Rumi, the 13th century Muslim poet, will be the subject of the Insights from World Religions discussion on Monday, Sept. 10, at 4:30 p.m. at Coastal Carolina University's Lackey Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Eleanor Finnegan from CCU's department of Philosophy and Religious Studies will moderate the conversation about the Sufi mystic and his universal message of love. Finnegan earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Colgate University, a master's degree in theological studies with a focus on Islamic studies from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. in religion from the University of Florida.

Rumi, born in 1207, is considered to be one of the world's most revered mystical poets and one of its greatest spiritual masters. A founder of the Malawi Sufi order, a mystical brotherhood of Islam, Rumi's poems speaks about the absolute love of God, using everyday situations in life to detail the spiritual world. Following the death of his father in 1231, Rumi would use his extensive knowledge in religion and positive sciences as a professor of religious studies.

Rumi's best known collection of poetry, "Masnavi-I, Ma'navi," teaches Sufis how to reach their goal of being in true love with God. Six books make up the entire collection, which are then broken into three groups of two.

Each group is linked by a common theme. Books one and two deal with the lower carnal self and its self-deception and evil tendencies. Books three and four concern reason and knowledge, and books five and six connect on the universal idea that man must deny his physical earthly existence to understand God's existence.

For more information, contact the Jackson Family Center for Ethics And Values at 843-349-2440 or visit www.coastal.edu/jacksoncenter.