Rumi's Holistic Humanism

Rumi's universal approach to life is compellingly revealed in easy-to-read prose with excerpts from Rumi's poetry.

This book presents Rumi's startling conviction that "Love is the strongest unifying force in the Universe." Rumi said that all things in the universe are in orbit. The atoms, molecules, galaxies, and universes are all turning, around a center, and the center is Love. For Rumi, peace is the natural quest of a "whole person," and the perimeters between self and universe are erased to the extent that the material body becomes indistinct from its typical cultural identity.

Offering a unique look at Being and Oneness, Rumi's poetry redefines Wholeness with deep spiritual knowledge, intellectual acumen, wit, humor, and literary genius. As one admirer said, "In the fight to root out conflict, violence, and war, Rumi's holistic view of unconditional love may prove one of our best friends."

After centuries, Rumi today is as he was yesterday: an icon of Unity and Love for humanity and, in testimony to his timeless appeal, has been at the top of the best-seller list in the poetry category for over ten years. Author Ashraf's skilled weaving of the spiritual, rational, cultural, and philosophical "threads" that converge in Rumi's thought has the makings of a desperately needed unitive language that humanists, rationalists, theists, non-theists, and thinkers of good will can embrace as they explore the universe we share. Shakespeare gave us the query, "To be or not to be..." Rumi asks, To love or not to love...? and the "WHOLE HEART" hears and responds instantly, "YES!"