Why Iran's grand ayatollahs are fighting over Rumi

Plans to make a movie about Rumi, a 13th-century Persian Sufi poet, have once again revived an old quarrel between two currents among Iranian clerics — one that celebrates him as a great mystic and another that opposes his teachings as deviation and heresy.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, known in Iran as Mowlana, was born in 1207 in Balkh, which was situated in Iran’s greater Khorasan then but currently within the borders of Afghanistan. When the Mongols invaded Iran, Rumi’s father, a theologian, jurist and a mystic, fled. He traveled across the region and finally settled in Konya, a city in today’s Turkey. Rumi followed in the footsteps of his father; after attending seminary schools, he also became a highly respected mujtahid — a cleric able to deduce jurisprudential rulings — and had a strong following.

While in his forties, Rumi met Shams ad-Din of Tabriz — known as Shams al-Tabrizi — a wandering philosopher and poet who later became Rumi’s mentor. The friendship that developed between the two men and the strong influence of Shams on Rumi displeased Rumi’s friends, followers and family and they eventually forced Shams away. Some accounts said Shams was killed by one of Rumi's disciples. His mentor’s absence drove Rumi further to the mysticism known as Sufism, philosophy and poetry for the rest of his life. After he died in Konya in 1273, his mausoleum there became a shrine, with an annual festival attracting Sufis from around the world.

Now, nearly 750 years after Rumi's death, award-winning Iranian director Hassan Fathi, known in Iran for the hit series “Shahrzad,” announced Sept. 22 that he would produce a movie titled “Drunk on Love” about the much-speculated relationship between Rumi and Shams. The role of Shams is to be played by Shahab Hosseini, who was named best actor for his role in Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.