Masnavi

The Masnavi is a long Persian poem composed by Rumi, written in the masnavi form, and is a key text in Sufism. It consists of six books containing roughly 25,000 verses, or 50,000 lines. Some Muslims consider it the second most important work in Islamic literature, after the Quran, and it has been called a "Quran in Persian." Many commentators regard it as the finest mystical poem ever written. The work serves as a spiritual guide, teaching Sufis how to achieve a state of genuine love for God.

Formally titled *Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi*, meaning "The Spiritual Couplets," the poem is a collection of anecdotes and stories drawn from the Quran, hadith, and everyday life. Each tale illustrates a moral point, which is then discussed in depth. While incorporating various Islamic wisdom, the Masnavi emphasizes an inward, personal Sufi interpretation. Compared to Rumi's *Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi*, this text is relatively restrained, explaining spiritual life and practice for disciples and anyone reflecting on life's meaning.

Rumi began dictating the Masnavi late in his life, starting the first book around age 54 in 1258, and continued until his death in 1273, leaving the sixth book unfinished. He began at the request of his disciple Husam al-Din Chalabi, who noticed Rumi's followers reading works by Sana'i and 'Attar. Rumi thus created a didactic work in their style to complement his other poetry. Rumi and Chalabi met regularly, with Rumi delivering verses and Chalabi writing them down and reciting them back. Each book has about 4,000 verses, with its own prose introduction and prologue. The incomplete ending of the sixth volume has led to speculation that the work was unfinished, as well as claims about a missing seventh volume.

The six books are grouped into three pairs by shared themes. Books 1 and 2 focus on the *nafs*, or lower carnal self, and its self-deception. Books 3 and 4 center on Reason and Knowledge, personified by the prophet Moses. Books 5 and 6 explore the idea that one must deny physical existence to understand God. Rumi uses seven principal voices: an Authorial Voice of a Sufi teacher; a Story-telling Voice that may digress; an Analogical Voice for explanations; a Voice of Speech and Dialogue; Moral Reflection supported by Quran and hadith; Spiritual Discourse; and Hiatus, where Rumi questions his own verses. The Masnavi has no overarching plot, moving through popular stories, bazaar scenes, fables, and quotes from the Quran and hadith. Its typical pattern flows as Problem/Theme, Complication, then Resolution.

The classic edition is *The Mathnawi of Jeláluʾddín Rúmí*, edited and translated by R. A. Nicholson, published in eight volumes between 1924 and 1940. Other English translations include James W. Redhouse's 1881 translation of the first book, E. H. Whinfield's 1887 abridged version, C. E. Wilson's 1910 translation of Book II, and Alan Williams's translation of the first book titled *Spiritual Verses*.