Rumi said, “As long as I have life, I am the slave of the Quran. I am dust at the door of Muhammad the Chosen”, and the Mevlevi path is based firmly on Islamic principles. Kabir Helminski, a Mevlevi shaikh, writes ‘It is a rigorous path of initiation and service continually adapting itself to changing circumstances and times…. Mevlevis have always been progressive and liberal in spirit while at the same time conserving the best of tradition.’ The Mevlevis insist that love is at the centre of Islam.