Rumi

1207–1273 · Persian (Balkh/Konya) · Medieval Islamic Golden Age

Known for: The most widely read poet in the world, master of ecstatic mystical verse

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was a respected Islamic scholar and jurist in Konya (modern Turkey) until his transformative encounter with the wandering dervish Shams-e Tabrizi around 1244, which shattered his academic reserve and unleashed a torrent of ecstatic poetry. When Shams disappeared—possibly murdered by jealous disciples—Rumi's grief produced some of the most passionate love poetry ever written.

He founded the Mevlevi Order of whirling dervishes and composed over 65,000 verses, often in states of musical ecstasy. His major works—the Masnavi and the Divan-e Shams—explore divine love, spiritual longing, and human transformation. He preached universal love transcending religious boundaries. He is now the best-selling poet in America in translation.

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