Alan Williams (2)

Every inch of the Mathnawi reveals that Jalal-al-Din Rumi, the ardent mystic, had a deep, spiritual relationship with the Qur’an and was profoundly attached to it. In the Mathnawi as a whole, there are more than two thousand instances in which the verses of the Qur’an have been cited or meanings and words derived from it.

However, it’s the exploration of the relationship between the Prophet and the Qur’an that forms the heart of the ‘Mathnawi’. Rumi considers the Qur’an to be both the word of God and the word of the Prophet. In fact, in many instances, he goes so far as to suggest that the Prophet is no more than “a cover” for God’s action. In other words, God is both the speaker and the hearer, and the Prophet is reciting the words put into his mouth.