Discourses of Rumi

it is quite surprising that Rumi’s discourses havenot gained more attention. But this is only one ofthe title’s meanings, and by no means the mostimportant.At another level, It Is What It Is asks us not toput into this manuscript more or less than what itis. It is not clothed in the high cloth of religioussanctity, nor does it speak as some authority.Rumi wants us simply to see it for what it is. Hewants us to be emotionally honest and not to getcarried away with the form. In other words, don’tbecome attached to the beauty of this vase, it ismerely a holder of The Rose.At the same time, “It” refers to God. ThereforeGod is what God is. This is the same as theMuslim saying, “There is no God but God.” Inother words, Rumi asks, “What more is there tosay?” All the words here, all the stories and explanationsare saying nothing more than this. Thereis no more to reality than reality. God is. Realityis. It is what it is. Explanations cannot explain it.Words cannot reveal it.And so, “It,” meaning the manuscript, is what“It,” meaning God or reality, is. Therefore, thexviii