Discourses of Rumi: Fihi Ma Fihi

Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī, the towering light of sufi wisdom is rightly known as Moulavi Ma’anavi—the gnostic scholar—in the Muslim world. He has been considered as the peak of spiritual excellence and insightful divine sagaciousness by the seekers of the inner meanings of words and worlds. Every one with a genuine bend for true knowledge turns to Rūmī, irrespective of caste and creed, to quench their thirst. When Rūmī refers to Islam, he is talking about The Way. He is not talking about the preconceived notions that people have about Islam today, or even in his day, but the spiritual path itself and the religious tradition.

Fihi Ma Fihi is the most famous prose work of Rūmī. It’s a collection of 71 discourses on various topics directly connected to everyday life. Rūmī delivered these speeches to middle class audience. The title of the book means ‘In It What Is In It’ or ‘It Is What It Is’. It is said that Sultanul Walad, the eldest son of Rūmī, compiled the speeches with the help of his other disciples. Rūmī explains the important principles of Sufism in transparent terms in this book. Fihi Ma Fihi can be considered as a right introduction to Mathnavi. Fihi Ma Fihi provides explanations and keys to unlock the meaning of the Mathnavi, Rūmī’s most famous work. The two works were written parallel to each other, and contain many references and stories that are continued from one to the other.