M6:3 — پیش‌کش می‌آرمت ای معنوی / قسم سادس در تمام مثنوی

Translation: I offer it to you, O spiritual one (ma'navi) / The sixth section, as the completion (tamām) of the entire Masnavi. Meaning: Rumi dedicates this sixth book of the Mathnawi to Husam al-Din, explicitly stating that it marks the completion and entirety of his magnum opus.

This particular couplet, in my view, serves as an absolutely vital document that illuminates Rumi's own understanding of the Masnavi's structure and his ultimate intention for it. Here, Rumi explicitly and decisively states that this 'sixth section' (Daftar Sādis) constitutes the 'completion' (tamām) of the entire Masnavi. This declaration by the author himself definitively refutes any speculation regarding the existence of a seventh book.

I have insisted for years that the purported seventh daftar of the Masnavi is, without a shadow of a doubt, apocryphal and bears no relation to Rumi. The evidence for this is manifold and robust: Firstly, the earliest and most authentic manuscripts of the Masnavi, including the one currently preserved at Rumi's tomb (which forms the basis for scholarly editions, including my own, as well as those by Nicholson and Movahed), contain no seventh book. Not even a single line from it can be found. Secondly, Rumi's most reputable biographers, such as Sepahsalar and Shams al-Din Aflaki in Manāqib al-ʿĀrifīn, make no mention whatsoever of such a daftar. Most importantly, however, is this very couplet, where Rumi himself, with the word tamām (completion), draws a final line under his work.

The insistence by some on a seventh book likely stems from a superstitious reverence for the number seven. As you know, in many esoteric traditions and particularly within Isma'ilism, the number seven holds sacred significance, leading some to compile books in seven volumes to imbue them with this perceived blessing. However, Rumi did not succumb to such artificial, external rules. He remained faithful to the natural flow of his inspiration and poetic temperament, not to the pseudo-sacred expectations of others.

The sixth daftar is the longest of the Masnavi's books, comprising nearly five thousand couplets. Significantly, this book was composed during Rumi's final years, between 670 and 674 AH, when he was between 66 and 68 years old. The completion of this daftar thus almost perfectly coincides with Rumi's passing. This timing suggests that the Masnavi found its natural conclusion; Rumi's wellspring of poetic and spiritual utterance gradually moved towards silence, leaving him no further capacity to continue. Therefore, the Masnavi's end was not a pre-planned decision but rather a natural, divinely guided process.

This couplet, as you can observe, is an offering and a dedication to Husam al-Din Chalabi, whom Rumi addresses as ma'navi (O spiritual one). This address not only signifies Rumi's gratitude but also affirms Husam al-Din's elevated spiritual station. Husam al-Din was not merely a scribe or an encourager; he was a profound scholar (ʿallāma) and a person of deep spiritual insight who, in Rumi's own words (in a preceding couplet, M6:2), lent the Masnavi its identity as the 'Husam-nama'.

Key takeaways

• Rumi explicitly declares the Sixth Daftar as the 'completion' (tamām) of the entire Masnavi.
• This couplet serves as decisive evidence against the authenticity of the apocryphal seventh daftar.
• The Masnavi concluded naturally, coinciding with Rumi's final years, rather than through a pre-planned structural decision.
• The dedication to Husam al-Din, addressed as 'O spiritual one' (ma'navi), highlights his esteemed spiritual status in Rumi's eyes.
• Rumi prioritized the natural flow of his inspiration over external conventions, such as the perceived sacredness of the number seven.