Mahvash Alavi London Academy of Iranian Studies Abstract Mathnawi is the masterpiece of Jalal-al-din Rumi, the great Iranian Sufi and poet who composed Mathnawi approximately seven centuries ago. Although Mathnawi has been in existence since then, no-one has realised that it is based on a very precise and detailed structure. In fact, the […]
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Gustav Richter (1906-39) 1 Abstract This is Gustav Richter’s third lecture on Rumi’s poetry, in which, in language clearly inspired by Rumi himself, Richter analyses the structural and metaphysical aspects of the Divan, as well as the many layers of meaning contained within the imagery. Richter compares Rumi’s poetry with that of the German […]
Karim Aghili Manchester, UK Abstract: This paper is an attempt to critically analyse some of the versions of the oneness of existence (wahdat al-wujud)1. It seeks to argue that according to Mulla Sadra, the concept of “existence”2 is one, and its extra-mental reality, then, must also be one, because one single concept cannot be […]
Dr. Safavi’s expertise is in Philosophy, Islamic Mysticism, and Comparative Philosophy. His new books on philosophy and Islamic Mysticism are: New Path: A Novel Interpretation of Mathnawi; Practical Mysticism; Ethics and Perfect Human in Rumi’s Perspective; Ahl Al Bayt According to Rumi; Islamic Mysticism in the East and the West; Structure of Mathnawi […]
Dr Seyed G Safavi* University of London, UK London Academy of Iranian Studies (LAIS) The two previous papers have presented the general principles of parallelism and chiasmus, and have shown how Mawlānā used these two principles to organise his great work in such a way that if you read it linearly and sequentially you form an […]