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Were Shams Tabrizi and Rumi real people, what information do the Sunni community have about Shams Tabrizi, can he be considered a sorcerer, and what is the relationship between the Dervishes and the Sufi order?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Jalal al-Din al-Rumi was a misguided Sufi, adhering to Ibn Arabi's doctrine of wahdat al-wujud (unity of existence). As for Shams al-Din al-Tabrizi, he was a Sufi under whom Rumi studied, and his life remains obscure. He earned his living by interpreting dreams and palmistry, which falls under the forbidden practice of soothsaying. The Dervishes are ascetic Sufis who live on the charity of others, and they may also be referred to as "the poor" (al-fuqara').

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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