Rumi's great book of wisdom-infused poetry contain myriad lessons on the importance of faith, with the culture and lessons of spiritual, Biblical and Islamic teachings featuring strongly. In authoring his masterwork, Rumi quoted the Qu'ran, the Bible and several spiritual forebears. Wishing to align his poetry in order to tell tales of man and man's place in the world, Rumi drew upon a variety of religious and spiritual sources to create a poetic compendium of supreme profundity and depth. The Masnavi was praised as one of the finest works of mystical literature ever seen. It is in the Masnavi that Persia's place between the spiritual cultures of Asia and the Middle East is evidenced. Rumi himself, while undoubtedly an Islamic scholar of great ability, did not feel confined to the faith; he saw spiritual value in a range of disciplines, and asserted that the light of Mohammed's prophecy does not leave faithful Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians or other denominations behind.

This set demonstrates the increasing interest among Western people paid to civilisation in the East at the turn of the 19th century. Included are Kishio Satomi's studies on Nichiren and Japanese idealism, which were written from an Eastern viewpoint specifically for a Western audience. Also reprinted here is Chamberlain's translation from classical Japanese poetry which offers one of the first known attempts to interpret the literature of the Japanese to the Western world.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Rumi's great book of wisdom-infused poetry contain myriad lessons on the importance of faith, with the culture and lessons of spiritual, Biblical and Islamic teachings featuring strongly. In authoring his masterwork, Rumi quoted the Qu'ran, the Bible and several spiritual forebears. Wishing to align his poetry in order to tell tales of man and man's place in the world, Rumi drew upon a variety of religious and spiritual sources to create a poetic compendium of supreme profundity and depth. The Masnavi was praised as one of the finest works of mystical literature ever seen. It is in the Masnavi that Persia's place between the spiritual cultures of Asia and the Middle East is evidenced. Rumi himself, while undoubtedly an Islamic scholar of great ability, did not feel confined to the faith; he saw spiritual value in a range of disciplines, and asserted that the light of Mohammed's prophecy does not leave faithful Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians or other denominations behind.

Rumi was probably born on 30 September 1207 in the province of Balkh in the district of Wakhsh in Khorasan (now in modern Afghanistan/Tajikistan). He died on 17 December 1273 in Konya in Seljuqid Rum (now modern Turkey). He was laid to rest beside his father, and over his remains a splendid shrine was erected. A hagiographical account of him is described in Shams ud-Din Ahmad Aflaki's Manaqib ul-Arifin (written between 1318 and 1353). This hagiographical account of his biography needs to be treated with care as it contains both legends and facts about Rumi. For example, Professor Franklin Lewis, Chicago University, in the most complete biography on Rumi has a separate section for the hagiographical biography on Rumi and actual biography about him. -wikipedia