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{{Short description|Poetic genre}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
'''Mathnawi''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|æ|θ|n|ə|ˈ|w|iː}} {{respell|MATH-nə-WEE}}),{{efn|{{langx|ar|مثنوي}} {{translit|ar|mathnawiyy}} {{IPA|ar|mæθnæwijː|}}}} also spelled '''masnavi''',{{efn|{{langx|fa|مثنوی}}, {{IPA|fa|mæsnæˈviː|pron}}}} '''mesnevi'''{{efn|{{IPA|tr|mesneˈʋi}}}} or '''masnawi''',{{efn|{{IPA|ur|məsnəˈʋiː}}}} is a kind of [[poem]] written in [[rhyming couplet]]s, or more specifically "a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines". Most mathnawi poems follow a [[Meter (poetry)|meter]] of eleven, or occasionally ten, [[syllable]]s, but had no limit in their length.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=1–2}} Typical mathnawi poems consist of an indefinite number of [[couplet]]s, with the [[rhyme scheme]] aa/bb/cc.

Mathnawi poems have been written in [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Arabic]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] and [[Urdu]] cultures. Certain Persian mathnawi poems, such as [[Rumi]]'s ''[[Masnavi-e-Ma'navi|Masnavi-e Ma’navi]]'', have had a special religious significance in [[Sufism]]. Other influential writings include the poems of [[Ghazali]]{{clarify|date=May 2023|reason=Abu Hamed Mohammad ibn Mohammad Ghazali?}} and [[ibn Arabi]].<ref>Moral Conduct and Authority: The Place of Adab in South Asian Islam. (1984). Vereinigtes Königreich: University of California Press.</ref> Mathnawis are closely tied to Islamic theology, philosophy, and legends, and cannot be understood properly without knowledge about it.<ref>Swahili Islamic Poetry: Introduction : The celebration of Mohammed's birthday; Swahili Islamic cosmology. (1971). Niederlande: Brill.</ref>

==Arabic mathnawi==
Arabic mathnawi poetry, also known as ''muzdawij'' ({{langx|ar|مزدوج}} – {{lit|doubled}}, referring to the internal rhyme scheme of the lines), was popularized during the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid era]]. Unlike the older poetic styles in Arabic, mathnawi verses are not [[monorhyme]]s. Instead, they include an internal rhyme scheme within each [[Verse (poetry)|verse]] (or {{lang|ar|بيت}} ''bayt'') with an extensive use of [[alliteration]] and follow a specific meter. Arabic mathnawi poetry is similar to the Persian, Urdu and Turkish equivalents, though with one major difference: most ''muzdawij'' poems follow an aaa/bbb/ccc pattern, while the other mathnawi poems follow an aa/bb/cc pattern.<ref>Bencheneb, M. "Muzdawid̲j̲." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2010. Brill Online. Augustana. 8 April 2010 http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-5695</ref>

==Persian masnavi==
Persian masnavi poems strictly adhere to a [[Metre (poetry)|meter]] of 11 syllables (occasionally ten). While the length of a masnavi is not prescribed and is therefore unlimited, most of the better known masnavi are within a range of 2,000–9,000 verses).{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=2}} The first known masnavi poem was written during the [[Samanids|Samanid period]] (4th–10th centuries). Despite certain dates indicating a possibility otherwise, modern scholars believe that it is a continuation of an [[Iran]]ian [[verse form]], not of its Arabic [[Counterpart theory|counterpart]].{{efn|There is some debate, as the word masnavi is derived from Arabic, but most scholars believe that the Persians coined the word themselves.}}{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=pp.1}}

Masnavi are usually associated with the didactic and romantic genres, but are not limited to them.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=3}} There is a great variety among Persian masnavi, but there are several conventions that can help a reader recognize a masnavi poem. Most masnavi have a distinction between the introductory and body [[paragraph]]s (although it is not always easy to determine where that is), praise of the one God and prayers, a [[eulogy]] of the Prophet, reflections on the value of poetry, and occasionally a description of an object as a significant [[symbol]].{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=pp.5}}

Certain Persian masnavi have had a special religious significance in [[Sufism]], such as [[Rumi]]'s ''[[Masnavi-e-Ma'navi|Masnavi-i Ma'nawi]]'', which consists of 6 books/25,000 verses and which has been used in [[prayer]] among many Sufi's, such as the [[Mevlevi Order|Whirling Dervishes]].<ref>Friedlander, Ira. The Whirling Dervishes. New York: Macmillan, 1975. Print.</ref> While some [[Islam]]ic legalists find the practice unconscionable, the Sufi scholar and jurist [[Abu Hamid al-Ghazali]] supported the use of poetry as [[worship]].<ref>Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid. "Concerning Music and Dancing As Aids to the Religious Life." Trans. Claud Field. The Alchemy of Happiness. Dodo, 1909. 27–32. Print.</ref>

In the 21st century, [[Ahmad NikTalab]] has been one of the expert poets of Persian masnawi.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-27|title=مجموعه اشعار زنده‌یاد احمد نیک‌طلب رونمایی می‌شود|url=https://www.mehrnews.com/news/5157469/مجموعه-اشعار-زنده-یاد-احمد-نیک-طلب-رونمایی-می-شود|access-date=2021-05-17|website=خبرگزاری مهر {{!}} اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} Mehr News Agency|language=fa}}</ref>

==Turkish mesnevi==
Turkish mesnevi developed during the 8th to 14th centuries. Persian masnavi influenced Turkish authors as many Turkish mesnevi were, at first, creative [[translation]]s and adaptations of Persian masnavi. The oldest known Turkish mesnevi is a [[Didactic poetry|didactic poem]] called ''[[Kutadgu Bilig]]''.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=6–7}}

Turkish mesnevi are strongly driven by their plot, and are usually categorized into three [[genre]]s: {{translit|ar|mutakarib}} (heroic), {{translit|ar|ramal}} (religio-didactic), and {{translit|ar|hazaj}} (romantic). Some mesnevi were written with an understanding that the audience would appreciate the importance of the subject of the poem, but some were also written purely for [[entertainment]] purposes.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=6–7}}

Mesnevi remained prominent in [[Turkish literature]] until the end of the [[Ottoman Empire]], when it began to transform into more conversational and rhetorical literature. Few Turkish mesnevi have been translated into another [[modern language]].{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=8}}

==Urdu masnawi==
Urdu masnawi are usually divided into three categories: early, middle, and late.

Early Urdu masnawi began during the 11th to 17th centuries. In the beginning of this period, many masnawi were religious in nature, but then grew to include romantic, heroic, and even [[secular]] stories. Early Urdu masnawi were influenced by Dakkani literature, as well as Persian masnavi. Because of this influence, many early Urdu masnawi were translations of Persian masnavi, although there are some original early Urdu masnawis.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=9}}

Middle Urdu masnawi became prominent during the 12th to 18th centuries, when [[Urdu literature]] broke away from the Dakkani tradition. During the 12th to 18th centuries, romantic masnawi became very popular. Another new convention that appeared in middle Urdu masnawi was authors using their own personal experiences as a subject for their poem.{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=9–10}}

Modern Urdu masnawi began during the 13th to 19th centuries, during a time of literary reform. Masnawi as a whole became much shorter, and the traditional meters stopped being observed. These masnawis deal more with everyday subjects, as well as providing a medium for [[children's poetry]].{{sfn|Bruijn|Flemming|Rahman|2010|pp=9-11-12}} A well-known masnavi-writer in Urdu in recent times was Allama Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi "Gauhar Lucknavi" (great-grandson of [[Mir Anees|Mir Baber Ali Anees]]).

==See also==
* [[Diwan (poetry)]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Literature==
* {{cite encyclopedia |last1=Bruijn |first1= J.T.P. de |last2= Flemming |first2= B. |last3=Rahman |first3= Munibur |url=http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_COM-0709 |title=Mathnawī |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]] |edition=2nd |editor-first1= P. |editor-last1=Bearman |editor-first2= Th. |editor-last2=Bianquis |editor-first3=C. E. |editor-last3=Bosworth |editor-first4= E. van |editor-last4=Donzel |editor-first5=W. P. |editor-last5=Heinrichs |publisher= Brill Online | date=8 April 2010}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Masnavi (Poetic Form)}}
[[Category:Arabic and Central Asian poetics]]
[[Category:Pakistani poetics]]
[[Category:Persian poetic forms|*]]
[[Category:Iranian inventions]]
[[Category:Arabic poetry forms]]
[[Category:Literary genres]]
[[Category:Mathnawi| ]]