Masnavi

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Six books and about 25,000 verses of Sufi teaching told through stories, fables and parables. It opens with the lament of a reed flute torn from its reed-bed.

Traditional attribution

Called 'the Quran in Persian' by admirers.

Historical scholarship

Dictated by the poet Jalal al-Din Rumi in Konya to his disciple Husam al-Din.

Context and curiosity

Rumi's tomb in Konya draws over a million visitors a year.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Islam (Seljuk Anatolia). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as 1258–1273 CE and original language or script as Persian. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masnavi

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.