The spiritual emerging from the poetry
Abdun Noor is delighted by a translation of Rumi's thoughts
It is said that great and lofty ideas can only be expressed in parables (Oslu).The epic poem Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi is a book of such parables. Masnavi means rhyming couplets. Its original Farsee name is Masnave Manavi, meaning spiritual couplets, which has an immense influence on Islamic literature and thought. It is the greatest masterpiece of Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi who lived in Persia (modern Iran) during the 13th century (1207-1273). For the last 800 years, Masnavi has been considered an invaluable treasure of human civilisation, a beacon of light in philosophy and religious literature. As a recognition to this unparalleled contribution of Rumi, UNESCO declared 2007 as the year of Rumi. Worldwide programmes were chalked out in the same year to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth where Rumi's contributions to world literature were highlighted. Against such a backdrop, Isa Shahedi, a well known Farsee scholar in Bangladesh, embarked on translating Masnavi from original Farsee to Bangla in order to meet the long awaited thirst of Bengali readers. Masnavi is a compendium of sufi stories, ethical teachings and mystical interpretations. These can only be compared with Al-Gazali's Counsel for Kings or Leo Tolstoy's stories or fables. Rumi began composing its verses when he was between the ages of 54 and 57 (around 1258-1261) and continued until he died in 1273. Moulana's composition of Masnavi is related to his spiritual guru Shams Tabrizi from Kaunia (modern Turkey). The spiritual change that he felt within himself when he met this great saint Tabrizi has been expressed by Moulana in the following words: " Murde bodam jinde shodam,
Girye budam khande shodam;
Dawlate eshk a'mad o man,
Dawlate pa'yande shodam" ['I was dead, I have been awakened; I was weeping, I have started to laugh; the great treasure of love has come, that's why I have become an invaluable treasure'](Diwane Shamse Tabrizi, Gazal no. 393). The essence of Masnavi is love. Rumi was a poet and mystic, and not a philosopher. Writing not for any prince, but for the love of God and his fellow men, he carefully eschewed artificial ornamentation in his work. Masnavi is deeply permeated with Qur'anic meanings and references. Rumi himself called the Masnavi, "the root of the (Islamic) religion in regard to unveiling the secrets of establishing connection (with God) and (spiritual) certainty (of the Truth)...and the explanation of the Qur'an" (Masnavi, Book-1, Preface). Sometimes called the Qur'an in Pahlavi tongue, Masnavi is a composition of 424 parables illuminated by 25,000 couplets. Masnavi of Rumi ranks among the world's greatest masterpieces of religious literature. The work has been translated into English, Turki, Arabic, Urdu and many languages of the world. Shibli Nomani in his Sawaani Moulana Rumi has made an intellectual evaluation of Masnavi. Allama Iqbal, who had the Qur'an along with Masnavi on his death bed, termed Masnavi as a book of positive thought and work. He also said that after the Qur'an, Masnavi is the book through which knowledge can be reached; it epitomises science that combines the land and sky. Isa Shahedi is a well known scholar who has been engaged in Farsee-Bangla literary work for more than two decades in Bangladesh. He has edited Farsee-Bangla-English Dictionary (1998), and compiled a work, Life and Works of National Poet Quazi Nazrul Islam in Farsee with a translation of his selected poems (1995). Both have been published by the Iranian Cultural Center in Dhaka. He has also translated innumerable articles and poems in Farsee. This rich experience in Farsee-Bangla literary works has given him the necessary courage and strength to venture in such a gigantic work of interpreting Rumi's, Masnavi. In this venture, he has depended on two authentic sources: 1) R.A. Nicholson (ed.),Masnavi Manavi in Farsee (1984) from where he has taken the serial numbers of the couplets; and 2) Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi's (RA) Urdu translation entitled, Kalide Masnavi(1990). The significant feature of this monumental work is that along with the Bengali pronunciation of Farsee couplets, their translated meaning has also been presented in Bangla through maintaining the original rhythmic style. The translated language seems to be very lucid and easily understandable. However, the unique feature of this translation is that the author has taken a painstaking job in providing the background explanations of the anecdotes and references of the Qur'an and Hadith (as indicated by Rumi) in appropriate places. Moreover, for the convenience of Bengali readers, background explanation of the subjects (incidents, anecdotes, etc.) and the meanings of important Persian words used in the couplets have been provided in the footnotes. For the guidance of new readers not much familiar with the Persian language, a simple grammar of Farsee has also been added to the text at the end of the book. This translation, containing 1,912 couplets, is only half of Part-1 of the six volumes of Rumi's works. Twelve size font and clear printing on white offset paper and smart binding give this publication an impressive look. It is hoped that the work will receive wide appreciation from the members of the Rumi Society and millions of Rumi devotees across Bangladesh and beyond. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, one can get solace by going deep into the various verses of Masnavi and find spiritual solution to many practical problems. "The Masnavi, like Paradise", wrote Rumi, "is the best station and the best place for rest (Qur'an, 25:24). The righteous ones eat and drink in it, and the (spiritually) free ones rejoice and delight in it...Because it is the remedy for hearts, the brightening polish for sorrows, the revealer of (the meaning) the Qur'an, the opportunity for (finding spiritual) riches, and the purifying of (bad) natures and dispositions..." Masnavi, Part-1, preface). This reviewer strongly feels that Mohammad Isa Shahedi will be encouraged to translate all the remaining volumes of Masnavi, a gigantic and expensive venture indeed, but worthy of reward here and in the hereafter.
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