Although his nisba denotes an origin from the city of Tabriz,
Shams-i Tabrī zī is known to have travelled the word, with the characteristic avoiding religious
establishments and preferring to stay in more secular environments such as caravansarays. He visited different
regions in the Middle East where he met with some of the most renowned Sufi masters of his time. For example,
in Iran he met Awḥ ad al-Dī n Kirmā nī and in
Syria, he encountered the famous Ibn ʿArabī.
However, Shamswas allegedly not as fond of the Iberian Sufi because he “did not follow the Sharīʿa”
( (Schimmel, Annemarie. "S̲h̲ams-i Tabrīz(ī)." Encyclopaedia of Islam. , [n.d.].)). In the early decades of the 13th century [1200-1299 CE], he came to Anatolia and acted
as a teacher in the city of Erzurum (Turkey). However, one night
he had a dream that would guide him to Konya, where he finally met
Rūmī.
It is the relationship between these two Sufi dervishes what would inspire them both in their understanding of Sufism.
In the mevlevi literature, Shams-i Tabrī zī is often connected to the Kubrawiya Sufi order, however, some scholars have suggested that he might also
have been closely connected to the group of antinomian dervishes generally known as Qalandars. ( (Lewis, Franklin. Rumi: past and present, east and west : the life, teaching and poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rumi. Oxford and Boston: Oneworld, 2000., pp. XXX)). In Konya, he seems to have made some enemies among the nobles of the city and followers of
Rūmī.
Due to the growing hostility, he left the city in early 643 AH [1246 CE] only
to be found in Damascus by Rūmī’s son
Sultan Valad,
who brought Shams-i Tabrī zī back to Anatolia.
After his return, Shams stayed for a while with Rūmī and married a girl of his household.
Unfortunately, the girl died soon afterword and only a few days later, Shams-i Tabrī zī disappeared on
5 Shaʿbān 645 [1247 CE]. He was not to be seen again and his disappearance
became a symbol of the high spiritual level acquired by Shams among mevlevi followers. However, more
mundane reasons for the “disapearence” have been suggested such as the possible murder of Shams
at the hands of one of Rūmī’s sons. ( (Schimmel, Annemarie. "S̲h̲ams-i Tabrīz(ī)." Encyclopaedia of Islam. , [n.d.].)) The literary activity of Shams is
limited if compared to other Sufi authors, with most of what we know about his beliefs, teachings and life comes
from the work of other mevlevi authors such as Rūmī, Sultan ValadSipahsā lā r or Aflākī.
His writings are mostly notes taken by him or his followers out of his teachings and compiled by Rūmī and
Sultan Valad
under different names, with the title Maqālāt-i Shams
(Discurses of Shams) as the most popular way of referring to it. Like in the case of the teaching of Rūmī’s
father Baha al-Din Valad, the sayings of Shams were never properly edited and only kept in different
compilations in manuscript form belonging to members of the Mevlevi order until modern times.
( (Lewis_2000>pp. 135-6)).
