Ibrahim Gamard Effendi

[Christopher Starbuck]

Salaam aleikum.

My friends - as I read these posts on Dar-al-Masnavi over the years, I feel you are all missing something. People seem to write to Ibrahim Gamard Effendi to check out "the correct versions" of Rumi, to see which translation is more accurate, to correct what each of us might think is a "wrong image" of Rumi... And Ibrahim Effendi will patiently and dedicatedly reply as best he can, as a Mesnevi scholar.

... But Ibrahim Effendi is a Mevlevi dervish, a true Dede in our tradition...  initiated first by Mevlevi sheikh Suleyman Hayati Dede, bonded deeply with his Mevlevi sheikh Sefik Can Efendi, and authorized as a Mevlevi sheikh by Faruk Hemdem Celebi Efendi (the international leader of the Mevlevi Order) with whom he has a strong connection

You ask the wrong questions of him - underneath what he says, there is something else you should be asking - as Shams said of Mevlana!

From Ibrahim Effendi, you could all learn the true essence of Mevlevihood, learn to be dervishes from this man who has sat patiently and lovingly at the feet of the most beautiful Mevlevis of the last century.

There are few Old Ones left in our tradition, few who have given their lives to it as Ibrahim Effendi has done.

Ask him less, or not only, about queries concerning the Mesnevi - become open to what you may learn more deeply about yourself and God if you approach him and ask to learn to become Mevlana's mureeds, not only readers of Rumi.

Ibrahim Gamard Effendi is a real treasure, and a mirror for your own real treasure if you can become clear hearted and empty.. For a while, become nothing and ask to be guided by him, to learn the Way of Mevlana.

Don't let him off so easily... underneath his scholar's intellect, the beautiful heart of a Mevlevi dervish is radiating light!

Eyvallah,

Chris Abu Amel,

a poor student of Mevlana

[Christopher Starbuck]

Here is a lovely video of Ibrahim Gamard Effendi presenting verses by Rumi's son, Sultan Veled. Ibrahim Effendi recites some of the quatrains beautifully in Persian...

https://vimeo.com/44381840

[Ibrahim]

Here is the English text of the paper presented at the conference:

http://dar-al-masnavi.org/pdf/walad-symposium.pdf

Here is the Persian text of the selected quatrains of Sultan Valad:

http://dar-al-masnavi.org/pdf/walad-symposium-text.pdf

Ibrahim