There are many different religions and creeds in our world inhibited by billions of people. All over the world there are mosques, churches and synagohues in the skies. It is a fact that since Adam from the earliest times of the history to our day people of many different colors, many different nations worshipped in countlessly many houses of worship, prayed to idols that they made themselves in countlessly many temples. It is an indeniable fact that there is a need to worship in human beings’ creation. A person who doesn’t believe will surely feel an emptiness inside. After losing his religious faith, Tevfik Fikret felt the need to believe very clearly and complained:

“All is empty, earth is empty, sky is empty, heart and conscience is empty,

I’d like to hold on to, but there is no point in front of me.”

The forgiven Mehmed Akif said: “A faithless, rusty heart is burden in one’s chest.”

Even in our day, no matter how much they have become materialistic people still couldn’t do away with religious belief. Russia showed a most recent example of this to the whole world. Religion that was banned by the communists couldn’t be eliminated. In spite of all the effort, the view that says ‘Religion is a tranqillizer that passifies people.” proved wrong.

How was Rumi viewing the “religious feelings” which is an inevitable spiritual need for human beings?

Since Rumi saw people as beings that carry the Divine Entrustment he loved the human beings no matter what faith or creed they belonged to and therefore respected all religions. It is for this reason that behind the coffin of that great saint, not only Moslems but also Christians and Jews that were in Konya at that time shed tears.

As Eflaki writes, a preacher in Konya, when talking of Christians, said: “Praise be to Allah that He didn’t create us among the Christians.” When they related this statement to Rumi, Rumi said about that preacher: “He is astray himself and also making others astray. He is weighing himself with the balance of the Christians and boasting because he happened to be one gram heavier. If he came and weighed himself with the balance of the prophets and saints then he would realize his value.”

The fact that Rumi respected all religions doesn’t mean that he saw all the religions as one and equal to each other. The point here is not to see all religions inlcluding Islam as one but to see their essences as one.

So Rumi says at the title of the verse 500 in the first volume of the Honorable Mesnevi:

“The difference between the religions is a matter of practice and walking on the path, but not a matter of the truth of the path.”

In fact, just like everything else that is seen in the world, physical or spiritual, religions and creeds, too, arise as manifastations of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes. That is, Allah manifests Himself with the name “Hadi” (One who guides to the true path) as well as the name “Mudill” (One who leads astray). According to the Quranic verse “Say: Both believers and disbelievers act according to the way that is appropriate for them.” (17/84) everybody acts in accordance to his nature and the way he is created. Everybody follows a path that suits his character. We have to be very careful in this matter. By following a path that suits one’s character one would not be necessarily following the true path. That is a religion or a creed doesn’t become the true religion or creed by just being suitable to a person’s or society’s character and feelings. The final true religion is the one which Allah proclaimed with His book and His Messenger. Happy is the person to whose character the true religion is suitable.

As a matter of fact, since everything, all beings are reflecting the manifestations of Divine Names and Attributes, events that seem to contradict are based on a wisdom our minds cannot encompass.Everything is under God’s control, everything is from him. The followers of all religions and creeds are carrying out his orders and walking on the line of destiny that He drew.

We have no right to criticize anybody in this regard. Every follower of a creed has known his belief as right and walked on that path altough it is wrong with respect to other creeds. Rumi explains this matter in the following couplets of the Mesnevi:

“In this world there are hidden ladders that lead to the heavens step by step. Each group has a different ladder. Each walk has a different heaven it leads to. Each of them is unaware of the situation of the others. The heavens are a vast land. They are so vast that there is no beginning and end to them.” (Mesnevi, v. V, no. 2556)

These couplets lead to the following conclusion: In order for God to be worshipped in accordance with all the different aspects that His Divine Attributes manifest themselves God has made the views of the people in other religions which are wrong with respect to Islam seem true to them. This way, no matter what religion one is in, he believes that only his religion is is true and views people in other religions as astray. But Rumi does not holding that view and he believes that no matter what religion one belongs to he is one the path of God, i.e. that path that God has assigned to and approved for him. Therefore, he never looks down on anybody who is outside of Islam and never accuses anybody as a disbeliever. Religions other than Islam are not “true religions” but they are religions that Gos controls and determines.

Since God’s predestination in the eternal past and His will are manifested in the people’s way of worhipping and believing, those who remained outside the “path of guidance” are people who are walking on the “path of misguidance” with the order and predestination of God. Therefore, our Ouran doesn’t start by saying “Lord of the Moslem” but “Lord of the Worlds” (Lord of all beings, everybody and everything other than Allah). We have to know it very well that Allah alone creates guidance and misguidance. Everything depends on his will and predestination in the eternal past. If Allah wills he can guide a misguided person to the true path. He can also misguide someone walking on the true path to the path of misguidance. This is God’s will that no mind can encompass. This is also a fact that as much as finding the true path or going astray from the true path is a result of the predestination in the eternal past, with Allah’s permission our effort and endeavors have a role in it, too. It is for this reason that the gnostics have said: “The predestination of the eternal past loves effort.” If one pays attention one can see and sense that Allah lead everyone to success in the field he spends his effort. If a person’s soul is ferment with evil bad deeds and inappropiate attitudes emerge from him. If a person’s essence is good good deeds and pleasant acts emerge from him. That is to say that the goodness or badness of the deeds depends on the goodness and badness of the essence. It has to restated that this view should not be misunderstood. Rumi has not seen all religions as one, he saw the essence of all religions as one. Since our Master Muhammed (pbuh) is the final prophet and Islam that He has proclaimed is the final religion Islam has of course made all previous religions invalid. It is for this reason that some Western scholars who are purely motivated with a scientific cause without any bias, research different religions and understand the essence of the different religions choose Islam. Therefore, the famous British writer Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1951) has stated: “Islam will be the final religion of humanity.”

There are many common beliefs among the religions of the world. For example, murder, theft and lying are vices in all religions. Considering these common aspects of the religions Ekber Shah, the great Turkish-Mogul ruler of India, wanted to invent a new composite religion by merging all religions and creeds, but the great saint Imam-i Rabbani prevented this attempt and helped millions of Moslems in India, Pakistan and Jawa to preserve their faith. Since Islam is the final religion it doesn’t need to take anything from any other religion.

Rumi who saw the essence of all religions as one, looked also differently at faith and disbelief and explained these notions differently: “With the eye of the heart, look at the believer and disbeliever. They don’t have anything but the cry ‘O Lord!’ and the scream ‘O Ever-Alive!’ according to their own beliefs.” (Divan-i Kebir, v. V, no. 2578)

It is a fact that if we view this sky as the dome of a great house of worship, under that dome there arise many mosques, churches and synagogues.In many different ways, in many different houses of worship, in many different religions and with many different words, people of many different colors all plead to the unique and peerless Allah and ask him for his help.

How glorious, how great, how might Allah is He that His Holy Name is being pronounced in many different languages. He knows all languages, understands what everybody says, listens to the pleads of His slave who pleads to Him with his hands open, no matter where that person might be on earth or in which house of worship. He even knows what goes through their minds and hearts. In a Mesnevi couplet, Rumi explains how Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate protects His slaves and says: “The eye and the ear of the King of Spirits is at the window. He keeps an eye on what everybody, man or woman, wants and what they strive for.” (Mesnevi, v. I, no. 1824)

The fact is, as Rumi states, both the Moslem who pleads in a mosque with opening his hands and a Christian makes the sign of a cross in the church and a Jew praying in a synagogue all think of Allah. If we get stuck with the formalities and overtaken by appearances we categorize them as Moslem, Christian and Jewish based on their beliefs and temples they attend. However, in the sight of Allah, no matter what religion or creed they belong to they all are His slaves and walk on the paths that He drew for them with His Predestination in the eternal past. Therefore, Ziya Pasha says: “In the sight of God, Moslem and the fire-worshipper are one.” That is to say both are His slaves.

“With respect to us, disbelief is a calamity but with respect to the Creator, there is a wisdom behind it.” (Mesnevi, v. I, no. 1997)

Don’t you see that the moths fly into the flame of a candle whether it is in a mosque, church or synagogue without making any distinctions between them. God has opened up His table for not only the Moslems, but also to non-Moslems and even to those who deny Him, and He is feeding them all generously. He doesn’t distinguish between them as believer or disbeliever.

In another poem, Rumi says: “Know well that belief and disbelief are like the white and yellow of an egg. There is a precipice that separates them. Therefore, they don’t mix with each other. With Allah’s grace and favor, when the mother hen takes it under her wings, both belief and disbelief vanish and the chick of unity cracks the egg and gets out.” (Firuzanfer, v. IV, no. 1940)

Rumi who saw not the outside of the religion but the truth of it says in one of his quadruplets: “Know this well that the lover of God cannot be a Moslem, in the sect of love there neither faith nor disbelief. In the lover there is no body, no mind, no soul, no heart; and if a person is not like this then that person is not a lover of God.” (Firuzanfer, 768)

These ideas should not be misinterpreted. When Rumi says “The lover of God cannot be a Moslem, in the sect of love there neither faith nor disbelief.” he means that if the lover of God cannot reach the view of unity and believe that all people who worship mosques, churches and other houses of worship in many different ways are actually are turning to Allah, pleading to Him in many different languages and the essence of all religions are the same then that person cannot be a true Moslem. Such a Moslem’s Islam is still in the imitation stage, he could not ascend to the realization level. That is that person could not become Moslem in the true sense.

When in still another quadruplet, Rumi says: “You are both the disbeliever and the disbelief and you are worse that these two. You are both the believer and the belief, and you are the head of the two.” (Firuzanfer, Rubaiyat, no. 1940) we should know that this is another way of expressing of the same belief. Just as the farmer is called “kafir” (disbeliever, coverer) since he hides the seed inside the soil, a person who who doesn’t know what is in him and covers the truth is also “kafir”. By the same token, a person who know what is in him is a holder of faith, i.e a believer. Because in the Noble Quran it says that: “Wherever you may be, Allah is with you.” (57/4) A person who is not aware of the Divine Entrustment in him is a disbeliever and a person who is is a believer. When we come across couplets that contain words of “belief” and “disbelief” in the poetry of Rumi and other Sufi poets who consider these Sufi views, i.e. the view of unity, we should not be confused and interpret them wrongly. For example let’s take a look at this couplet of Rumi: “My disbelief, faithlessness, is the mirror of the faith in you. O son, you watch both belief and disbelief in me.” (Divan-i Kebir, v. III, no. 1098)

In this couplet there is an implicit reference to the Prophetic Tradition: “A believer is the mirror to another believer.” Rumi means to say whatever you believe in you see it in me because I am your mirror, you watch and see the belief and disbelief in me.

Rumi doesn’t count the faith of those who worship in ostentation, immature devouts, and those who value the form more than the spirit as faith. He wants to take their fatih from imitation to realization. In a quadruplet he says: “As long as the Islamic university and minaret are not torn down, the spiritual states of the lovers of God who walk on the paths of truth sincerely without ostentation will not attain stability. No slave of Allah can be considered Moslem until worship done for a gain and faith that is based on imitation is viewed as disbelief and the faith of the seeker of truth which is seen as disbelief by those who cannot comprehend the truth is viewed as true faith.” (Firuzanfer, Rubaiyat, no. 804)

In this quadruplet the theme is the faith of those who are not relying on the love of God and who do not raise their faith from imitation to realization. This faith, according to Rumi, is disbelief.

While immature Sufis accuse the lovers of God who don’t give the first priority to formalities, of disbelief, the lovers of God view them as disbelievers because they do not penetrate into the essence and know the truth. Therefore, Rumi says: “Don’t you know that our disbelief is the spirit of Islam?” (Divan-i Kebir, v. V, no. 2508) Rumi reminds us frequently that it is wrong to call someone a disbeliever by just looking at his outside. In another quadruplet Rumi says: “If you walk without seeing the path is the very essence of the mistake. If you rely on your eye thinking that you see everything this is the arrow of calamity. How would you know the true place of those in the Islamic university and the church ans where they actually are by just looking at their outsides, in a metaphorical way, without knowing their essence. Ziya Pasha who said “Crosses were found under the armpits of many pilgrims.” wanted to express the same truth.

As seen in the above examples, let alone calling someone a disbeliever, Rumi transcanded faith and disbelief, he attained love and unity and found God and truth. He explains this matter very clearly and very well in the following quadruplets:

“Outside the world of faith and faithlessness there is a place. That is not place of every young, immature and beautiful person. To attain that unique place and extraordinary level one has to sacrifice his life and heart as a thanks for attaining that place.” (Firuzanfer, no. 394)

In fact that view and spiritual level is not a level that any slave can be blessed with attaining. In another quadruplet Rumi tells of the gnostic who attains that level:

“There is a plain outside the disbelief and Islam. In the middle of the plain is our love. When the gnostic arrives in that plain he puts his head on the ground and prostrates because in that plain there is no disbelief and Islam.” (Firuzanfer, no. 395)

How beautifully explains the great saint Rumi in the following poems how he overcame the obstacles of disbelief, faith, yaqeeen (firm faith) and skepticism with the love of God and attained God and truth:

“If the lover of God speaks of disbelief, the smell of faith and religion comes from his word. And in his words about skepticism there is intrinsic meanings of firm faith.” (Mesnevi, v. I, no. 2882)

“I melted like salt in the sea of clarity, the sea of spiritual joy. There remained no disbelief, faith, yaqeen (firm faith) or skepticism in me. There appeared a star inside my heart. It is such a star that seven heavens and everything vanished in that star.” (Firuzanfer, Rubaiyat, no. 1070)

When you hear about Rumi’s views on religion, faith and disbelief, don’t think that he is putting forward new ideas, i.e. carrying out reforms in the area of religion and faith. These views are not only held by Rumi. But the fact remains that since Rumi was a great and very talented poet in addition to being a great saint he explained this matter that is very difficult to understand and to explain, in a very beautiful and clear manner. Other poets also showed interest to this issue. For example, Hafiz of Shiraz says: “There is no difference between the Kaaba and the temple of idols. Wherever you turn you are with God and whatever you see His Power and Art.”

Another poet he writes: “Sometime I reclude myself in church, sometimes I sit in the mosque. O Allah, I am looking for you house by house. When another poet says: “O Allah I throw into fire and burn this religion and this creed that doesn’t lead me to You. Instead of creed I make Your love my guide. Until when can I hide Your love? All my aim is You, I want You. I have nothing to do with religion or creed.” don’t think of this poet as religonless and creedless. He means to say: “O Allah, I have taken Your love to the forefront, I throw into fire and burn this religion and this creed that doesn’t lead me to You.” When our Yunus Emre said “The creed of love is religion to me.” did he mean to say “I have no religion.”?

Wasn’t it Yunus Emre who took the love of God to the forefront and very sincerely pleaded to God that he wasn’t aspiring for the paradise?

What people call “Paradise! Paradise!”

Is a few houses and houris.

Give them to whoever wants them

But I long for You.

These views that center around the belief of unity and divine love are not only the views of Rumi, Yunus Emre and other poets of Islam, but they are the views of Islam. It is for this tolerance in the Islamic view that Moslems have looked at the people’s religion in the lands they conquered with respect, they didn’t intervene with their beliefs and touch their churches. It is due to this belief that Mehmed II, the Conquerer, who was a 23 year old young man, showed respect to the Byzantine patriarch and reinstated him as the patriarch in his old position. It is because of this tolerance that wherever the crescent (Islam) entered the cross (Christianity) lived but Christians didn’t let Moslems live in the Islamic countries they have taken. Balkans, Greece and Spain are living testimonials to this.