Islam as Religion and Tradition: Mevlevi Sufism

Shaikh Kabir Helminski is a translator of the works of Rumi and others, since 1990 a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order (which traces back to Jalaluddin Rumi), and co-director of The Threshold Society (Sufism.org) In 2009 and subsequent years Kabir was named as one of the “500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.” His books on spirituality, Living Presence and The Knowing Heart, have been published in at least eight languages. His most recent book is Holistic Islam: Sufism, Transformation, and The Challenge of Our Times.

Shaikh Helminski’s talk will shed light on the cultural and spiritual importance of Rumi today and in the history of Islamic civilization. The Mevlevi tradition, also known as “the Whirling Dervishes”, has for seven centuries offered a holistic education of the human being, focusing on the development of essential human faculties, self-awareness, creativity, and direct spiritual experience. It has played a very important role in Ottoman civilization and its ideas and methods are now being reinterpreted to meet the needs of the contemporary world.

Sponsored by the Muslim Student Association, The Scott Center, MCAB, Religion Dept, Middle Eastern Studies Dept, Wonnacott Commons and Cook Commons