Jal¿l ad-D¿n Muhammad R¿m¿, also known as Jal¿l ad-D¿n Muhammad Balkh¿, and more popularly simply as Rumi (1207 - 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi's influence transcends national borders.His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the "most popular poet".