Sufi Poetry and the Masnavi

“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” - Mevlana

Masnevi is the name of a style of poetry in classical oriental literature. In literature, the rhyming type in the same meter and each couplet separately among themselves is called Masnevi. When long-lasting topics or stories were wanted to be told through poetry, the Masnavi type was preferred because of the ease of rhyme.

Although the Masnevi is a genre of classical Eastern poetry, when "Masnevi" is mentioned, "Mevlâna's Masnevi" comes to mind.

Mevlana wrote the Masnevi upon the request of his clerk Hüsameddin Çelebi. According to him, Mevlana sang the Masnavi couplets while walking, sitting, walking, and even whistling in Konya.

The number of couplets is 25618, according to the oldest available Masnevi copy dated 1278, which is still on display in the Mevlana Museum. In his 6-volume Masnevi, Mevlana describes his mystical ideas and thoughts in intertwined stories.