THE MESNEVI

The honorable Mesnevi contains 25,618 couplets in six books. The name of this book was taken from its form. The Mesnevi form is a lyrical form in Islamic literature in which the two vers­es of each couplet rhyme internally, and all verses share the same meter. This book is one of the masterpieces of Sufi literature. Hence, Abdurrahman Jami says the following about Rumi and Mesnevi: "The Mesnevi is a sign enough to show the value of that peerless king of the spiritual world. How can I describe the qual­ities of that great person? He is not a prophet but has a (holy) book." Muhammad Iqbal agrees with Jami: "The Mesnevi of the master of the spiritual world is virtually the Qur'an written in Persian." Also, "Mevlana (Rumi), whose creation was blessed, appeared to me. That Rumi has written a Qur'an in the Persian language."

These words have been said due to the love and admiration felt for Rumi. But Rumi's spirit was very uncomfortable with these excessive praises, especially with the comparison of the Qur'an and the mesnevi, We find evidence of Rumi's view in his statement: "I am the slave of the Qur'an as long as I shall live. I am the soil under the feet of Prophet Muhammad." The fol­lowing is a quatrain by Ibn al-Kamal, the head of Ottoman reli­gious authority at the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim: "In my dream I saw the Most Honorable Messenger. He held the Mesnevi in his hand and said: There have been many Sufi books written but among them there is none like this one.'" Indeed, there are countless books in Sufi literature that prepare for those spirits who are in love with the heavens ladders to escape the prison of body, leave this dirty world, and rise to a place beyond. These books serve as subsistence for hearts and spirits. But the Mesnevi has features that other Sufi books do not have. In the Mesnevi, there are medications for our spiritual ailments, bad habits, and un-Islamic beliefs. These bitter pills have been hidden in stories and tales so that they are presented sweetly to spiritually sick humans.

Rumi wrote the first eighteen couplets of the Mesnevi with his own hand, but he dictated the rest of the Mesnevi to Husam al-Din Chelebi. When the writing of each book was complete, Husam al-Din Chelebi recited it back to Rumi, and Rumi made the necessary corrections. Then Husam al-Din Chelebi would produce a clean copy of the corrected text. Rumi described the Mesnevi in many ways such as Sayqaal al-Arwafa (Polish of the Spirits) and Husamname (Book of Husam al-Din). But these are not the name of the book itself, only descriptions. Contrary to common misconceptions, the Mesnevi is not merely a didactical book. It contains sections very similar to the ardent poems in Divan-i Kabir, which touch the reader very deeply. One is amazed by such deep thoughts and emotional expressions in the Mesnevi, expressions that the holy saint recited without taking a pen in his hand, without working on the meter or the rhyme of the verses, and reciting very comfortably as it came to his heart and mind. Defects of meter and rhyme are very rare in the Mesnevi, although it was written without deep reflection and study. This is not a quality to be found in any other poet. Rumi's ability is a gift that God bestowed upon him.

Rumi was very skilled in associating ideas. He had a very strong memory. He had at least a basic knowledge of every area of study of his time. In addition to his mother tongue, Rumi spoke Arabic, Persian, and even Greek and read books written in these languages. Therefore, the Mesnevi is like an exhibition of a very rich collection of ideas and feelings. One reads views on many different subjects in the Mesnevi. Rumi's metaphors, sensations, expressions, joy, and fantasy fascinate the reader. Rumi's sharp intelligence, sensitive spirit, and ardent love and faith take the reader to a different world.

But one should note that the tales in the Mesnevi do not conform to today's storytelling techniques. When Rumi explains a subject, he begins by telling a story in order to clari­fy his point. Then in the middle of the story, he relates certain wisdom and truths. He produces such peerless couplets that the reader is astonished. These couplets that he recited in a state of ecstasy remind him of another story. So he begins a new story and then finally returns to complete the first story. This way, sto­ries within stories follow each other. If we are patient and read the stories carefully, we shall see that each of these stories tells us about deeply meaningful subjects, human thoughts, divine love, the unity of God, and Islamic faith; and they remove marginal beliefs and un-Islamic views from the reader. These stories take those readers who are able to understand their deep meanings from our material world to the spiritual world. They raise the reader spiritually, morally, and emotionally. In other words, they make the reader a "true human being."

Today's life conditions force people to engage themselves in an excessive struggle mercilessly. Our day turns people into robots. It blinds the feelings of mercy and kills the spiritual side of humans. The average modern human has been submerged so deeply in making a living that he seems to have forgotten where he came from and where he eventually will go. People do not lis­ten to the truths conveyed by the prophets, saints, great philoso­phers, scholars, and real poets. They follow their egos, and hence they almost lose their humanitarian aspects. The stories in the Mesnevi will comfort the pessimistic individual in pain in this material world by telling him of the eminence and beauty of the spiritual world. With the permission of God, these stories will return humankind to the lost paradise even while they are in this world. Those who read the Mesnevi or listen to it will receive spiritual joy and holy signs from the deeply meaningful truths found in the Mesnevi in accordance with their own abili­ties and capacities. When they read this blessed book, they will be touched by it and obtain holy light from this book's light.

They will be saved from spiritual illnesses, bad behavior, and un-Islamic beliefs. But there is a prerequisite for obtaining the full benefit of the Mesnevi: The eye of our hearts should be opened, and the deafness of our spirits should be removed by the bless­ing of Rumi. Indeed, Sultan Valad writes the following on this matter: "Know that Rumi is the head of saints. Do whatever he tells you to do. His words are the mercy of God. If spiritually blind people read his writings, their spiritual eyes will be opened and they will see the truth." God willing, when we read the Mesnevi, our spiritual eyes will be opened with the help of God, and we shall understand the truths in the Mesnevi.
Rumi's Mesnevi is for both well-educated people and people with little education. The Mesnevi guides the new initiate on the Sufi path, one who is advanced on this path, and even one who has reached the highest levels on this path. Rumi takes the walk­er on the path of God and brings him to God by means of the Mesnevi. Rumi says: "After us (when we pass away), the Mesnevi takes on sheikhdom, guides the seekers of Truth, leads them to high levels and to the attainment of their Ultimate Goal."

Some people wonder where Rumi heard and from where he took the tales of Mesnevi. Certainly Rumi heard most of the sto­ries from his father, Sayyid Burhan al-Din, or Shams, and he probably read some of them in books. But as mentioned above, stories in the Mesnevi are not intended for amusement but are analogies to spiritual truths and messages that Rumi wanted to convey. At every stage of the stories that he selected, Rumi con­veys a moral. Some stories reminded Rumi of certain truths, and sometimes Rumi told stories to explain his message better. Among the stories in the Mesnevi^ some of them are funny and some are even obscene. Some Mesnevi stories come from sources as diverse as Indian mythology, Greek, and even Roman litera­tures. There are fables from Kalila and Dimna as well as stories from the Latin poet Apolla. Rumi borrowed these stories because he followed the footsteps of our great Prophet who commanded: "Wisdom is the lost property of the believer. He takes it wherever he may find it." Therefore, Rumi took stories that were appropriate to educate the faithful. These stories are not for making people laugh or to amuse them but for wisdom and advice. Rumi says the following regarding a few obscene stories in the Mesnevi: "My couplets are not couplets but cli­mates (of truth). My obscenity (obscene stories in the Mesnevi) is not intended as obscenity but for teaching."

In order to obtain full benefit from the Mesnevi, we have to read it slowly and very carefully like reading a deeply meaning­ful book. One also should record the beautiful couplets or pas­sages of the Mesnevi in a notebook and review them from time to time to remember them easily. In order to understand the passages that symbolically explain wahdat al-wujud (unity of existence); we have to refer to books and encyclopedias that have information on wahdat al-wujud, commentaries to the Mesnevi, and experts on this subject. We have to read the stories in the Mesnevi not with the intention of reading a story but with the intention of hearing the voice of truth hidden behind the story and attaining Divine Love. Those thirsty for Truth have named the Mesnevi the "essence of the Qur'an." Rumi says: "Our Mesnevi is a store of unity. Whatever you see there other than God is seeing an idol." When one comprehends the deep meanings of this couplet, one understands that those who see a difference between Rumi and Muhy al-Din Ibn al-Arabi are mistaken. Both saints explain the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud in their works in their own words. It is for this reason that Ahmed Avni Konuk, a recent Mesnevi commentator, has relied on the Mesnevi in his commentary on Fusus al-Hikam and on Fusus al-Hikam in his commentary on the Mesnevi.

Rumi dictated the Mesnevi under the strong influence of Hakim Sanai and Farid al-Din 'Attar. 'Attar's Ilmnme especial­ly influenced Rumi. But because striking elaborations, deep meanings, and eloquent descriptions in the Mesnevi lead its readers to spiritual joys and explains its subjects very well, it has been customary for the authors of books on Sufism to use couplets from the Mesnevi after excerpts from the Qur'an and Prophetic Traditions to explain Sufi concepts. Let us now see how Rumi himself describes the Mesnevi in the foreword: "The Mesnevi is a path for those who want to attain the Truth and be aware of the secrets of God. The Mesnevi is the essence of the essence of the essence of religion. It is the most infallible Law of God and His enlightened path to Truth. Undoubtedly, the Mesnevi is medicine for hearts of pure people. It removes sor­row. It helps one to understand the Qur'an better. No one is permitted to touch the Mesnevi other than those who love the truth." The expression "no one is permitted to touch the Mesnevi other than those who love the truth" should not be mis­understood. It is known that our brethren in faith have different approaches. Those who dislike some of the subjects in the Mesnevi, who cannot penetrate the inner meaning of the stories and hence cannot see the truth will not enjoy this blessed book. Because of differences in the ways of interpretation, they may not comprehend completely the messages contained in some stories in the Mesnevi.
God has revealed in the Qur'an to the Prophet many exam­ples and analogies so that the people would do not believe blind­ly, but rather they would believe through thinking and under­standing the Creator's Power. Let us carefully read the following Qur'anic verse: "God does not hesitate to put forth a gnat or something larger as an example to explain the truth. The faithful know that this example is a truth coming from their Lord. But the infidels say: ‘What does God mean by this example?' God misleads many of them with this example and guides many of them to truth with this example. Only the sinners are mislead with it." Rumi points to this Qur'anic verse and says: "Just like the Qur'an, our Mesnevi also misleads some people from truth and guides some to the truth." In the above mentioned Qur'anic verse and the couplet from the Mesnevi, the concepts of "guidance" and "misguidance" should not confuse us. We have to know that God is the Creator of guidance as well as misguidance.

If God had not created misguidance and guided everyone to truth, misguidance would not have existed even if people want­ed it. But misguidance is deserved and chosen by people. God creates guidance and misguidance and people choose either of these with their own free will and responsibility. It is not logical to think that God who created humankind with all the potential for guidance would force them to misguidance.

To return to the main topic, the Mesnevi is an enlightened path for pure people thirsty for the truth. It is a medicine for hearts. Especially in our day in which true saints and great spiri­tual guides rarely exist, the Mesnevi is not only a book but also a spiritual guide. The following is said about the Mesnevi: "Surely, one can call this blessed book a spiritual guide without a tongue in the flesh. But in reality it is a spiritual guide with one hundred tongues." Aflaki writes: "In order to understand properly the secrets and subtleties of the Mesnevi and the affiliation among the stories, the cited Qur'anic verses, and the Prophetic Traditions, it is necessary to have a strong faith, a continuous love, uncompro­mising ethics, a pure heart, a sharp mind, and at least a basic understanding of sciences. If you are a true lover of God, then your love can guide you to understand the Mesnevi, and you can reach your goal. God is the Grantor of Success. He is the Guide to the True Path and is the True Helper."

It is related that the following was written on the cover of an old copy of the Mesnevi; "I have not dictated the Mesnevi to be memorized. But I intended the Mesnevi for the lovers of God to be a spiritual ladder that raises them to the heavens. So the Mesnevi is not meant to be a ladder carried from town to town on the shoulder. This is because one cannot climb to the heav­ens by means of the ladders we know and achieve the desire of the hearts." In the epilogue at the end of Book Six of the Mesnevi, Sultan Valad writes: "The Mesnevi is the ladder of the hearts. Whoever climbs this ladder reaches the roof. But this roof is not the roof of the blue skies. This roof is superior to the heavens. It is higher than the heavens."

Since the Mesnevi is a much-loved book from which readers can benefit spiritually, it has been translated into many lan­guages and many commentaries have been written on it. As mentioned in an earlier section, the whole world knows Rumi and reads his masterpiece, the honorable Mesnevi.

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