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What is the role of love in Rumi’s poetry?

Love emerges in Rumi’s poetry as the central, transformative force that guides the soul toward union with the divine. Far from being a mere emotion, love is depicted as the very essence of existence and the ultimate reality underlying all things. Rumi envisions love as the creative energy that sustains the universe, a force that dissolves the boundaries between self and other, lover and beloved, human and divine.

This love is not limited to human relationships but serves as the primary path to spiritual enlightenment. Through passionate metaphors and ecstatic language, Rumi expresses the soul’s longing for the Beloved, a yearning that reflects the profound connection between the individual and the divine. The journey of love involves surrender—letting go of the ego and worldly attachments—so that the soul may be purified and return to its source.

Rumi often illustrates the process of spiritual transformation through the imagery of the moth consumed by the flame, symbolizing the dissolution of separateness in the fire of divine love. Love, in his vision, is a direct form of spiritual knowledge that transcends rational understanding, offering gnosis that cannot be attained through intellect alone. It is a universal language that bridges all beings and traditions, making possible a communion that defies conventional limitations.

Ultimately, Rumi’s poetry portrays love as both the path and the goal: an intoxicating liberation that frees the soul from constraints and guides it toward the deepest union with the divine. Through surrender to love, one experiences its unifying and transcendent power, revealing the interconnectedness of all existence.