List of Stories in The Masnavi - Book I

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 Prophet