"Of all the speakers throughout the world, Dr. Naini is the only one who knows by heart

the important parts of Mathnavi and Divane Shams and translates them so beautifully

and accurately into English."

H.E. Ravan Farhadi, Ph. D.

Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations

Internationally recognized scholar and former Professor of Persian Literature at the University of California, Berkeley and Sorbonne.

Dr. Zikria wrote the following poem in honor of Dr. Naini after attending his talk on the previous night.

Last Night

Last night I was uplifted
To the highest peaks of skies
For just a few timeless minutes.
I’ve flown before many times
In jumbo jets and fast planes
Up in the thin stratospheres
Where clouds were so inferior
To five senses of my brain.
They rolled and bunched up as slaves
Under my feet, my iron throne.
Then Naini’s voice pierced the skies
Built as a lapis- lazuli dome
For God’s eternal firmament
With resounding affirmation of Rumi’s
“I was not made of dust alone”.
I was in a starlit great dome
Filled with suns and galaxies
Full of God’s Love and Wisdom
I was unaware of my body
Or my worldly senseless thoughts.
I cried nascent ecstasy:
Exultatus – Jubilatus.
Exultatus – Jubilatus.
Revolving and twirling in His
Timeless, ineffable Hall.
 

BAZ

Dr. Bashir A. Zikria
Emeritus Professor of Surgery
College of Physicians & Surgeons
Columbia University
New York City, NY
 

"Not only are Dr. Naini's discussions of Rumi's life and work very insightful, but the translations of Rumi's poetry are accurate, inspired, and skillfully rendered into English. Rather than following the path of some other translators of this poetry who merely render their own summarized understanding, Dr. Naini has remained faithful to the words and ideas of Rumi. He deserves our gratitude for his great effort."

M. R. Ghanoonparvar, Ph.D.
Chair, Conference on Iranian Studies
Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature
The University of Texas at Austin
Author of Translating the Garden

"Through Dr. Naini's inspired and accurate translations and easy-to -read commentaries of these selected poems of Rumi, we are transported into the magical and transformative spiritual gardens of Rumi where our hearts are invited to savour the depth and the beauty of the greatest mystical poet and lover of all times."

Fereydoun Parsa, M.D.

Chief of Plastic Surgery Division

University of Hawaii

John A. Burns School of Medicine

"Wow!  I just got back from Dr. Naini's talk on Rumi.  It was just amazing. Especially the Q&A session was exceptionally impressive.  Any question that was asked, regardless of the subject, was responded to by a poem from Molana (Rumi). The depth of his knowledge of Molana's poetry and his ability to recite a poem appropriate to the subject on the fly an to English, is unparalleled. I suggest you take a look at this tour schedule and try to go to one of his lectures. If you cannot make it this time, contact him for when he may be back in your neck of the woods. And of course, do your friends a favor and forward this schedule to them."

Siamak Farah

CEO and founder

InfoStreet, Inc.

"He is a wonderful speaker.  He has studied Rumi for decades. The beauty of this man is that he is so into the teachings of Rumi and into teaching others about it."

Rev. Barbara Lunde

Pastor of the Science of Mind Center

Boca Raton, FL

Selected comments on Dr. Naini’s talks:

"It truly was amazing! Very informative... I can't think of a better way I could have spent my Sunday afternoon. Thank you"

"That was an awesome lecture, spoken eloquently by a wonderful man."

"Very nice! Thanks for bringing something like this to light. I didn't anticipate such a fulfilling lecture. Thanks again"

"I also would like to say thanks for hosting such a wonderful program...I was really captivated by the lecture"

"Lovely!! awesome program"

“Just wanted to express my gratitude for the incredible evening with you sharing your thoughts and knowledge on Rumi. It will be a night I will remember for a long time.”

“Thank you for creating such a beautiful, profound and soulful evening for all on Tuesday night in Culver City. And

thanks for signing two books for me. I treasure one and keep it close to my heart and gift one to dear ones to enjoy.”

"Dr. Naini is a powerful speaker. I found the talk on Rumi both intellectual and spiritual."

"I went to one of his talks and he was fabulous. I think that Rumi's messages are the same messages as other religious scholars who have taught through the years. He talks about peace, love and unity in the world.”

“I did attend Dr. Naini's lecture in 2003 at Yale, which prompted me to contact you, hoping that he would be able to return.  Both eloquent and knowlegeable, he is a truly gifted speaker.”

© Copyright 2002-2008 Dr. Majid M. Naini. All rights reserved