Reframing Rumi and Shams: A Critical Study of Western Interpretations of Mystical Companionship

This study explores the ways in which the Western and secular interpretations often tend to misunderstand and eroticize the relationship between Rumi and Shams. By detaching this connection from its religious context, the modern interpretation fails to recognize the spiritual depth of their friendship. Through the qualitative analysis of literary and hermeneutic sources, this research aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the Sufi poet and his companion, Shams of Tabriz. This analysis includes close reading of the Divan-e-Shams as well as several early biographical and traditional commentaries on this literary heritage. It argues that the Western reception of this work tends to misinterpret Sufi vocabulary and erase Islam-specific theological nuances. This research highlights the most salient concepts of Sufism, namely ‘Ishq (divine love), fanā’ (annihilation), khalwa (seclusion), firāq (parting), sohbat (companionship), in order to reveal the true spiritual meaning of Rumi’s verses about Shams. This study concludes that the image of Rumi and Shams’s friendship is built on a spiritual foundation, while modern Western reinterpretations attempt to sexualize and decontextualize their relationship.