Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi or simply known as Rumi was a 13th-century mystical Muslim scholar. Though he has not been on this physical plane for several hundred years, he is still very popular especially amongst American pop stars like Madonna. Here is a snippet from a fascinating BBC article on this most interesting poet:

Translations of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi's - better known as Rumi - verse are hugely popular and have been used by Western pop stars such as Madonna.

They are attracted by his tributes to the power of love and his belief in the spiritual use of music and dancing - although scholars stress that he was talking about spiritual love between people and God, not earthly love.

Rumi, whose 800th birth anniversary falls on Sunday, was born in 1207 in Balkh in Central Asia, now part of Afghanistan.

I came here to see whether he has much resonance in his native country which, under the Taleban, went so far as to ban music.

Full BBC Article Here

"Mawlana says - if the sky is not in love, then it will not be so clear. If the sun is not in love, then it will not be giving any light. If the river is not in love, then it will be in silence, it will not be moving. If the mountains, the earth are not in love, then there will be nothing growing."

What an amazing quote that demonstrates why perhaps this poets continuing popularity. His words are as relevant today as they were centuries ago.......