KARACHI, Nov 23: The mystical ideas of Jalaluddin Rumi, thirteenth century man of letters well known for his magnum opus Masnavi, are as profound and relevant today as they were over 700 years ago. This was one of the many arguments made by noted scholar Dr Affan Seljuk in his somewhat rambling talk at a Karachi Gymkhana function held on Thursday evening as part of 800th birth anniversary celebrations of the sufi poet whose followers founded the famous Mevleviye Order known for its the Whirling Dervishes.

Dr Seljuk said the Masnavi, composed of over 25,000 verses, was one of the four finest literary works of the East. The other three works are: Shahnama by Firdousi, Ghazals by Hafiz and Gulistan by Saadi.

Quoting profusely from Rumi’s poetry, Dr Seljuk said ground-breaking scientific discoveries about the world and celestial bodies lent greater relevance to Rumi’s poetic notions. He explained that many scientific ideas had found a somewhat prophetic mention in Rumi’s works.

Dr Seljuk shed light on the arcane principles that govern the soulful performance of the Whirling Dervishes. He said their anti-clockwise movement was indicative of the circular motion of everything in the world – from heavenly bodies to the smallest particle in an atom.

Earlier, the function’s organisers screened a 10-minute documentary on the teachings and practices of the Mevleviye Order.