Did Rumi inspire Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'?

 

Did Rumi inspire Paulo Coelho's 

'The Alchemist'?

In Paulo Coelho’s famous novel ''The Alchemist'', Santiago dreams of a hidden treasure in Egypt. However, upon reaching Egypt, he learns that the treasure was buried in his own village (Church) all along.  

Where did Coelho get the inspiration for this novel? Interestingly, a similar story appears in Part VI of Rumi’s world-renowned ''Masnavi''. Hence, it was proved again that much of modern popular literature is, in essence, old wine in new bottles. Whether you accept it or not, Coelho did study ''Masnavi'' before writing 'The Alchemist''. 

 Was Rumi a misogynist?

Here is a couplet from Rumi’s ''Masnavi'' that appears in Part VI and deals with the dream about the treasure:  

خواب زن کمتر ز خواب مرد داں  

از پئے نقصان عقل و ضعف جاں 

Translation:  

"The dreams of a woman are less meaningful than those of a wise man,  

Because of her intellectual deficiency and fragility of soul.''

Now, to those modern Muslims who criticize the Quran while glorifying Rumi and labelling themselves as “Sufis,” will they renounce their so-called Sufism because Maulana Rumi held such views about women?  

Hahaha! The night is dark, so we call it dark. The day is bright, so we call it bright. No modern theory can ever rewrite the unchangeable truths of history.  

Are women same as men? 

Women, in certain aspects, are weaker than men. For example, you rarely see women constructing railway lines, roads or houses. They are not commonly seen cleaning underground sewers or climbing electric poles to install electric wires. Women are also less present on the frontlines/borders when nations are fighting for their survival or dignity. Similarly, tasks like climbing tall trees to prune them or harvesting fruits from big trees are exclusively done by men.  

Most importantly, it is uncommon to find women taking on the sole responsibility of earning for their families while their healthy husbands stay at home caring for the children. Can you name a household where, for decades, a wife works outside daily while her healthy husband stays home? Such cases are exceedingly rare.  

There’s a reason women have separate sports teams, separate sports tournaments and reservations in many employment fields. Women are as much human beings as men, but they possess distinct strengths and roles in society. They are equal but not identical. All logical men and women accept these facts, however, fanatic feminists grow furious hearing such things. That is what Rumi says in his Masnavi: 

خواب زن کمتر ز خواب مرد داں  

از پئے نقصان عقل و ضعف جاں 

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Note: Those who still believe that average women are smarter than average men must watch the video by clicking on the words written in pink:

A Boy in Delhi Befooled 700 women? 

Ten women fail to catch a bride 

Should a woman cook and clean?