All the King's Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation

by John Renard

Overview

All the King's Falcons draws out Rumi's distinctive and creative insights into Islamic religious culture by focusing on his treatment of prophets as instruments in God's communication with humankind. But there is more to Rumi's views of revelation than meets the eye, for he does not view the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, merely as historic individuals who lived and died. Stories and images of the prophets provide this mystic and poet with a way of communicating his rich awareness of the reality of the divine message.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791422229
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	10/11/1994
Series:	Suny Series in Israeli Studies (Paperback)
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John Renard is Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. He is the author of In the Footsteps of Muhammad: Understanding the Islamic Experience and Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Literature and the Visual Arts.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

One · Rumi in the History of Islamic Prophetology

Qur'anic Prophetology

Historical Prophetology

Philosophical Prophetology

Theological Prophetology

Theosophical Prophetology

Mystical Prophetology

Two · Flight of the Royal Falcons: The Dynamics of Prophetic Revelation

The Falcon on the Minaret: Prophets in the World

The Call of the Falcon Drum: The Nature of Revelation

To the Forearm of the King: Functions in Relation to God and Believer

Three · Abraham and Sons

Abraham the Man of Faith

Abraham the Prophet

Abraham the Exemplar

Four · Joseph and His Family

Beauty and Beast

Pit and Prison

Shirt and Scent

Light and Dream

Five · Moses and Company

Birth and Infancy

First Encounter with God

Moses and Pharaoh

Khizr the Prophet and Guide

Six · Jesus and the Other Gospel Figures

Zacharia and John

Mary

Jesus

Theological Dimensions

Seven · The Muhammad of History

Muhammad's Personal History

Muhammad's Personality and Teachings

Eight · The Ahmad of Faith

The Prophet's Relationship with God

Proof of Muhammad's Prophethood

Ahmad's Prophetic Attributes

Afterword

Appendix: Other Prophets in Rumi's Work

Abbreviations

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index of Qur'anic Citations

Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviews the Islamic conception of revelation through prophets as articulated by the revered Sufi mystic and poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (AD 1207-73). Argues that he accepted the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, as historical people who lived and died, but also believed that the stories and images of them are a method by which the divine message is communicated to humans. All the quotations are in English. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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