The transference of the epithet to the biography of Rumi’s mentor suggests that this Imam’s biography must have been known to Shams-i Tabrīzī’s biographers. This however, is not the occupation listed by Haji Bektash Veli in the Maqālat and was rather the epithet given to the Ismaili Imam Shams al-din Muhammad, who worked as an embroiderer while living in anonymity in Tabriz.
![shams tabrizi tomb shams tabrizi tomb](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f9/2c/fb/f92cfb26e41ed22a7de918356037355a.jpg)
Despite his occupation as a weaver, Shams received the epithet of “the embroiderer” ( zarduz) in various biographical accounts including that of the Persian historian Dawlatshah. Before meeting Rumi, he apparently traveled from place to place weaving baskets and selling girdles for a living. Shams received his education in Tabriz and was a disciple of Baba Kamal al-Din Jumdi.
![shams tabrizi tomb shams tabrizi tomb](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/26/81/60/shams-e-tabrizi-tomb.jpg)
However, various scholars have questioned Aflaki’s reliability. Apparently basing his calculations on Haji Bektash Veli’s Maqālāt ( Conversations), Aflaki suggests that Shams arrived in Konya at the age of sixty years. In a work entitled Manāqib al-‘arifīn ( Eulogies of the Gnostics), Aflaki names a certain ‘Ali as the father of Shams-i Tabrīzī and his grandfather as Malikdad.
![shams tabrizi tomb shams tabrizi tomb](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/09/3c/ce/87/shams-tabrizi-tomb.jpg)
Books: Discourse of Shams Tabrizi, Me & Rumi, Rumi’s sun LifeĪccording to Sipah Salar, a devotee and intimate friend of Rumi who spent forty days with him, Shams was the son of the Imam Ala al-Din.