ALL THE KING’S FALCONS -Rumi on Prophets and Revelation

ALL THE KING’S FALCONS Rumi on Prophets and Revelation John Renard This book looks at Riaml’s insights into the meaning of the second half of the basic Muslim creed, namely, the nature and function of revelation through prophets. 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 Riamis 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. John Renard has chosen this topic as the basis for his investigations into Rami’s theological approach. Trained as a theologian and orientalist, he is in a position to put Mawlana’s prophetology into the central place where it belongs, and many of Mawlana’s numerous allusions to the prophets offer a fascinating picture of the various aspects of a prophet’s role. Thus, the book will be an eye-opener for many of Mawlana’s admirers.