We Commemorate Mevlana Celâleddîn-i Rûmî with Respect, Love and Mercy on the 750th Anniversary of his Journey to God

The 750th "Vuslat Anniversary International Commemoration Ceremonies" of  Mevlana started in Konya with the performance of the first sema ritual with the content of "Vuslat Vakti" this year.

   Mevlana Celâleddîn-i Rûmî was born on 30 September 1207 in the city of Balkh, which is located within the borders of Afghanistan today. His father was Muhammad Bahâeddin Veled, one of the prominent notables of the city and known as Sultânü'l-Ulemâ (Sultan of the Scholars), and his mother was Mumine Hatun, the daughter of Emir of Balkh Rükneddin. His real name is Muhammad Jalaluddin. Mevlana and Rûmi names were given to him later. The name Mevlana was given to him during his youth when he gave Sufi lessons in Konya. The meaning of Rûmi means Anatolia. The fact that Mevlana is known as Rûmi is due to the fact that he lived in Konya, a province of Anatolia called "Diyar-ı Rum" and spent most of his life here and his tomb is also there. Undoubtedly, one of the most important influences of Mevlana reflected in our day is his encounter and friendship with the Iranian mystic Shams-i Tebrîzî. Although the friendship of Mevlana and Shams did not last for many years, it was the subject of many works of art. After the death of Shams, Mevlâna, who went into seclusion, accepted the day of his death not as an end, but as 'the day of rebirth'.

According to Mevlana, the deceased will be reunited with the divine love, with his beloved, that is, with Allah. Wedding Night is known as the night of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi's death in the Mevlevi belief. Since Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rûmi saw this night as the night of reunion with his god, divine love, he himself mentioned his death as 'wedding night'. The Turkish equivalent of Şeb-i Arus is the wedding night. Mevlana, who passed away on 17 December 1273, made a will to his friends not to cry after his death. It continues to be commemorated as a part of our lives with commemoration ceremonies every year. For this reason, the anniversary of his death on 17 December is not considered a day of mourning, but a day of celebration.The ceremonies, which are held in the weeks corresponding to 17 December on the anniversary of Şeb-i Arus and death anniversaries and started to be named as "Vuslat Anniversary International Commemoration Ceremonies", are also known as "Şeb-i Arus" among the people. Every year on these dates, Şeb-i Arus ceremonies are organised especially in Konya and many other places under the name of "Mevlana Week". 

Mevlana left a universal gift to all humanity. Although hundreds of years have passed since his death, he has not been forgotten. In this direction, the concepts of "Mevlevism" and "Sema" have attracted the attention of westerners in recent years. Many historians interested in these issues have conducted in-depth research on the life of  Mevlana. For this reason, in addition to the great love of Muslims, thanks to his understanding based on tolerance and justice, he enabled even non-Muslims to be interested in him and shaped their perspective on Islam. As a result of all these, "Semâ and Mevlevî Music" was selected as "Masterpiece of the Oral Cultural Heritage of Humanity" and 2007 was declared as "World Mevlânâ Commemoration Year". 

Mevlana, who is accepted as the symbol of brotherhood, tolerance, love and peace, has always attached great importance to reading and learning as a scholar and has adopted the philosophy of life that goodness is the most important principle in this life. Biruni University, which is the future of science, always considers education and training as an inseparable and indiscriminate part of humanity. As Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan YÜKSEL said, "Life is a playground where no one can win except those who do their job well and do good." Our university is built on these roots. The Turkish-Islamic scholar Abu Reyhân Muhammad b. Ahmed al-Biruni, who is also the source of the name of our university, has always stood against discrimination with his words, "The ideas and jurisprudence of people are of various kinds, and the prosperity of the world is based on the diversity of these opinions", and did not allow it to get in the way of his science and studies.

Mevlana frequently emphasised the role of tolerance in our lives by saying "Tolerance is a power that turns the difference of opinion into love". Improving oneself, which is an unchanging principle in education, and establishing one's world view on solid foundations is the most important part of life with the words of Mevlana, "I was raw, I became cooked, I was burnt". As Biruni University, we commemorate Hz. Mevlana Celâleddîn-i Rûmî with respect and love on the 750th anniversary of his vuslat.