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{{Short description|Persian poetic work on Sufism by Rumi}}
{{About|the Sufi poem by Rumi|the type of poem|Masnavi (poetic form)}}
{{Italics title}}
[[Image:Turkey.Konya049.jpg|thumb|250px|{{center|''Masnavi'', a calligraphic specimen from 1490, [[Mevlana Museum]], [[Konya]], Turkey }}]]
The '''''Masnavi''''' ({{langx|fa|مثنوی معنوی|italic=yes}}, [[DIN 31635|DMG]]: ''Mas̲navī-e maʻnavī''), also written '''''Mathnawi''''', or '''''Mathnavi''''', is an extensive [[Mathnawi]] (a poetic form), written in [[Persian language|Persian]] by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi/Rumi, also known as [[Rumi]]. It is a series of six books of poetry that together amount to around 25,000 verses or 50,000 lines.<ref name="Tafsir Masnavi">Allamah Mohamad Taghi Jafari, ''Tafsir Masnavi''</ref><ref name="Tafsir Masnavi Ma'navi">Karim Zamani, ''Tafsir Masnavi Ma'navi''</ref> The ''Masnavi'' is one of the most influential works of [[Sufism]], ascribed to be like a "[[Quran]] in Persian".<ref>{{cite book|author=Jawid Mojaddedi|chapter=Introduction|title=Rumi, Jalal al-Din. The Masnavi, Book One|publisher=Oxford University Press (Kindle Edition)|year=2004|page=xix}}</ref> Some Muslims regard the ''Masnavi'' as one of the most important works of Islamic literature, falling behind only the Quran.<ref>Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature.&nbsp;(2013).&nbsp;(n.p.):&nbsp;Taylor & Francis.</ref> It has been viewed by many commentators as the greatest mystical poem in world literature.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jawid Mojaddedi|chapter=Introduction|title=Rumi, Jalal al-Din. The Masnavi, Book One|publisher=Oxford University Press (Kindle Edition)|year=2004|pages=xii-xiii|quote=Towards the end of his life he presented the fruit of his experience of Sufism in the form of the Masnavi, which has been judged by many commentators, both within the Sufi tradition and outside it, to be the greatest mystical poem ever written.}}</ref> 
It is a spiritual text that teaches Sufis how to reach their goal of being truly in love with God.<ref>Jalāl, Al-Dīn Rūmī, and Alan Williams. Spiritual Verses: the Book of the Masnavi-ye Manavi. London: Penguin, 2006. Print</ref>

== General description ==
[[File:Jalal al-Din Rumi, Showing His Love for His Young Disciple Hussam al-Din Chelebi.jpg|thumb|A [[Persian miniature]] depicting [[Jalal al-Din Rumi]] showing love for his disciple Hussam al-Din Chelebi ({{circa|1594}})]]

The title ''Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi'' ({{langx|fa|مثنوی معنوی|italic=yes}}) means "The Spiritual [[Masnavi (poetic form)|Couplets]]". The ''Masnavi'' is a poetic collection of anecdotes and stories derived from the [[Quran]], [[hadith]]<ref>[[Badiozzaman Forouzanfar]] has published a compilation of the hadith quoted in the Masnavi, under the title ''Ahadith-i Mathnawi'' (full title: Aḥadíth va qiṣaṣ-i-Mathnaví: talfiqí az dú kitáb ‘Aḥadíth-i- Mathnaví' va 'Má'khidh-i- qiṣaṣ va tamthílát-i- Mathnaví; 1955).</ref> sources, and everyday tales. Stories are told to illustrate a point and each moral is discussed in detail. It incorporates a variety of Islamic wisdom, but primarily focuses on emphasizing inward personal Sufi interpretation. In contrast to Rumi's ''[[Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi]]'', the ''Masnavi'' is a relatively "sober" text. It explains the various dimensions of spiritual life and practice to Sufi disciples and anyone who wishes to ponder the meaning of life.<ref>Jalāl, Al-Dīn Rūmī, and William C. Chittick. The Sufi Path of Love: the Spiritual Teachings of Rumi. Albany: State University of New York, 1983. Print.Pg 6)</ref>

== Creation ==

The ''Masnavi'' was started by Rumi during the final years of his life. He began dictating the first book around the age of 54 around the year 1258 and continued composing verses until his death in 1273. The sixth and final book would remain incomplete.<ref>(Franklin Lewis, "Rumi, Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rumi," Oneworld Publications, England, 2000.)</ref>

It is documented that Rumi began dictating the verses of the ''Masnavi'' at the request of his favourite disciple, [[Husam al-Din Chalabi]], who observed that many of Rumi's followers dutifully read the works of [[Sanai|Sana'i]] and [[Attar of Nishapur|'Attar]]. Thus, Rumi began creating a work in the didactic style of Sana'i and 'Attar to complement his other poetry. These men are said to have met regularly in meetings where Rumi would deliver the verses and Chalabi would write them down and recite them back to him.<ref>Jalāl, Al-Dīn Rūmī, and William C. Chittick. The Sufi Path of Love: the Spiritual Teachings of Rumi. Albany: State University of New York, 1983. Print. Pgs 5-6</ref>

Each book consists of about 4,000 verses and contains its own prose introduction and prologue. The inconclusive ending of the sixth volume has given rise to suggestions that the work was not complete at the time of Rumi's death, as well as to claims about existence of another volume.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jawid Mojaddedi|chapter=Introduction|title=Rumi, Jalal al-Din. The Masnavi, Book One|publisher=Oxford University Press (Kindle Edition)|year=2004|pages=xxi-xxii}}</ref>

== Themes and narrative devices ==
[[File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mss-0945-2b-3a.jpg|thumb|right|Manuscript of the ''Masnavi'' from 15th century in [[Iran]], [[Khalili Collection of Islamic Art]]]]
{{main|List of stories in the Masnavi}}
The six books of the ''Masnavi'' can be divided into three groups of two because each pair is linked by a common theme:<ref>Jalāl, Al-Dīn Rūmī, and Alan Williams. Spiritual Verses: the First Book of the Masnavi-ye Manavi. London: Penguin, 2006. Print. Pgs xx-xxvi</ref>
* Books 1 and 2: they "are principally concerned with the ''[[nafs]]'', the lower carnal self, and its self-deception and evil tendencies".
* Books 3 and 4: these books share the principal themes of Reason and Knowledge. These two themes are personified by Rumi in the Quranic and Biblical figure of the Prophet Moses.
* Books 5 and 6: these last two books are joined by the universal ideal that man must deny his physical earthly existence to understand God's existence.

In addition to the recurring themes presented in each book, Rumi includes multiple points of view or voices inviting the reader to fall into "imaginative enchantment". There are seven principal voices that Rumi uses in his writing:<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zpdNCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT15|page=15|title=Collected Poetical Works of Rumi |publisher=Delphi Classics|year=2015}}</ref>
# The Authorial Voice – conveys the authority of a Sufi teacher and generally appears in verses addressed to ''You, God,'' or ''you, of all humankind.''
# The Story-telling Voice – may be interrupted by side stories that help clarify a statement, sometime taking hundreds of lines to make a point.
# The Analogical Voice – interruptions to the flow of narration in order to explain a statement by use of analogy.
# The Voice of Speech and Dialogue of Characters – many of the stories are told through dialogue between characters.
# The Moral Reflection – supported by quotations from the Quran and [[hadith]]
# The Spiritual Discourse – similar to analogical and model reflections.
# Hiatus – Rumi occasionally questions his own verses and writes that he cannot say more because the reader would not be capable of understanding.

The ''Masnavi'' has no framed plot and includes a variety of scenes, from popular stories and scenes of the local [[bazaar]] to fables and tales from Rumi's time. It also includes quotations from the Qur'an and from hadith, accounts from the time of Mohammed.

Although there is no constant frame, style, or plot, Rumi generally follows a certain writing pattern that flows in the following order:<ref>Jalāl, Al-Dīn Rūmī, and Alan Williams. Spiritual Verses: the First Book of the Masnavi-ye Manavi. London: Penguin, 2006. Print. Pgs xvii-xix</ref>

{{in5}}Problem/Theme → Complication → Resolution

== Editions and translations ==
===Editions===
* ''[https://archive.org/search.php?query=rumi%20nicholson The Mathnawi of Jeláluʾddín Rúmí], Edited from the Oldest Manuscripts Available, with Critical Notes, Translations and Commentary'', ed. and trans. by [[Reynold A. Nicholson|R. A. Nicholson]], E. J. W. Gibb Memorial, New Series, 4, 8 vols (London: Luzac, 1924–40). Referred to by the ''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'' as "the classic edition",<ref>Ritter, H., and A. Bausani. "D̲j̲alāl al-Dīn Rūmī". In P. Bearman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English), (Brill, 2012) {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0177}}.</ref> also containing the first complete English translation of the ''Mathnawí''. Persian text in vols 1 (books I–II), 3 (books III–IV) and 5 (books V–VI); English text in vols 2 (books I–II), 4 (books III–IV), and 6 (books V–VI); commentaries in vols 7 (books I–II) and 8 (books III–VI, with indices for vols 7–8).

=== Other English translations from Persian ===
* ''The Mesnevi of Mevlānā Jelālu'd-dīn er-Rūmī. Book first, together with some account of the life and acts of the Author, of his ancestors, and of his descendants, illustrated by a selection of characteristic anedocts, as collected by their historian, Mevlānā Shemsu'd-dīn Ahmed el-Eflākī el-'Arifī'', translated and the poetry versified by James W. Redhouse, London: 1881. Contains the translation of the first book only.
* ''Masnaví-i Ma'naví, the Spiritual Couplets of Mauláná Jalálu'd-din Muhammad balkhi'', translated and abridged by [[Edward Henry Whinfield|E. H. Whinfield]], London: 1887; 1989. Abridged version from the complete poem. On-line editions at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/masnavi/index.htm Sacred Texts] and on [[s:Masnavi I Ma'navi|wikisource]].
* ''The Masnavī by Jalālu'd-din balkhi or Rūmī. Book II'', translated for the first time from the Persian into prose, with a Commentary, by C. E. Wilson, London: 1910.
* Rumi, ''Spiritual Verses: The First Book of the Masnavi-ye Ma'nav'', trans. by Alan Williams, London and New York, Penguin Classics, Penguin, xxxv + 422 pp.&nbsp;2006. {{ISBN|9780141936994}}. Translated from the Persian edition of M. Este'lami, with an introduction on a reader's approach to Balkhi's writing, and with explanatory notes.
* {{Cite book |title=Mathnawi Rumi: Translation with Interpretation |date=2010 |publisher=Huma Books |isbn=9788191002904 |volume=6 vols |translator-last=Gupta |translator-first=Rajeev M. G.}} Based on the Farsi Dari text circulated by the Department of Culture, Government of India, New Delhi.
* ''The Masnavi'', translated by [[Jawid Mojaddedi]], Oxford World's Classics Series, Oxford University Press, 2004–25. The first complete translation into English verse, from the Persian edition prepared by Mohammad Estelami, with an introduction and explanatory notes. Book I was awarded the 2004 Lois Roth Prize for excellence in translation of Persian literature by the [[American Institute of Iranian Studies]]. Book I {{ISBN|0-19-280438-3}} (2004); book II {{ISBN|978-0-19-921259-0}} (2007); book III {{ISBN|978-0-19-965203-7}} (2013); book IV {{ISBN|978-0198783435}} (2017); book V {{ISBN|9780192857071}} (2022); book VI {{ISBN|9780192874283}} (2025).

=== Paraphrases of English translations ===
* ''The Essential balkhi'', translated by [[Coleman Barks]] with John Moyne, A. J. Arberry, Reynold Nicholson, San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1996 {{ISBN|0-06-250959-4}}; Edison (NJ) and New York: Castle Books, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7858-0871-X}}. Selections.
* ''The Illuminated balkhi'', translated by Coleman Barks, Michael Green contributor, New York: Broadway Books, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7679-0002-2}}.

===Turkish translations===
* '''Mevlâna, Mesnevi, Veled Izbudak tarafindan tercüme edilmiş'', Abdülbaki Gölpinarli tarafindan muhtelif ṣerhlerle karşilaştirilmiş ve esere bir açilma ilâve edilmiştir (Istanbul 1942–)

=== Urdu and Persian interpretations ===
* ''Keys of Masnavi'' (''Kelid Masnavi''), Vol. 1 and 2, Ashrafali Thanvi, interpreter: Samira Gilani, Asra Institute and Rashedin Publication, Tehran: 2018.

== See also ==
* [[List of stories in the Masnavi|List of stories in the ''Masnavi'']]
* [[Mathnawi]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* ''[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/rumi-jalal-al-din-parent RUMI, JALĀL-AL-DIN]''. [[Encyclopædia Iranica]], online edition, 2014.
* Mahmoud Ordudari. ''Proverbs in the Masnavi: A collection of poems and proverbs from the Masnavi'', 2016.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Masnavi}}
 {{wikisource|Masnavi I Ma'navi}}
* [http://www.rumisite.com Farsi Dari version is available at www.RumiSite.com]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/nov/30/rumi-masnavi-muslim-poetry Guardian series of blogs on the Masnavi by Franklin Lewis, 2009]
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/masnavi/ An abridged version translated by E.H. Whinfield, (1898)]
* [http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org Dar al Masnavi]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070423174224/http://libraries.theeuropeanlibrary.org/Turkey/treasures_en.xml Treasure of National Library of Turkey] 18th century Masnavi in Nesih calligraphy, Herat
* [http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/n-I-0001.html The Song of the Reed (part one)]
* [http://www.urdupoetry.com/poetryforms.html Urdu poetic forms]
* [http://ganjoor.net/moulavi/masnavi/daftar1/sh1/ ''Masnavi-e Ma'navi'', recited in Persian by Mohammad Ghanbar]

{{Sufism books}}
{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Rumi}}
{{Urdu poetry}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Poetry by Rumi]]
[[Category:Sufi literature]]
[[Category:Poems in Persian]]
[[Category:Mystical books]]
[[Category:Sunni literature]]
[[Category:Mathnawi]]
[[Category:13th-century Persian books]]