A Persian Qurʾan?: The Masnavi-e Ma‛navi as Scripture

This dissertation investigates the category of “scripture” as constructed within the field of religious studies generally and in Islamic studies particularly. I argue that narrow definitions of “scripture” as restricted to solely the Qurʾan within the Islamic tradition does not account for the diverse phenomena of scriptural production within Islamic and Islamicate polities, past and present. As a consequence, the field has re-instantiated a normative understanding of scripture within Islam, while subsuming other Islamic scriptural writings as of secondary value. Using the example of the Masnavi-e Ma‛navi—a 13th century epic poem from the Persian and Islamic traditions—I demonstrate how scriptural traditions have been formed and utilized by Muslim religious communities. In my argument, the Masnavi constructs itself as, and comes to be, an Islamic scripture: it has even been referred to as “the Qurʾan in Persian”. The Masnavi-e Ma‛navi’s status as scripture stems from two aspects: its internal discourses about and related to scripture and its reception and usage as scripture. Within the work, it identifies itself as a scripture through internal discourses related to the Qurʾan and other Islamic traditions, such as hadith and Sufi folklore. This internal discourse, or self-authentication as scripture, is supported by claims to authority the Masnavi makes about itself. In terms of reception and usage, the Masnavi becomes recognized and recognizable as scripture through the interactions between its progenitor, Jalal al-din Rumi, and the disciples (the nascent Mevlevi order, sometimes called “whirling dervishes”) who formed the text’s immediate audience. I argue that the adoption of the Masnavi within the teachings and rituals of the Mevlevis shows a community in formation around a text— a process that mirrors the formation of the early community of Muslims around and by the Qurʾan. I show how the (re)production of the Masnavi and its ritual use were intertwined within broader the socio-cultural landscapes of Anatolia and the Mediterranean. The Masnavi thus laid claim to Islamic scriptural authority within the intellectual, political, and spiritual environs of its epoch. As a consequence, scholarship on Islam, Sufism, and religious studies must revisit the definition of “scripture” within these fields.Doctor of Philosoph