Šhams al-Dīn Ahmad Aflākī

Shamsuddin Ahmad Aflaki (Persian: شمسالدین احمد افلاکی; d. 1360 CE), also known as Aflākī ʿĀrefī, was a 13th–14th-century Persian scholar, astronomer, and hagiographer best known for his biographical works on the Sufi mystic Rumi and his disciples. His writings remain pivotal sources for understanding the Mevlevi Order and Rumi's spiritual legacy.

Early life and education Aflaki was born between 1286 and 1291 CE, likely outside Konya (modern-day Turkey). His father was a scholar at the court of Awrang Khan of the Golden Horde. Aflaki later migrated to Konya, where he studied under prominent scholars such as Serāj-al-Dīn Maṯnawīḵᵛān and Neẓām-al-Dīn Arzanǰānī. He initially pursued astronomy and pharmacology before devoting himself to Sufism under the guidance of Awlā ʿĀref Čelebī, a descendant of Rumi's lineage. This work is also translated into Turkish and later into European languages, including French (Les saints des derviches tourneurs) and English (The Feats of the Knowers of God). Hundred Tales of Wisdom: A condensed collection of anecdotes and parables from Manāqeb al-ʿārefīn, highlighting Rumi's spiritual insights. His texts also offer sociological and cultural insights into medieval Anatolia, particularly the Seljuk-era Sufi networks.