Rumi's view on religion and the meaning of life: A Possibility for Interfaith Dialogue

One important question about interfaith dialogue is the shared ground and goal of dialogue. In this paper, I address Rumi’s view on religion and the meaning of life, applying its outcomes to interfaith dialogue. Doing so, I distinguish three approaches to the meaning of life: naturalism, supernaturalism, and absurdism. I show that Rumi is a supernaturalist. In his view, religion's ultimate goal is to open a window toward the world beyond this natural world. Without this connection, life has no meaning. His view of religion and the meaning of life introduces new elements that can lead to a new possibility for interfaith dialogue. I articulate these elements as “complexity of the truth,” “collective journey,” “primacy of meaning over the form,” and “becoming rather than knowing.” Although these elements correspond in some aspects with certain earlier views, I argue that they present a new understanding of interfaith dialogue based on seeing the religious other as the wayfarer of the path of truth in a collective journey and make the followers of one religion open toward learning from others. In this dialogue, the goal is not merely gaining knowledge, but becoming by joining the journey.

کلیدواژه ها:

Meaning of life ، Rumi ، interfaith dialogue ، God ، Collective journey