Masnavi I Ma’navi

The Masnavi I Ma’navi is a book by Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, first composed in the mid-thirteenth century. This profound work, often translated as Spiritual Couplets, reflects Rumi’s mature mystical vision, blending parables, stories, and meditative teachings into a unified poetic tapestry.

Through its verses, he offers seekers a guide to divine love, encouraging a journey into the heart of Sufi spirituality and the quest for inner truth. Rumi dictated these couplets during the final years of his life to his close disciple, who recorded them, and the work grew into one of the most influential texts in the Islamic mystical tradition—often called “the Qur’an in Persian” for its depth and spiritual weight.

Rumi’s teaching here is not merely theoretical: he uses simple fables, symbolic anecdotes, and allegorical narratives to draw the reader into the path of love, humility, and self-transcendence. This 1898 translation (by E. H. Whinfield) brings Rumi’s wisdom into accessible English, resonating both as classic Persian poetry and as a practical spiritual guide for readers interested in Sufi mysticism, spiritual poetry, and contemplative practice.