Angels in Jalal Ad-Din Rumi`s Mathnawi

Abstract

This study has extracted from Jalal ad-Din Rumi`s Mathnawi, an exposition of Islamic angelology - a cosmological discipline of essential importance in Islam. By honing in on couplets directly or indirectly referencing angels, and taking into account the antitheses of the non-angelic nature, a lattice of Islamic angelology was extracted from the Mathnawi. What was achieved was a distillation of Rumi`s understanding of the relationship between Allah and His creation, the man-angel connection, and the cosmological status of both angel and man. The study found that Rumi was of the mindset that if one is to perceive the truth, then the angelic light is the lens through which one must view the cosmos, for the angelic intellect is primed to aid the lover (man) in seeking his Beloved (Allah). The angels are lovers of the Adamic soul, fosterers of the human spirit - they are the well-wishers and devotees of man. The destinies of man and angel are inextricably intertwined, hence man cannot deny the angelic presence if he is to realise his potential as Allah`s khal?fa (vicegerent). A correct understanding of the Creator and His Creation is only possible if one listens with the heart to the angelic inspirations, and follows in the footsteps of the prophets.