay of Mercy and Wrath, Beauty and Power" (76). (As bibliographical data was not sent with the fax from which  this quote is taken, the student researching this paper should properly reference this text in the Works Cited section.) Schimmel goes on to explain Rumis point of view, which is  derived from the duality inherent in creation, the Chinese concept of yang and yin. She writes that the cosmos needs the constant shift between positive to negative, "the alternating movements