Iran commemorates ancient Persian scholar Shams Tabrizi

Iran has commemorated the great ancient Persian scholar and mystic Shams Tabrizi on a national day dedicated to him.

The national day of Shams Tabrizi on the Persian calendar is on the 7th day of the Mehr month, which falls on September 29 this year.

Shams al-Din Mohammad (1185–1248) (AKA Shams Tabrizi) was a Persian scholar and mystic who is credited as the spiritual instructor of Rumi and is referenced with great reverence in Rumi’s poetic collection.

Tradition holds that Shams taught Rumi in seclusion in Konya for a period of forty days, before fleeing for Damascus. The tomb of Shams Tabrizi in Iranian city of Khoy was recently nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On 15 November 1244, Tabrizi in a black suit from head to toe came to the famous inn of Sugar Merchants of Konya. Looking for something which he was going to find in Konya, he found Rumi riding a horse.

Jalal ed-Din Mohammad Rumi (AKA Mowlana or Mowlavi) (1207–1273) was a Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and mystic.

His influence has transcended national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries.

His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the US.

MG/AI