The Masnavi (Mesnevi)

kindred souls. In particular, I am indebted to the dervish order of the Safi Ali Shahi in Tehran, its founder Hajji Mirza Hassan, and especially its current head, Zahir od-Dowleh Ali Khan Qajar, known as Zahir od-Dowleh (1864–1924), was a high-ranking official and a prominent Sufi leader who founded the Anjuman-i Ukhuwwat (Society of Brotherhood).—bearing the dervish title Safi Ali Shah—likewise to Prince Imad od-Dowleh and the circle gathered around him, furthermore to His Excellency Hajji Mirza Mahmud Khan Qajar (currently the Persian ambassador in Constantinople), and finally to His Excellency Mirza Ali Muhammad Khan Mu'addil es-Saltaneh from Shiraz, for the most diverse forms of encouragement and instruction. In the circles of the educated at that time in Persia, Sufism prevailed, and those in the highest positions proudly claimed the status of a dervish for themselves.

“Sufism does not lie in a woolen coat; dress
as you wish, for there are also dervishes in silk.” 4

Thanks to the manifold inspirations and insights I gained during my many years of residence in Persia among these men, the ideas of Oriental philosophy, which are often abstruse in themselves, could become a living reality for me. Thus, I may hope that the reader will gain a certain insight into the unique world of ideas of our mystic from this sketch—an insight they might not have been able to draw from mere book wisdom alone. Our frontispiece depicts a scene in which the Murshid spiritual guide of our Mevlana Mevlana, meaning "Our Master," is the common title for Rumi. throws his precious manuscripts into the water. This refers to the legendary meeting between Rumi and his mentor Shams-i Tabrizi, who threw Rumi’s books into a fountain to demonstrate that true divine knowledge comes from the heart, not from written texts. With this, he intended to show him that it is not books, but the following of the right path that should guide the disciple.

4. This verse by Jalal al-Din alludes to the fact that the Sufis derived their name from the Arabic word suf, meaning wool, because the woolen garment—the "hair shirt"—is the actual dress of the dervishes.