Mathnawi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi (3 Volume Set)

Rumi's 13th century classic of Sufi spirituality

Jalaluddin Rumi, b. 1205 in Balkh, now Turkestan, d. 1273 was founder of the Mevlevi order of Sufi Dervishes. He was known among followers as "Mevlana" or "Our Master". The Mathnawi, "Song of the Reed" is often referred to as the Koran in Persian, and ranks among the classics of world spiritual literature.

A series of 3 volumes, the Mathnawi is an ingenious series of allegories, fables, parables and tales, often no more than a page or two in length. The sprawling scope of the subjects covered include everything from accounts of the famous saints of Islam, Christianity and Judaism; told in symbolic and allegorical form to deeply mystical interpretations of life and a renewed call to faith. The quality of the writing is best described as ecstatic prose verse. They are rich with detail about the cultural life of the period.

Rumi dictated the 3 volume series to a scribe, after the loss of his closest friend, guide and spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz.