Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

751 years after his death, Rumi’s influence crosses continental and religious divides

KONYA, Turkey (RNS) — “Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair.” 

These words, belonging to the 12th-century poet and Sufi Muslim mystic Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhi Rūmī, resonated with the pilgrims gathered at his final resting place in Turkey to celebrate the Şeb-i-Arus — Rumi’s union with the divine — on the 751st anniversary of his death. 

The 10 days of events that ended Tuesday (Dec. 17) drew hundreds from around the world to this provincial capital in central Anatolia, which in Rumi’s day served as the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, a precursor to the Ottoman Empire.

Konya is also known as the home of the Mevlevi order, the Sufi sect that follows the teachings of Rumi, often called whirling dervishes, due their distinctive spinning prayer known as Sema.



Once a more intimate affair confined to members of the Mevlevi order, Şeb-i-Arus has become something of a festival, with 10 days of events, concerts and lectures around Rumi’s tomb, with twice-daily Sema ceremonies. 

“People come here from other countries wanting to be near Rumi, to get that thing everybody feels, and everybody feels it,” said Ismail Fenter, an American-born Mevlevi who settled in Konya a few years ago. 

Today Rumi’s primary work, the Masnavi, is read in Islamic communities worldwide, but Muslims are hardly the only pilgrims to Konya for Şeb-i-Arus. “People from everywhere get together here, from all parts of life, and they have one thing in common, and that one thing is (Rumi) and his lessons,” Soheila Adelipour, who lives in Los Angeles, told Religion News Service. “They say that (Rumi) requests you, invites you, demands you. If you don’t have that request you aren’t going to end up here.”

Adelipour, an Iranian-born Jew and self-help author, said Rumi’s wisdom had helped her at difficult points in her life, adding that she was hopeful that in Konya she would find inspiration to finish her next book. 

Three-quarters of a millenium after his death, Rumi consistently ranks among the bestselling poets in the United States, boosting interest in the anniversary celebrations in Konya.

“Some people see that the music is beautiful. So they come, and then they are influenced by the music. Some others, they come for the Sema. Sema is not a dance, but they see it as a dance. Then they search. And then the others, they come for the poetry,” explained Celal Çelebi, a 23rd-generation descendent of Rumi and member of the family that has led the Mevlevi order in Konya for centuries.

“Rumi’s message is universal,” said Çelebi. “When you look at the stories in the Masnavi, he is actually talking about today — these are still common problems that we are facing on a daily basis.”

Marek Prochazka, who came to Konya from the Czech Republic, called Şeb-i-Arus “a world tour of spirituality and wellness,” comparing it to other spiritual festivals in Hinduism and Indigenous American faiths. “People go to Varanasi for the Ganga, Mexico for the Shamans, and they come to Konya for the Sufis,” he said.

For the many Muslims who come to Konya for Şeb-i-Arus, the widespread interest in the Islamic saint is a point of pride. “If somebody not Muslim is taking any inspiration from the saints like (Rumi), it is. It’s an honor for Islam in itself. It’s an honor and great news for Islam,” said Mobeen Dervesh, who came to Konya from the United Kingdom. 

At a time when the media often portrays Muslims as engaged in conflict and extremism, Dervesh said he believes that it is important to showcase Rumi’s message of love and tolerance. “I think it needs to be put to the people that there is a love side of Islam as well,” he said, adding that the faith’s Sufi sect has particular potential to bring people together.

Fenter, who had trained to be both a Catholic priest and, later, a rabbi before adopting Islam, is working on a new English translation of the Masnavi and teaches online classes on Rumi. 

“My students that I’m teaching are Jews, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists. They come from all over the world, and they want to learn,” he explained. “You don’t need to be Mevlevi. You don’t need to be a Muslim to understand what Rumi is saying.” 

The Mevlevi order in Konya has encouraged interest in Rumi and their traditions, but is also careful that their meanings are not lost behind the fanfare of Şeb-i-Arus. The dervishes, bedecked in white robes, arms raised to the heavens as they pronounce the name of God with each rotation, have become a symbol not only of the Mevlevi but of all of Turkey. Pictures of whirling dervishes are emblazoned on tourist tchotchkes in Istanbul’s bazaars, and dancers mimic the act at Turkish night clubs. 

“That’s the only thing that we don’t like as a family,” said Çelebi, whose father, Faruk, is the current leader of the order in Konya and is president of the International Mevlana Foundation. “Sema is not a dance, but a zikrullah — a remembrance of god,” explained Fenter.

Under the secularist policies that dominated modern Turkey for much of the 20th century, the Mevlevi order was repressed, and even outlawed in the 1920s. Sema ceremonies and Şeb-i-Arus celebrations were allowed again in the 1950s to bring in tourism. In Konya, an entire stadium with seating for more than 2,500 was built to host the spectacle. 



“This is not a piece of theater or dance performance. It is a ritual, a religious ceremony, and we want people to see that aspect and respect it,” Çelebi said. 

However, he acknowledged that in recent decades, as Rumi’s works have grown more popular in the West — and public religion more prominent in Turkey — people have come to treat Sema more respectfully. 

“Compared to 20-30 years ago, people are more respectful to the spiritual part of it,” Çelebi said.

Original Source:

https://religionnews.com/2024/12/20/751-years-after-his-death-rumis-influence-crosses-continental-and-religious-divides/