Murād II and the Passion for Rūmī: A Portion of Bidlīsī’s Hasht Bihisht VI

Abstract

Born in Balkh, sufi poet Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī presents one of the most extensive and vigorous Islamic theories of toleration. This brief note examines the impact of Rūmī’s theory on Murād II by placing it in its fifteenth century Ottoman historical context. It also provides a critical edition of a portion of Idrīs Bidlīsī’s unpublished Hasht Bihisht VI, a sixteenth century Ottoman chronicle which is dedicated to the reign of Murād II.