His maternal grandmother was a daughter of the great Imām Es-Sarakhsī[11] (died at Damascus A.H. 571, A.D. 1175), who was of the lineage of the Prophet. The mother of Es-Sarakhsī was descended from the Caliph ‘Alī; and Jelāl’s paternal grandmother was a daughter of the King of Kh’ārezm, who resided at Balkh.
Jelāl’s paternal great-great-grandmother, also, the mother of Ahmed, El-Khatībī, grandfather of Jelāl’s father, was a daughter of a king of Balkh. These particulars establish that Jelāl was well descended on both sides, in a mundane and in a spiritual sense. The well-known proverb--
“Hereditary disposition ever insinuates itself,”
proved fully true in his most illustrious case.
When Jelāl was seven years old, he used every morning to recite the very short chapter, cviii., of the Qur’ān--
“Verily we have given unto thee the abounding good. Therefore, do thou perform thy devotions unto thy Lord, and slaughter victims. Verily, he who evil entreateth thee is one who shall leave no issue after him.”
He used to weep as he recited these inspired words.
Suddenly, God one day vouchsafed to appear to him visibly. On this he fainted away. Regaining consciousness, he heard a voice from heaven, that said—
“O Jelālu-’d-Dīn! By the majesty (jelāl) of Our glory, do thou henceforward cease to combat with thyself; for We have exalted thee to the station of ocular vision.”
Jelāl vowed, therefore, out of gratitude for this mark of grace, to serve the Lord to the end of his days, to the utmost of his power; in the firm hope that they who followed him would also attain to that high grade of favour and excellence.
Two years after the death of his father, Jelāl went from Qonya to Haleb (Aleppo) to study. (This account is altogether subversive, as to time and date, of that already given in chap. ii. No. 3.)
As he was known to be a son of Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Veled, and was also an apt scholar, his professor showed him every attention.
Others were offended, and evinced their jealousy at the preference thus accorded to him. They complained to the governor of the city that Jelāl was immoral, as he was in the habit, each night, of quitting his cell at midnight for some unknown purpose. The governor resolved to see and judge for himself. He therefore hid himself in the porter’s room.