In Book Four, Rumi’s main aim is to highlight the superiority of divinely revealed knowledge over the highest of other forms of knowledge, namely the rational knowledge of the philosophers. For instance, he specifically compares the former favourably with the knowledge of the most celebrated Islamic philosopher, Avicenna (v. 507), and also includes a whole section on ‘the difference between philosophers and mystics’. More specifically, he clarifies there that philosophers say ‘Man is the microcosm’ while mystics say ‘Man is the macrocosm’, and that this is because the knowledge of philosophers is restricted to the form of Man, while that of mystics penetrates to the inner being of Man (vv. 522–38).
Rumi argues that divinely revealed knowledge is also actually the source of the intellect’s knowledge with the example about how burying corpses was learnt by Cain after observing a crow which had received knowledge about burial by inspiration from God (elham ; v. 1308). Moreover, divinely revealed knowledge sees for certain the outcomes ahead rather than only what is immediately perceptible in the material world (vv. 1619–20). Regarding such matters the intellect must rely on mere conjecture (vv. 3221–42). Rumi’s universal tendency can be seen in his implication that the potential for mystical perception is inside humans like forgotten butter in buttermilk, and can be rediscovered through being shaken by a Prophet or mystic (vv. 3031–51). With such knowledge, the Unseen world can be discovered and translated through the material world (vv. 3052–73). The latter is in fact a representation of the former, which comes prior in the causal chain (vv. 3678–97).
The main theme can also be detected in Rumi’s choice of stories. It should be no surprise that Solomon features prominently in this book, and that the story of Moses and Pharaoh contrasts Moses’ prophetic knowledge with the intellect of Pharaoh and his vizier Haman. This book also includes two of the longest stories about Rumi’s favourite early Sufi, Bayazid Bastami, whom he mentions much more frequently in his oeuvre than any other. The first of these concerns his knowledge about the future, which Rumi compares with that of the Prophet Mohammad, even going as far as to say that Bayazid’s knowledge comes from the same source as that of Mohammad, the Preserved Tablet in heaven (v. 1852; see ‘Tablet’ in the Glossary). Ebrahim ebn-e Adham, the second most frequently mentioned Sufi in the Masnavi, is also the subject of a story here (vv. 727 ff.). It discusses the Sufi practice of sama‘ , a recurrent topic in this book, with a stress on the conviction that music is a powerful medium for divine communication.
It has been common to identify the story about the old harpist in Book One as one that may be autobiographical, because of Rumi’s undeniable sensitivity to music. However, it should not be forgotten that he was an accomplished religious scholar before his transformation into an uncompromising mystic, which is reflected even in the stories about his life-changing first conversation with Shams-e Tabrizi. This important point may help explain why even in Book One it is the story about the limitations of intellectual knowledge (‘The Bedouin and his wife’) which is by far the longest, while in Book Four Rumi devotes more than 3,800 verses to his central preoccupation about the overwhelming superiority of divinely revealed knowledge over the intellectual knowledge he had once prized so much.
1 Translations of representative samples of the key texts of early Sufism are available in M. Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism (Mahwah, 1996).
2 Concerning the contrast between the Mevlevi sama‘ and other forms of Sufi sama‘ , see J. During, ‘What is Sufi Music?’, in L. Lewisohn, ed., The Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism (London, 1992), 277–87.
3 The chapter of Abu Hamed Ghazali’s autobiography which describes his experience on the Sufi path is available in translation in N. Calder, J. Mojaddedi, and A. Rippin, eds. and trs., Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature (London, 2012), 299–302.
4 See e.g. F. Attar, The Conference of the Birds , ed. and tr. A. Darbandi and D. Davis (Harmondsworth, 1983).
Note on the Translation
Rumi put his teachings into the masnavi verse form in order that, with the benefit of metre and rhyme, his disciples might enjoy reading them. I have therefore decided to translate Rumi’s Masnavi into verse, in accordance with the aim of the original work. I have chosen to use rhyming iambic pentameters, since this is the closest corresponding form of English verse to the Persian masnavi form of rhyming couplets. These are numbered and referred to as verses in the Explanatory Notes and Introduction.
Book Four of the Masnavi consists of over 3,800 couplets, the continuity of which is broken up only by section headings. For the sake of clarity, in this translation further breaks have been added to those created by the section headings. In order for the Contents pages to fulfil their function effectively, alternative headings have been employed there, albeit at corresponding points to the major section headings in the text, which refer in many instances to merely the first few subsequent verses rather than representing the section as a whole.
Although the Masnavi is a Persian poem, it contains a substantial amount of Arabic text. This invariably takes the form of citations from Arabic sources and common religious formulae, but the sources for some of these passages are either unknown or oral. Italics have been used to indicate Arabic text, except in the section headings, which are fully italicized. Many Arabic terms and religious formulae have become part of the Persian language, and have therefore not been highlighted in this way. Capitalization has been used when reference is made to God. This includes, in addition to the pronouns and titles commonly used in English, the ninety-nine names of God of the Islamic tradition, as well as certain philosophical terms.
Most of the sources of the Masnavi are not widely available in English, if at all, and so references have been provided in the notes only for citations of the Qur’an. Verse numbering varies in the most widely available translations of the Qur’an, some of which do not in fact number individual verses, but since this variation is very slight (a maximum of a few verses) the reader should still be able to find the relevant passages without difficulty. The notes also identify those passages in the translation which represent the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Mohammad (hadith ) when this is not already self-evident in the text (e.g. by ‘the Prophet said’). It should be pointed out that citations in the original Masnavi are very often variants of the original sources, including the Qur’an, rather than exact renderings, due to the constraints of the metre that is used. The same applies in this verse translation.
This translation corresponds exactly to the text of the fourth volume of the edition prepared by Mohammad Estelami (6 vols. and index, Tehran, 2nd edn., 1990). This is by far the best critical edition that has been prepared, since it offers a complete apparatus criticus, indicating the variant readings in all the early manuscripts more comprehensively and transparently than any other edition. Although R. A. Nicholson’s edition of the Persian text is more widely available, due to the fact that it is published in Europe, its shortcomings for today are widely recognized and outweigh the advantage of having his exactly corresponding prose translation and commentary to refer to.
As far as possible, the English equivalents of technical terms have been provided, in preference to giving the original in transliteration and relying on explanatory notes. Where it is provided, the transliteration of names and terms has been simplified to such a degree that diacritics are rarely used. It is designed simply to help the reader use Persian pronunciation, especially where this would affect the metre and rhyme.
Select Bibliography
General Background
J. T. P. De Bruijn , Persian Sufi Poetry: An Introduction to the Mystical Use of Classical Poems (Richmond, 1997).
C. W. Ernst , The Shambhala Guide to Sufism (Boston, 1997).
L. Lewisohn , ed., Classical Persian Sufism: From its Origins to Rumi (London, 1993).
J. W. Morris , ‘Situating Islamic Mysticism: Between Written Traditions and Popular Spirituality’, in R. Herrera, ed., Mystics of the Book: Themes, Topics
and Typologies (New York, 1993), 293–334.
J. Nurbakhsh , The Path: Sufi Practices (London, 2002; 2nd printing, with revisions, New York, 2006).
O. Safi , ‘On the Path of Love towards the Divine: A Journey with Muslim Mystics’, Sufi , 78 (2009–10), 24–7.
Reference
Encyclopaedia Iranica , ed. E. Yarshater (New York, 1985– ); also available online at www.iranicaonline.com .
Encyclopaedia of Islam , ed. H. A. R. Gibb et al., 12 vols. (Leiden, 1960–2003).
J. Nurbakhsh , Sufi Symbolism , 16 vols. (London and New York, 1980–2003).
On Rumi
W. C. Chittick , ed., The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (Albany, NY, 1983).
F. Keshavarz , Reading Mystical Lyric: The Case of Jalal al-Din Rumi (Columbia, SC, 1998).
F. D. Lewis , Rumi, Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi (Oxford, 2000).
J. Mojaddedi , Beyond Dogma: Rumi’s Teachings on Friendship with God and Early Sufi Theories (Oxford, 2012).
Rumi , Mystical Poems of Rumi, 1 and 2 , tr. A. J. Arberry (New York, 1979).
Rumi , Signs of the Unseen: The Discourses of Jalaluddin Rumi , tr. W. M. Thackston, Jr. (Boston, 1994).
N. Virani , ‘ “I am the nightingale of the Merciful”: Rumi’s Use of the Qur’an and Hadith’, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East , 22/2 (2002), 100–11.
Editions of the Masnavi
Masnavi , ed. M. Estelami , 7 vols. (2nd edn., Tehran, 1990). Vols. i–vi each contain the editor’s commentary in the form of endnotes; vol. vii is the Index.
Masnavi , ed. T. Sobhani (Tehran, 1994).
Masnavi-ye ma‘navi , ed. A.-K. Sorush , 2 vols. (Tehran, 1996).
The Mathnawi of Jalalu’ddin Rumi , ed. and tr. R. A. Nicholson , E. J. W. Gibb . Memorial, ns , 8 vols. (London, 1925–40). This set consists of the Persian text (vols. i–iii), a full translation in prose (vols. iv–vi), and commentary on Books One to Six (vols. vii–viii).
Interpretation of the Masnavi
W. C. Chittick , ‘Rumi and wahdat al-wujud ’, in A. Banani, R. Hovannisian, and G. Sabagh, eds., Poetry and Mysticism in Islam: The Heritage of Rumi (Cambridge, 1994), 70–111.
H. Dabashi , ‘Rumi and the Problems of Theodicy: Moral Imagination and Narrative Discourse in a Story of the Masnavi ’, in A. Banani, R. Hovannisian, and G. Sabagh, eds., Poetry and Mysticism in Islam: The Heritage of Rumi (Cambridge, 1994), 112–35.
R. Davis , ‘Narrative and Doctrine in the First Story of Rumi’s Mathnawi ’, in G. R. Hawting, J. A. Mojaddedi, and A. Samely, eds., Studies in Islamic and Middle Eastern Texts and Traditions in Memory of Norman Calder (Oxford, 2000), 93–104.
A. Karamustafa , ‘Speaker, Voice and Audience in the Koran and the Mathnawi ’, Sufi , 79 (2010), 36–45.
M. Mills , ‘Folk Tradition in the Masnavi and the Masnavi in Folk Tradition’, in A. Banani, R. Hovannisian, and G. Sabagh, eds., Poetry and Mysticism in Islam: The Heritage of Rumi (Cambridge, 1994), 136–77.
J. Mojaddedi , ‘Rumi’, in A. Rippin and J. Mojaddedi, eds., The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Qur’an (2nd Edition, Oxford, 2017), 362–72.
J. Mojaddedi , ‘The Ebb and Flow of “the Ocean Inside a Jug”: The Structure of Ru¯mı¯’s Mathnawı¯ Reconsidered’, Journal of Sufi Studies , 3/2 (2014), 105–31.
J. R. Perry , ‘Monty Python and the Mathnavi : The Parrot in Indian, Persian and English Humor’, Iranian Studies , 36/1 (2003), 63–73.
J. Renard , All the King’s Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation (Albany, NY, 1994).
O. Safi , ‘Did the Two Oceans Meet? Historical Connections and Disconnections between Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi’, Journal of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society , 26 (1999), 55–88.
Further Reading in Oxford World’s Classics
The Masnavi , Book One, tr. and ed. Jawid Mojaddedi .
The Masnavi , Book Two, tr. and ed. Jawid Mojaddedi .
The Masnavi , Book Three, tr. and ed. Jawid Mojaddedi .
The Qur’an , tr. M. A. S. Abdel Haleem .
A Chronology of Rumi
1207 Rumi’s birth in Balkh, north-eastern Persia
c .1216 Rumi’s family emigrate from Persia to Anatolia
1219 Alaoddin Kay Qobad ascends Seljuk throne in Anatolia
1220 Death of Faridoddin ‘Attar
1221 The Mongol army conquers Balkh
c .1222 Rumi’s family settle temporarily in Karaman, Anatolia
1224 Rumi marries Gowhar Khatun
1226 Birth of Soltan Valad, Rumi’s son and eventual successor
c .1229 Rumi’s family relocate to Konya, Anatolia
1231 Death of Baha Valad, Rumi’s father
1232 Borhanoddin Termezi arrives in Konya
c .1233 Rumi begins his studies in Syria
1235 Death of Ebn al-Farez in Egypt
1237 Rumi returns to Konya as leader of Baha Valad’s School Ghiyasoddin Kay Khosrow II ascends Seljuk throne in Anatolia
1240 Death of Ebn ‘Arabi in Damascus
1243 The Mongols extend their empire to Anatolia
1244 Rumi meets Shams-e Tabriz in Konya for the first time
1246 Shams leaves Konya
1247 Shams returns to Konya
c .1247–8 Shams disappearsSalahoddin the Goldsmith begins tenure as Rumi’s deputy
1258 Death of SalahoddinHosamoddin Chalabi begins tenure as Rumi’s deputyThe Mongols conquer Baghdad, the Abbasid capital
1260 The Mongols are defeated in Syria by the Mamluks
c .1262 The Masnavi is started
c .1264 The Masnavi is resumed after a pause on account of the death of Hosamoddin’s wife
1273 (17 December) Death of Rumi in Konya
The Masnavi
book four
Prose Introduction
The fourth departure to the best of abodes and the most glorious of benefits. The hearts of mystics, through studying it, will be given joy like the joy of the meadows and the sound of the clouds, and the intimacy of eyes with the pleasantness of sleep. In it there is the exhilaration of spirits and the cure for bodies. It is such that the pure of heart crave it and love it, and spiritual wayfarers seek it and yearn for it. It is delight for eyes and joy for souls and the best of fruits to gather, and the most glorious of wishes and desires. It takes the afflicted to the doctor and it guides the lover to his beloved.
Praise be to God for the most magnificent of gifts and the most precious of wishes. It is the renewer of the pledge of love and makes easy the problem faced by people in difficulty. Perusing it will increase sorrow for those who are far from the truth, while increasing the happiness and gratitude of the fortunate ones. Its bosom holds fineries that even the bosoms of singing girls do not hold, as a reward for the people endowed with both knowledge and action, for it is like a full moon that has risen and good luck that has returned; it increases the hope of the hopeful and augments the devotion of the practitioners. It raises expectations after depression and increases hope after despair. Like a sun shining between clouds, it is light to our companions and a treasure to our successors, And we ask God to help us to thank Him, for thanksgiving is a means of binding what is at hand and for hunting more of it, and only what He wishes happens.
I had been roused from sleep to love’s sensations,
Preoccupied by cool, sweet exhalations,
When a dove in a thicket close to me
Began to sing with sobs so beautifully;
If I had sobbed before her with such passion
For So‘ad, then my spirit, through contrition,
Would have been healed, but hers predate my own:
‘Preceders have more excellence’ it’s known.
May God have mercy on those who came prior and those who come later and those who fulfil their vows and those who seek to do so, with His grace and generosity and many benefits and favours, for He is the best petitioned one and the noblest object of hope:
‘God is the best protector and He is the most merciful of those who show mercy ’* and the best of friends and the best of heirs and the best successor, and the provider to worshippers who sow and till, and God bless Mohammad and his noble family, and all the Prophets and Messengers. O Lord of the two worlds, Amen.
Exordium
O Light of God, Hosamoddin, tonight
The Masnavi outshines moons through your light.
Men’s hopes lie in your lofty aspiration,
Which draws this poem, but to which location?
You’ve tied The Masnavi ’s neck, and held tight;
You drag it in directions out of sight.
The Masnavi runs there; the dragger’s hidden,
Unseen by people who lack proper vision.
Because you are The Masnavi ’s real source, 5
If it extends, that’s due to you of course.
Since it’s your wish, God wants that too, no doubt—
God grants each single wish of the devout.
You have been someone who belongs to God—
Now ‘God is for Him ’* comes as your reward.
The Masnavi gives thanks for you and raises
Its hands up for thanksgiving and your praises.
God saw its lips and hands had your thanks’ trace
And granted favour, increase, and His grace.
Since those who thank are promised gain, it’s clear 10
Those who prostrate are blessed by drawing near:
The Masnavi, Book Four Page 3