Unraveling the Mystery: Who Was the Real “Shams” in Rumi’s Life?

The Controversy Explained

For centuries, a fascinating historical puzzle has perplexed scholars and spiritual seekers alike: Who was the mysterious “Shams” who transformed Jalaluddin Rumi from a conventional scholar into history’s most celebrated poet of divine love? The confusion stems from the fact that three distinct historical figures named “Shams” lived during roughly the same period, each with connections to Tabriz, Sufism, and spiritual leadership.

This article examines the evidence surrounding:

1. Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248) — The famous Sufi mystic traditionally recognized as Rumi’s teacher

2. Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad (c. 1230–1310) — The 28th Nizari Ismaili Imam

3. Pir Shams Sabzwari (c. 1244–1356) — The Ismaili missionary buried in Multan, Pakistan

The Three “Shams” Phenomenon

Figure 1: Shams Tabrizi — Rumi’s Spiritual Mentor

Lifespan: 1185–1248 CE

Origin: Tabriz, Persia

Role: Wandering Sufi dervish and poet

The overwhelming consensus in Persian literature and academic sources identifies Shams Tabrizi (also called Shams al-Din Mohammad) as Rumi’s spiritual mentor. Their legendary meeting occurred in Konya around 1244 CE, when Shams challenged Rumi’s scholarly approach to spirituality, leading to an intense companionship that transformed Rumi from a jurist and theologian into an ecstatic poet of divine love.

Key Evidence:

•         Rumi’s monumental work Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi is explicitly dedicated to him

•         Their relationship is one of the most documented spiritual partnerships in Islamic mysticism

•         Tradition holds that Shams taught Rumi in seclusion for periods of forty days before fleeing to Damascus

•         He retired to Khoy (now in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran), where he died and is buried

Shams Tabrizi emphasized finding God within oneself and dissolving boundaries between teacher and student, lover and beloved. After his mysterious disappearance (possibly murdered by jealous followers around 1247–1248), Rumi channeled his grief into thousands of verses where Shams is invoked as a symbol of the divine beloved.

Figure 2: Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad — The Ismaili Imam

Lifespan: c. 1230–1310 CE

Imamate: 1257–1310 CE (53 years)

Origin: Fortress of Maimundiz

Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad was the 28th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili community, born during the period of Mongol invasions. He succeeded to the Imamat in 1257 after the execution of his father, Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah, by the Mongols. His life was marked by concealment (taqiya) to evade persecution.

Key Characteristics:

•         Known as Agha Shams in Syria and Shah Shams in India

•         Also referred to as Shamsu’l Haq in Iranian poems

•         Adopted the guise of a Sufi mystic and worked as an embroiderer, earning the nickname Zarduz

•         Settled near Tabriz in Azerbaijan, where he was sometimes called “Shams Tabriz” due to his radiant presence

The Chronological Problem:

Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad was allegedly born around 1230–1250 CE, while Shams Tabrizi died in 1248 CE. This timeline makes it chronologically impossible for the Ismaili Imam to have been Rumi’s teacher, as he would have been an infant or not yet born when Shams Tabrizi died.

Figure 3: Pir Shams Sabzwari — The Ismaili Missionary

Lifespan: c. 1244–1356 CE

Origin: Sabzwar, Iran

Role: Ismaili missionary (Da’i)

Pir Shams Sabzwari (also called Shamsuddin Sabzwari Multani) was an Ismaili missionary who traveled extensively to spread the faith in regions including Badakhshan, Tibet, Kashmir, Punjab, and India. He settled and is buried in Multan, Pakistan.

Sources of Confusion:

•         His name “Shams” and missionary work led to him being confused with Shams Tabrizi in some South Asian traditions

•         His tomb in Multan has sometimes been erroneously linked to Shams Tabrizi

•         He composed Ginans (devotional hymns) that narrate his travels and spiritual teachings

Important Distinction: No direct ties between Pir Shams and Rumi are documented. Their lives barely overlapped, and they operated in different spiritual and geographical spheres.

The “Embroiderer” Connection: How the Confusion Began

The primary link between the Ismaili Imam and Rumi’s teacher is a shared epithet that caused historical biographies to blur over centuries.

The Transference of Identity

Research by scholars such as Shafique Virani reveals that the epithet “zarduz” (the embroiderer) was originally associated with Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad, who worked as an embroiderer while living anonymously in Tabriz. This detail somehow transferred to biographies of Shams Tabrizi, who was actually a weaver and basket-maker by trade.

This transference indicates that biographers may have conflated the two figures, transferring details from the Ismaili Imam’s secretive life to the more famous Sufi mystic.

The Ismaili Perspective

Within the Ismaili tradition, there exists a belief that Shams Tabrizi, the teacher of Rumi, was himself an Ismaili. Aga Khan III is recorded to have stated at the Evian Conference in 1952 that “Shams Tabriz was Ismaili,” while clarifying that “Rumi was not an Ismaili though pupil of an Ismaili.” Some Ismaili sources also explicitly describe him as an “Ismaili Iranian Sufi mystic.”

However, these claims do not resolve the fundamental chronological issues:

•         Rumi was born in 1207 CE

•         Shams Tabrizi died in 1248 CE

•         Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad’s Imamate began in 1257 CE

What the Historical Sources Actually Say

The Mainstream Academic View

The weight of historical evidence clearly supports Shams Tabrizi as Rumi’s true spiritual inspiration:

1.       Chronological Consistency: Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248) was alive during Rumi’s formative period (Rumi was born in 1207), while Imam Shamsuddin would have been too young or not yet born.

2.       Literary Evidence: Rumi’s Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi explicitly names Shams of Tabriz, and the poetry describes their relationship in intimate detail.

3.       Geographical Consistency: Shams Tabrizi was from Tabriz and traveled to Konya where he met Rumi, while Imam Shamsuddin was associated with Azerbaijan and the Alamut region.

4.       Academic Consensus: Mainstream Persian literary studies and historical sources consistently identify Shams Tabrizi as Rumi’s teacher.

The Ginan Traditions: Pir Shams Sabzwari

The Ginans attributed to Pir Shams preserve memory, devotion, and identity—but not modern historiography. His life story exists on a spectrum from plausible historical reconstruction to hagiographic legend.

Most Reliable Elements:

•         Missionary activity in Multan, Punjab, and Sindh (strong historical grounding)

•         Use of vernacular languages (Sindhi, Multani, Gujarati-like dialects)

•         Cultural adaptation of teaching (use of Indic cosmology, Bhakti-style devotion)

•         Travel within northwestern India along documented trade and pilgrimage routes

Legendary Elements:

•         Journeys to Tibet and remote Himalayas (no Tibetan or Central Asian sources mention him)

•         Miraculous conversions and supernatural acts (standard hagiographic motifs)

•         The “Fourteen Regions” mission (likely symbolic of universality rather than literal travel)

•         The famous Gujarat Navratri Garbi episode (plausible but stylized—Pir Shams allegedly joined Hindu festival dances, composed 28 garbis, and converted participants)

Separating Fact from Fiction

What We Can Say with Confidence

About Shams Tabrizi and Rumi:

•         Shams Tabrizi (d. 1248) was Rumi’s spiritual teacher

•         Their meeting in Konya (c. 1244) transformed Rumi’s life and work

•         Rumi’s Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi stands as testament to their relationship

•         Shams Tabrizi was likely a Sufi mystic, possibly with Ismaili connections (according to some traditions), but distinct from the Ismaili Imam

About Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad:

•         He was the 28th Nizari Ismaili Imam (1257–1310)

•         He lived in concealment in Tabriz and Azerbaijan

•         He was known as “Zarduz” (the embroiderer)

•         He was not Rumi’s teacher (chronologically impossible)

•         He may have been a contemporary of Rumi for the last 16 years of Rumi’s life (1257–1273), but there is no evidence of direct contact

About Pir Shams Sabzwari:

•         He was an Ismaili missionary active in South Asia

•         He composed Ginans that blend Islamic and Indic spiritual concepts

•         He is buried in Multan, Pakistan

•         He had no documented relationship with Rumi

The Source of Confusion

The conflation of these figures results from:

1. Similar names: All three are called “Shams” (Arabic for “sun”)

2. Tabriz connections: Both Shams Tabrizi and Imam Shamsuddin were associated with Tabriz

3. Sufi-Ismaili overlaps: Imam Shamsuddin disguised himself as a Sufi mystic 4. Transfer of biographical details: The “embroiderer” epithet moved from the Imam to the Sufi mystic in later accounts

5. Hagiographic expansion: Communities often magnify founding figures, leading to legendary accounts that obscure historical facts

Conclusion

The evidence overwhelmingly supports Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248) as the historical figure who inspired Rumi. The chronological impossibility of Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad (c. 1230–1310) serving as Rumi’s teacher, combined with the explicit dedication of Rumi’s Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi to the mystic from Tabriz, makes the case clear.

The confusion between these figures is a rich example of how history, hagiography, and oral tradition can intertwine over centuries. The Ismaili Imam’s life and epithet became entangled with the biography of Rumi’s famous teacher, while Pir Shams Sabzwari’s missionary work in South Asia created additional layers of confusion.

For readers of Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love, the novel draws on the established tradition of Shams Tabrizi as Rumi’s teacher. While the book takes creative liberties, it follows the mainstream historical narrative rather than the Ismaili Imam theory.

The “forty rules” themselves are attributed to Shams Tabrizi in the novel, reflecting the traditional association of these spiritual teachings with the famous Sufi master. Whether these rules historically originated with Shams Tabrizi or represent later Sufi wisdom compiled under his name, they capture the essence of the transformative relationship that changed Rumi—and through him, millions of readers across centuries.

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Key Timeline for Reference:

•         1185: Shams Tabrizi born in Tabriz

•         1207: Rumi born in Balkh

•         1244: Rumi meets Shams Tabrizi in Konya

•         1248: Shams Tabrizi dies in Khoy

•         1256: Fall of Alamut; Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah surrenders to Mongols

•         1257: Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah executed; Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad begins Imamate

•         1273: Rumi dies in Konya

•         1310: Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad dies

•         1356: Pir Shams Sabzwari dies in Multan

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Sources: Academic Persian literature studies, Ismaili historical texts (including Noorum Mubin), Ginanic traditions, and scholarly works by Shafique Virani, Asani, and Nanji.