The Masnavi, Book Three

by Jalal al-Din Rumi

  He loves and they love: Qur’an 5: 54, a verse frequently cited in discussions of the possibility of a relationship of love between God and Man.

  Paradise is surrounded: part of a saying of the Prophet Mohammad.

  ‘Against your will come!’ speaks to just the former. ‘Come willingly!’: Qur’an 41: 11, where, in the process of creating the heavens and the earth, God tells them to come into being willingly or unwillingly.

  Heading If you ask for a decision, the decision has come: Qur’an 8: 19, where God is understood to be addressing the members of the Prophet Mohammad’s Qoraysh (see Glossary) tribe, who have rejected and declared war against him. The ‘decision’ would then refer to God’s support of Mohammad and his followers, enabling them to be victorious in their conflicts with the Qoraysh.

  Lat and fellow idols Ozza and Manat: these are three of the idols worshipped by the contemporaries of Mohammad at the Kaaba (see Glossary) in Mecca. See, further, note to v. 3233.

  We gave you victory!: Qur’an 48: 1, the start of the chapter called ‘Victory’, which has been interpreted traditionally as referring to ‘the Hodaybiyya events’. At Hodaybiyya the Muslims made a truce with the Qoraysh (see Glossary) of Mecca, thereby confirming their newly acquired position of strength.

  Heading We have opened to you a victory: Qur’an 48: 1.

  What happened with Qurayza and Nadir: Qurayza and Nadir refer to two Jewish tribes in Medina who opposed the Prophet Mohammad and were consequently expelled and eliminated from the city.

  To Joseph’s keeper his shirt . . . from afar and knew: an allusion to Qur’an 12: 93–6, which describes the restoration of Jacob’s sight by the placing of his son Joseph’s shirt over his face as a sign (presumably through its smell) that he was still alive.

  I who can make the moon split suddenly: an allusion to the miraculous splitting of the moon by the Prophet Mohammad.

  If there were no believers: Qur’an 48: 25, where God explains to Mohammad why He did not ordain for him to enter Mecca at the time of the Hodaybiyya pact—lest any believers be harmed by the conflict.

  He restrained your hands: Qur’an 48: 24. See preceding note.

  ‘Against your will come!’ . . . ‘Come willingly!’: Qur’an 41: 11, where, in the process of creating the heavens and the earth, God tells them to come into being willingly or unwillingly.

  The notebook of religious men’s taqlid: taqlid refers to the scholastic principle of following the established tradition of one’s religious school out of loyalty and convention.

  a palm-fibre cord: see note to vv. 1665–6.

  Be! And it was: see note to v. 3400.

  everything will perish but His face: Qur’an 28: 88, where it is emphasized that there is no deity except Him.

  God does what He should will: Qur’an 3: 40, where it is stated to explain to Zechariah how it is possible for him to father John the Baptist.

  Be!: see note to v. 3400.

  He’s not less than . . . That bore a camel that then bore another: this refers to the Qur’anic (e.g. 91: 13) story about the Prophet Saleh, who caused a pregnant camel to come out of a mountain as his miracle to the Thamud (see Glossary) community.

  Phoenix of God . . . From Qaf: in medieval Islamic cosmology, Qaf refers to a range of mountains that surrounds the world and marks the border with the spiritual realm. This is where the phoenix-like mythical Anqa bird is believed to reside.

  sama‘: the Arabic term for the practice of meditative listening to music, which is a characteristic form of worship for Sufis. This often includes dance (e.g. the Whirling Dervishes), and is designed to induce ecstasy in the participants. The same term can also be used to mean simply ‘a concert’.

  The Arabs have named wine ‘continual’: one of the Arabic words for wine, modam, also means continual.

  through its scent, make Jacob see: see note to v. 4532.

  Heading Whoever does an atom’s weight of good work will see it: Qur’an 99: 7, where it refers to Judgment Day at the end of time, which is signalled by a huge earthquake.

  GLOSSARY

  Aad one of the vanquished nations referred to in the Qur’an (e.g. 7: 69). They lived just after Noah’s time and became proud because of their prosperity, which led them to reject the prophet Hud who had been sent to them. They were destroyed in the end by a roaring wind.

  Abdal in popular hierarchies of the Friends of God, the Abdals are members of one of the highest ranks below the Pole, or axis mundi. Their name, which means ‘substitutes’, has been explained as an allusion to their fixed number (usually 40) being constantly maintained, by means of immediate substitution whenever one of them passes away.

  Abu Lahab see BU LAHAB.

  Alast the Qur’anic ‘Covenant of Alast’ (7: 172) is when mankind testified that God is the Lord by saying ‘Yes!’ in response to His question ‘Am I not (alasto) your Lord?’ This is understood to have taken place when mankind was pure spirit in the presence of God, before entering the world, and it is this event which the Sufi practice of SAMA‘is intended to re-enact.

  Anas ben Malek a young follower of the Prophet Mohammad in Medina, who is believed to have survived him by approximately eighty years.

  Azrael the Angel of Death, who appears in many stories to signal to individuals the imminence of their death. This is represented memorably in one of the shorter stories in Book One of the Masnavi (see vv. 960–74).

  Bal’am son of Ba’ur Bil’am ben Be’or of the Old Testament (Num. 22–4), who is the archetypal sage led astray by pride and lust. He is believed by exegetes to be referred to in Qur’an 7: 175.

  Bayazid Abu Yazid al-Bestami (d. 874), an eminent Sufi from what is now north central Iran. He is a highly popular figure in Persian Sufi literature, in particular because of the many bold and controversial statements he is reported to have made, such as ‘There is nothing under my cloak but God.’

  Bohlul an ascetic living during the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809) of The Thousand and One Nights. Bohlul was renowned for appearing and sounding mad because of spiritual intoxication.

  Bu Lahab (lit. ‘Father of Flame’) an uncle of the Prophet who was his mortal enemy. He and his wife are condemned in the 111th chapter of the Qur’an, which has also been named lahab.

  Emran the Arabicized rendering of ‘Amram’, the biblical name of the father of Moses and his brother Aaron. The story of Moses’ birth presented by Rumi here has antecedents in the Islamic ‘Stories of the Prophets’ genre.

  Esrafil the angel who, according to Muslim eschatology, signals Judgment Day at the end of time with a blast of a trumpet.

  hadith a report that conveys the words and/or deeds of the Prophet Mohammad. These reports are the literary expression of the normative example of the Prophet, his sonna, and as such are considered by most Muslims to be second in authority only to the Qur’an as a source of knowledge. Originally transmitted orally, they have been examined for authenticity, classified, and compiled into numerous collections for ease of reference. Their importance in Rumi’s Masnavi is therefore representative of the Islamic tradition in general.

  Hakim Ghaznavi Sana’i a twelfth-century Persian mystical poet from Ghazni, which is located between Kabul and Kandahar in contemporary Afghanistan. He spent most of his adult life in Khurasan, including in Rumi’s native Balkh. Rumi frequently acknowledges the influence of Sana’i (d. 1131) on his own work, in particular that of his The Garden of Truth, which is the oldest work of the mystical masnavi genre.

  Hallaj Mansur ebn Hosayn al-Hallaj (d. 922), a controversial Arabic-speaking Sufi of Persian origin whose death on the gallows is believed to have been a major turning point in the history of Sufism. He is famous for his alleged utterance ‘I am the Truth’, the most notorious of the theopathic utterances made by Sufis. Rumi’s predecessor Faridoddin ‘Attar, in whose eyes Hallaj was the most important Sufi of the past, writes that this utterance was the reason for his execution, but this is not supported by the sources stem
ming from the time of the events (see further ‘Hallaj’ in the Encyclopaedia Iranica). Rumi on a number of occasions justifies Hallaj’s utterance, arguing that it expresses greater humility than saying ‘I am the slave of God’, as one’s own existence is not even acknowledged (the ‘I’ in ‘I am the Truth’ is God).

  Hamza the subject of a popular biographical tradition exemplifying bravery which is traditionally understood to have stemmed from the biography of the Prophet Mohammad’s paternal uncle Hamza ebn Abd al-Mottaleb.

  Hareth Hareth ebn Hesham was one of the leaders of the QORAYSH during the battle of Badr against Mohammad and his followers in Medina. The traditional biography of Mohammad includes an antecedent to Rumi’s story about his encounter with Satan (see SORAQA).

  Harut and Marut a pair of fallen angels referred to in the Qur’an (2: 102). According to the exegetical tradition, they looked down on Man for his sinful nature, but when put to the test on earth themselves, they became prone to lust and tried to seduce a beautiful woman; that woman became Venus, while Harut and Marut were imprisoned forever in a well in Babylon as punishment.

  Homa a mythical bird comparable with the phoenix, but particularly associated with soaring at the highest levels of the heavens and bestowing kingship, which are both alluded to in instances where the Homa is mentioned in this book.

  Jonayd Abu’l-Qasem al-Jonayd (d. 910), a Sufi who was widely recognized as the supreme authority of his generation. He lived in Baghdad, although he was born and brought up in Persia. In later tradition, his teachings are often described as representing a more circumspect ‘sober’ Sufism as distinct from the ‘drunken’ Sufism associated with BAYAZID.

  Kaaba the approximately cube-shaped building in Mecca towards which Muslims pray and around which they circumambulate during the pilgrimage. According to Muslim tradition, it was constructed by Abraham and Ishmael for the worship of God, but was later turned into an idol temple. Mohammad’s mission to establish Abrahamic monotheism is symbolized by his destruction of the idols at the Kaaba after the Muslim conquest of Mecca.

  Kalim the traditional Islamic epithet for Moses, because he was ‘the one spoken to by God’ according to Qur’an 4: 167.

  Kerbala a city 60 miles south-west of Baghdad in Iraq where the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hosayn and his followers were gruesomely massacred in 680 on the order of the Umayyad caliph Yazid.

  Khezr a figure usually identified with Enoch (Elias), and described in the Qur’an (18: 65) as someone who has been taught knowledge from God’s presence. He is the archetypal spiritual guide in the Sufi tradition. The Qur’anic story about Khezr (18: 65–82) describes Moses as seeking to become his disciple in order to learn some of his special knowledge. Moses is warned that he does not have the patience required, but is finally accepted on the condition that he should not question Khezr about anything. Moses fails to refrain from questioning Khezr, and on the third such occasion Khezr dismisses him. Khezr appears to Sufis in eras beyond his own lifetime and is believed to possess the water that gives eternal life.

  Korah a biblical figure (Num. 16) who is also mentioned in the Qur’an (28: 76–82, 29: 39, and 40: 24). As a punishment for behaving arrogantly towards Moses and hoarding his wealth, he gets swallowed up by the earth.

  Loqman a sage and ascetic, after whom Qur’an 31 is named. He is attributed in particular with various proverbs and fables and has often been identified with Aesop.

  Ozayr Ozayr is usually identified with the biblical Ezra. However, the Qur’anic reference to him (Qur’an 9: 30) makes the irreconcilable claim that he was worshipped by Jews as ‘a son of God’. Muslim accounts of his life include stories about his doubting predestination and physical resurrection, which Rumi’s story probably draws upon. Most significantly, Qur’an 2: 259, which contains a similar reference to the revival of a donkey, had already been associated with Ozayr in the exegetical tradition.

  Qoraysh Qoraysh is the name of the tribe into which the Prophet Mohammad was born in Mecca in about 570. The leaders of the tribe rejected Mohammad and forced him out of Mecca, after which they waged war against him and his followers in Medina.

  Resurrection this refers to the end of time when the dead are resurrected and the truth is revealed. Rumi uses this Qur’anic image frequently to represent the experience of mystical enlightenment, through which reality can be witnessed in this life.

  Rostam the heroic Persian king whose feats are recounted in Ferdowsi’s Shahnama (Book of Kings).

  sadr,sadr-e jahan the title used in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries for the rulers of Bukhara, which is today located in Uzbekistan close to the border with Turkmenistan.

  Saleh Arab prophet mentioned several times in the Qur’an (e.g. 7: 73–9), who was sent to the THAMUD .

  sama ‘the technical term for the practice of meditative listening to music, which is a characteristic form of worship for Sufis. This often includes dance (e.g. the Whirling Dervishes), and is designed to induce ecstasy in the participants. The same term can also be used to mean simply ‘a concert’. See further ALAST.

  saqi the cup-bearer. In Sufi poetry the saqi can also represent the Sufi master or God.

  Seven Sleepers in the Cave seven companions who, together with their dog, are described in the Qur’an (18: 9–26) as hiding in a cave during the reign of the tyrant Decius, and praying to God for protection. They slept there for some 309 years before waking up and returning to the outside world, though it seemed to them like a single night. Their experience is referred to in the Qur’an as a demonstration to sceptics of God’s power both to protect his faithful servants and to resurrect men on Judgment Day. In the earlier Christian version of this Qur’anic story, they are known as the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.

  Sheba a nation ruled by a queen mentioned several times in the Bible as well as the Qur’an (27: 22–44). In the Islamic exegetical tradition, their queen is known as Belqis. A hoopoe reports to SOLOMON about having seen a people ruled by a very rich queen, who worship the sun. Solomon gives the bird a letter of invitation to take back to her. Eventually, the queen visits Solomon and is so amazed at his knowledge and miracles that she follows him in surrender to God.

  Solomon the prophet and king who is described in the Qur’an as possessing deep wisdom and having been granted power over nature, including knowledge of the language of the birds (e.g. 27: 15–44).

  Soraqa in accounts of the battle of Badr found in the traditional biography of the Prophet Mohammad, Soraqa ebn Malek was the leader of the QORAYSH whose form Satan took in order to persuade them to persevere and wage war against Mohammad and his followers (see HARETH).

  Thamud an ancient nation referred to on several occasions in the Qur’an (e.g. 7: 73–9, 4: 23–31, 11: 61–8). They hamstrung the she-camel of the Prophet SALEH, which had been sent miraculously by God out of a mountain to test their willingness to share water and pasture. They were destroyed as a result by either an earthquake (7: 78) or a mighty blast of noise (4: 31, 11: 67), or perhaps a combination of the two. More elaborate versions of this story describe Saleh as suggesting that they might be forgiven if they catch her foal, but it escapes and disappears into the mountain.

  vakil the vakil was a senior administrator at the court of the sadr in twelfth- to thirteenth-century Bukhara, and therefore part of his inner circle.

  Water of Life the Water of Life is a miraculous stream or fountain which grants eternal life. It is found usually in darkness and with the help of KHEZR.

  1 Rumi, The Masnavi: Book One, tr. J. Mojaddedi (Oxford, 2004); The Masnavi: Book Two, tr. J. Mojaddedi (Oxford, 2007). Further background on Rumi and his times can be found in the Introductions to these two volumes.

  2 Concerning the importance of the story for performance of the Masnavi, see 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.

  3 The use of indent
ation in the Contents pages is a simplified representation of this multilayered structure.

  4 See my Beyond Dogma: Rumi’s Teachings on Friendship with God and Early SufiTheories (Oxford, 2012), 64–7.

  5 Ibid. 67–72.

  6 See S. Safavi and S. Weightman, Rumi’s Mystical Design: Reading the Mathnawi, Book One (Albany, NY, 2009).

  7 Translations of representative samples of the key texts of early Sufism are available in M. Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism (Mahwah, NJ, 1996).

  8 Concerning the contrast between the Mevlevi sama’ and other forms of Sufi sama’, see J. During, ‘What is SufiMusic?’, in L. Lewisohn, ed., The Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism (London, 1992), 277–87.

  9 See further C. W. Ernst, The Shambhala Guide to Sufism (Boston, 1997), 191–4.

  10 See further C. W. Ernst, tr., Teachings of Sufism (Boston, 1999), 82–94, and A. Ghazali, Sawanih: Inspirations from the World of Pure Spirits, tr. N. Pourjavady (London, 1986).

  11 The chapter of Mohammad Ghazali’s autobiography that 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, 2003), 228–32.