Book I
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *The King and the Handmaiden *The Greengrocer and the Parrot *The Jewish King whose Vizier contrived a plot against the Christians *The Caliph and Laylá *The description of Mohammed in the Gospel *Another Jewish King who persecuted the Christians *The punishment inflicted on a man who scoffed at Mohammed *The Wind which destroyed the people of ‘Ad . *The Lion and the Beasts of chase *Azrael and the man who took refuge with Solomon Solomon and the Hoopoe *The Fall of Adam *The Holy War against the Flesh *The Caliph ‘Umar and the Ambassador *How Adam acknowledged, while Iblis denied, responsibility for sin *“And He is with you, wheresoever you be” *“Let him who desires to sit with God sit with the Súfís” *The Merchant and the Parrot which gave him a message to the parrots of India *The Spiritual Birds that are Divine Intelligences *Commentary on a saying of Faridu’ddín ‘Attár . *The respect paid to Moses by Pharaoh’s magicians *Commentary on a saying of Saná’í, and a Discourse on a Tradition of the Prophet concerning the jealousy of God *The harmfulness of being honoured by the people *“Whatsoever God wills cometh to pass” *The Story of the Harper *Explanation of a Tradition of the Prophet concerning Divine inspiration *A Story of ‘A’isha and the Prophet *Commentary on a verse of Saná’i *“Take advantage of the coolness of the spring season” *The Moaning Pillar *A miracle performed by the Prophet in the presence of Abú Jahl *The Prodigal for whom the angels pray *The munificent Caliph *The Arab of the Desert and his Wife *False saints *The power of Faith *Light and colour *Explanation of the Tradition that women prevail over the wise man, while the ignorant man prevails over them *The mystery of Moses and Pharaoh *“He has lost this life and the life to come” *The prophet Sálih and the people of Thamúd *The barrier between the righteous and the wicked *What is meat to the saint is poison to the disciple *The Divine Bounty and those who beg for it *The two kinds of “poor” *The World's lovers *The proverb, “If you commit fornication, commit it with a free woman, and if you steal, steal a pearl” *The Grammarian and the Boatman *The Spiritual Guide *The Prophet's injunction to ‘Alí *The man of Qazwín who wanted to have a lion tattooed on his shoulder *The wolf and the fox who went to hunt with the Lion . *The man who knocked at his friend’s door and, on being asked who he was, answered, “‘Tis I” *Description of Unification *Noah as the God-man *Why the Súfís who know God are seated in front of kings *Joseph and the guest-friend who could find no suitable gift for him except a mirror *Mohammed and the scribe who wrote down the Qur'anic Revelations *Bal’am son of Bá’úr *Hárút and Márút *The deaf man and his sick neighbour *Iblis the originator of analogical reasoning applied to the Word of God *Mystical experiences must be kept hidden from the vulgar *The contention between the Greek and Chinese artists *The Vision of Zayd *Luqmán and his fellow-servants *The conflagration in Medina in the days of the Caliph 'Umar *'Alí and the infidel who spat in his face *'Alí and his murderer *The self-conceit shown by Adam towards Iblís *The unworldliness of the ProphetBook II
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *The Caliph ‘Umar and the man who thought he saw the new moon *The fool who entreated Jesus to bring some bones to life *The Sufi who enjoined the servant to take care of his ass *The King and his lost falcon *Shaykh Ahmad son of Khizrúya and his creditors *The answer of an ascetic who was warned not to weep, lest he should become blind *The peasant who stroked a lion in the dark *The Súfis who sold the traveller’s ass *The greedy insolvent *Parable for those who say “if” *The man who killed his mother because he suspected her of adultery *The King and his two slaves *The King's retainers who envied his favourite slave *The falcon amongst the owls *The thirsty man who threw bricks into the water *The man who planted a thornbush in the road and delayed to uproot it *Dhu'l-Nún and the friends who came to visit him in the mad-house *The sagacity of Luqmán *The reverence of Bilqís for the message of Solomon which was brought to her by the hoopoe *The philosopher who showed disbelief in the ''Qur’án'' * Moses and the shepherd *The Amír and the sleeping man into whose mouth a snake had crept *The fool who trusted the bear *The blind beggar who said, “I have two blindnesses” *Moses and the worshipper of the golden calf *Galen and the madman *The cause of a bird's flying and feeding with a bird that is not of its own kind *Mohammed's visit to the sick Companion *The gardener who separated three friends in order to chastise them singly *Báyazíd and the Shaykh who said, “I am the Ka’ba” *The novice who built a new house *Dalqak and the Sayyid-i Ajall *The Saint who rode a cock-horse *The dog and the blind mendicant *The Police Inspector and the drunken man *Iblís and Mu’áwiya *The Cadi who wept whilst he was being installed *The bitter grief of a man who missed the congregational prayers *The thief who escaped because his accomplice gave a false alarm *The Hypocrites and the Mosque of Opposition *The true believer's stray camel *The four Indians who lost their prayers *The Ghuzz Turcomans and the two villagers *The self-conceit and ingratitude shown by the worldly towards the prophets and saints *The old man who complained to the doctor *Júhí and the child *The boy who was afraid of an effeminate man *The archer and the horseman *The Arab of the desert and the philosopher *The miracles of Ibráhim son of Adham *The beginning of the gnostic's illumination *The stranger who reviled the Shaykh *The man who declared that God would not punish his sins, and Shu’ayb's answer to him *The answer of the Prophet to ‘A’isha, who said that he performed the ritual prayer in unclean places *The mouse and the camel *The miracles of a dervish who was accused of theft *The garrulous, greedy, and somnolent Súfí, and his reply to the Shaykh who enjoined him to observe moderation *The nature of intuitive knowledge *John the Baptist and Jesus *Mute eloquence *The search for the Tree of Life *How four persons quarrelled about grapes, which were known to each of them by a different name *How Mohammed established unity amongst the Ansár *Solomon and the birds *The ducklings that were fostered by a hen *The miracles wrought by an ascetic in the desertBook III
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *The Travellers who ate the young Elephant *Bilál’s mispronunciation in chanting the call to prayer *Moses instructed by God how he should pray *The response to sincere prayer *The Countryman and the Townsman *The people of Sabá and the Prophets *How Jesus came forth from his cell and healed the sick *The Falcon and the Ducks *The people of Zarwán *Majnún and Laylá’s dog *The Jackal that fell into the dyeing-vat and pretended to be a Peacock *The Braggart who pretended that he had dined well *Bal’am the son of Bá’úr *“And thou wilt surely know them in the perversion of their speech” *Hárút and Márút *Pharaoh's dream of the coming of Moses *The Mughal and the Egyptians *The conception and birth of Moses *The Snake-catcher and the frozen Snake *Pharaoh and Moses *The two Magicians who summoned their father from the grave *Comparison of the ''Qur’án'' to the rod of Moses * The Elephant in the dark house *Noah and Canaan *Infidelity and Predestination *The Barber and the Man with grizzled hair *The answer of Zayd to his assailant *The Companions of the Prophet and the ''Qur’án'' *The Lover who read a love-letter in the presence of his Beloved *The Poor Man who prayed that he might gain a lawful livelihood without work *Knowledge and Opinion *The Teacher who fancied he was ill *The Dervish who broke his vow *The far-seeing Goldsmith *The Magicians whom Pharaoh threatened to punish *The complaint of the Mule to the Camel *The Ass of ‘Uzayr *The Shaykh who showed no grief at the death of his sons *The Blind Man who regained his sight when he read the ''Qur’án'' *The patience of Luqmán *Buhlúl and the Dervish *The Visions and Miracles of Daqúqi *Moses and Khizr *The flight of Jesus from the Fool *The Children's Tale of the Three Worldlings *The Hares and the Elephant *Noah and the building of the Ark *The Thief who said he was beating a Drum *The meaning of Prudence *The Vow made by the Dogs every winter *The Divine Providence manifested in the creation of Hell *Kings compared to the Báb-i Saghír at Jerusalem *The Súfí who fell into ecstasy on seeing an empty food-wallet *Jacob's love for Joseph *The Amir and the Slave who took delight in the ritual Prayer *The Faith of the Worldly *Hidden Saints *Anas and the Prophet's napkin *How the Prophet saved a caravan of Arabs from death in the Desert *Miracles wrought by the Prophet on the same occasion *Need and distress call forth the Bounty of God *The Babe that bore witness to the Prophet *The Eagle that carried off the Prophet's boot *The Man who asked Moses to teach him the language of Beasts and Birds *The Woman whose twenty children all died in infancy *Why Hamza in his old age refused to protect himself with a coat of mail *The advantages of Deliberation *The death of Bilál *The World and the Body *Statute and Analogy *The reverence due to the Shaykhs from their disciples *Conventional and intuitive knowledge *Faná and Baqá *The Wakíl of Bukhárá and his Master *The appearance of the Holy Spirit in human shape to Mary, the Mother of Jesus *The most beautiful City *The Lover in the haunted Mosque *The worldliness of Galen *How Satan deceived the Quraysh *The Boy who beat a tomtom in order to scare a Camel on which they were beating a drum *Comparison of the true Believer suffering tribulation to peas being boiled in a pot *The Mathnawí and its critics *The outer and inner sense of the ''Qur’án'' *Why the Saints take refuge in mountains and caves *How the mountains joined in the song of David *The Foal that would not drink *The cry of the Devil *How each element in the Body is drawn to its original source, and the Soul likewise *The Prophet and the Captives *The Gnat and the Wind in the presence of Solomon *The perfidious LoverBook IV
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *The perfidious Lover (continued) *The Preacher who prayed for the wicked *The answer of Jesus to the question, “What is the hardest thing to bear?” *The Súfí who caught his wife with a strange man *The Names of God *Comparison of the World to a bath-stove *The Tanner who fainted on smelling otto and musk *The Jew who tempted ‘Alí *The building of the Farther Mosque (the Temple of Solomon) *“The Faithful are naught but brothers” *The unspoken Sermon of the Caliph ‘Uthmán *Man the Macrocosm *Comparison of the Prophet and the Moslem saints to the Ark of Noah *Solomon and Bilqís *The Miracles of Shaykh ‘Abdullah Maghribí *The Druggist and the Clay-eater *The Dervish and the Carrier of firewood *Ibráhím ibn Adham and his abandonment of his Kingdom *The thirsty man who climbed a walnut-tree and dropped walnuts into the water *Halíma and the infant Mohammed *The Worldly and the Spiritual *The Poet and the two Viziers *Pharaoh and Hámán *The Demon who sat on the throne of Solomon *How Cain learned the grave-digger’s trade *The Súfi who contemplated the beauty of the Garden in his own heart *Worldly knowledge and power a dangerous weapon in the hands of the wicked *“O thou that wrappest thyself” *The Slave whose allowance was reduced *Man half angel and half beast *Majnún and his she-camel *The Divine and the Thief who stole his turban *The World's enticement and warning *The food of the Saints *Death the touchstone of pretension *The hypocritical Encomiast *The divine Physicians *How Abd Yazíd (Báyazíd) Bistámí predicted the birth of Abu‘l-Hasan Kharraqáni *How the wind blew perversely against Solomon *Abu’l-Hasan at the tomb of Abú Yazíd *The Man who took counsel with his enemy *The Prophet's appointment of a Young Man of Hudhayl to command the army *The Ecstasy of Báyazíd *The wise, the half-wise, and the foolish *The Three Fishes *The ablutionary Prayers *The Man who failed to profit by the wise counsels of a Bird *Moses and Pharaoh as types of Reason and Imagination *The spiritual vision in which all the senses become one *Moses and Pharaoh *The World's assault on the Unseen *The Purification of the Heart *“Book V
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *Parable of the Four Birds *Description of the Duck *The Prophet and the Greedy Infidel *The Light which is the Food of the Spirit *Description of the Peacock *Diversity of Intelligences *The Arab of the Desert and his Dog *The Sage and the Peacock *“No monkery in Islam” *Description of the Crow *The Gazelle in the Donkey-stable *Muammad Khwárizmsháh and the people of Sabzawár *Description of the Cock *“The Lowest of the Low” *The two Worlds *The value of Works *“And He is with you” *The Man who claimed to be a Prophet *The Devoted Lover *The Disciple who imitated the Shaykh *The Maidservant and the Ass *Parable of the Parrot which is taught to speak by seeing its image in a mirror *The Puppies that barked before they were born *The People of Zarwán *The Creation of Adam *The illusion of causes *Death and Resurrection *The infinite mercy of God *The Story of Ayáz *Laylá and Majnún *The Ascetic and his jealous Wife *The repentance of Nasúh *The Fox and the Ass *The Ass that envied the Arab horses *The Ascetic who made trial of his trust in God *Parable of the Camel *The effeminate Youth *The Man who was afraid of being taken for an Ass *Shaykh Muhammad Sar-razí of Ghazna *The Disciple in dreadof hunger *The Cow in the green Island *The Christian ascetic who went about with a lamp in the day-time *Debate between a Moslem and a Magian on the subject of free-will *The Dervish who reproached God *The beauty of Laylá *A story of Júhí *The Infidel and Báyazíd *The Muezzin with the harsh voice *The Cat and the Meat *The Amír and the Ascetic *Ziyá-yi Dalq and his Brother *Dalqak's game of Chess with the Sháh of Tirmid *The Prophet on Mount Hirá *The World that is living, speaking, and hearing *The Guest who took offence and departed *A Father's advice to his married Daughter *The cowardly Súfí *‘Iyádí and the Greater Warfare *The Man who tormented his Carnal Soul *The Caliph and the Captain *The Magicians of PharaohBook VI
*Preface (in prose) *Proem *The Bird on the City-wall *The temptation of Free-will *The Hindu Slave and his Master’s daughter *The Thief who put out the light *The Story of Ayáz (''continued'') *The Fowler and the Bird *The Man whose Ram was stolen *The Watchman who cried out after the Robbers had gone *The Lover who fell asleep *The Turkish Amír and the Minstrel *‘A’isha and the Blind Man *“Die before ye die” *A Poet's rebuke to the Shí’ites of Aleppo *Parable of the Ant *The Man who gave the drum-call for breakfast at midnight *The Story of Bilál *The Story of Hilál *The Horse that went backward *Mohammed and Jesus *The ugly old Hag who wanted a Husband *The Dervish and the Man of Gílán *The Beggar and the House where nothing could be got *The Man who was desperately ill, and the Story of the Súfi and the Cadi *Sultan Mahmud and the Hindú Boy *The Turk and the Tailor *The Fakir and the Hidden Treasure *Shaykh Abu ‘l-Hasan Kharraqáni and his Disciple *Man the vicegerent of God *The Three Travellers and the sweetmeat *The Camel, the Ox, and the Ram *Dalqak and the King of Tirmid *The Mouse and the Frog *Sultan Mahmúd and the Night-thieves *The Sea-cow and the Pearl *‘Abdu ‘l-Ghawth and the Peris *The insolvent Dervish and the Police Inspector of Tabríz *Ja’far-i Tayyár's irresistible attack on a fortress *Parable of the man who sees double *The Khwárizmsháh and the beautiful Horse *The imprisonment of Joseph *The Three Princes who fell in love with the portrait of the Princess of China *The Sadr-i Jahán of Bukhárá and the Jurist *Story of two Brothers *The King who forced a learned Doctor to drink wine with him *Imra’u ‘l-Qays and the King of Tabúk *The Man who dreamed of a Hidden Treasure *The Cadi and the Wife of Júhí *The Prophet and ‘Alí *Hell and the true Believer *The Story of Nimrod *The miracles of Shaybán Rá’í *The Man who left his property to the laziest of his three Sons *Parable of the Child and the BogleReferences
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