Hamid Entezam

Most people aspire to improve themselves- to grow and prosper. Throughout human history, scholars and sages have pondered the nature of personal growth and the means for achieving it. Broadly speaking, two camps have emerged. Materialist thinkers focus on external progress as the path to happiness: a college degree, new and marketable technical skills,  a good-paying job, business and political connections… These also constitute the yardsticks for measuring success in life. Spiritual teachers take a different path; they turn their focus “inward” and anchor personal growth in inner development.  In this presentation, we will discuss some of Rumi’s teachings about self-development.

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Pope Francis died in April 2025. During his tenure as head of the Catholic Church, he worked hard to build bridges between Christians and Muslims. To honor his memory, this presentation explores Rumi’s insights on religious diversity and tolerance. Rumi sees an inherent unity among all messengers of God (and faith traditions by extension). He likens messengers of God to lamps, and their teachings to light:

دَه چراغ اَرْ حاضر آید در مکان                 هر یکی باشد بصورتْ غیرِ آن

فَرق نَتْوان کرد نورِ هر یکی           چون به نورَش رویْ آری، بی‌شکی

“If you put ten lamps in a room, each lamp may have a unique shape and form. The lamps are different, but the light is the same: it comes from Beyond.”

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The Ramadan fast is typically understood as a religious “obligation”; a Muslim is required to fulfill this obligation to secure God’s pleasure. The observant Muslim celebrates the successful discharge of his obligation in Eid al-Fitr. In this view, Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic “holiday” or “festival”. However, both the Ramadan fast and Eid al-Fitr have a much deeper meaning and significance. Muslim mystics view the Ramadan fast as a spiritual discipline; the ultimate goal of the observant Muslim is to foster spiritual development and to cultivate qualities of character. The culmination of his labor is “Fitr”: re-birth and renewal. In this presentation, we will explore the spiritual meaning of  “Eid” and “Fitr” in Islam’s mystical tradition.

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The holy Quran makes a sweeping statement about “suffering”: “Truly, God created man in travail.” (90:4). This is a sobering pronouncement from our Creator: pain and anguish go hand in hand with living in the natural world. However, Rumi sees “meaning” and spiritual value in suffering. Suffering can be transformed into growth. In fact, both Rumi and the Buddha agree that suffering and enlightenment are closely related. In this presentation, we will discuss what the Quran and Rumi say about suffering.

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Spiritual teachers in all religious traditions say that- suffering is an unavoidable part of life. This is a tough pill to swallow for citizens of the modern world, whom are raised to believe that they are entitled to happiness: if you work hard and abide by the rules, you are guaranteed to enjoy a pleasant life. Yet, we can clearly see that suffering visits everyone around us- regardless of their state or status in life. Buddhism arguably has the most comprehensive and systematic teachings on the subject of “suffering”. The Buddha said: “all I teach is suffering and the end of suffering.”  In this presentation, we will explore the Buddha’s teachings on how to cope with suffering in life.

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The rise of Sufism in early Islam coincided with the height of the Dark Ages in Europe. At a time when Europe was plagued by the Inquisition, and the Christian Church burnt people alive at the stake for heresy, Muslim Sufis taught tolerance and respect for “other” faiths. Contemporary Muslim societies have a rich tradition of tolerance in their own history to draw inspiration from. In this presentation, we will discuss real life stories of early Sufi masters and how they practiced tolerance in their daily lives.

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Rumi teaches that “love” is a “healer”: it heals the most devastating disease that can afflict our character- selfishness. Love purges all character flaws and moral defects. Rumi says:

“Anyone whose garment is rent by a mighty love, is purged of covetousness and all defect.
Hail, O’ Love, that bring us good gain- you are the healer of all our ills.
You are the remedy for our pride and vainglory; you are our Plato and our Galen!”

In this presentation, we will discuss Rumi’s teachings on the cure for selfishness, and offer some practical tips to fight selfishness.

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In the Islamic tradition, selfishness (or egoism) is considered the “mother of all vices”. Vices such as greed, envy and arrogance are essentially different faces of  selfishness. This means that one does not have to treat his many vices individually; if he treats his selfishness, all his moral imperfections will fade away! In this presentation, we will draw upon Rumi’s wisdom to learn about selfishness and its various forms / faces.

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Throughout the ages, spiritual traditions have maintained that “ego” is a major obstacle to soul development and God realization. But, there is much more to “ego” than what we typically understand as “selfishness”. At its core, “ego” is an “idea” (mental image) formed around the fundamental question: “who am I?”.  The ego-idea involves how the individual defines herself and what she identifies with. In turn, the ego-idea will heavily influence her  feelings, thoughts, choices and actions. In this presentation, we will examine “ego” as false perception of “self” by drawing upon Rumi’s transformative encounter with his mentor, Shams.

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According to Islam’s oral tradition, the Prophet Mohammad said: die before you die. As Rumi puts it, this is not a death that takes you to a grave, but a death that transforms you and leads you to “light”. In modern language, this is the death of “ego”, which would create a new person in […]

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