/lit/ - Literature

Do I need to read the Qur'an to read and understand Muslim poets and philosophers like Rumi, Avicenna, Averroes, Arabi etc or can I appreciate them without it?

Is the masnavi worth reading for a non-muslim, non-persian speaker? Do I need to have read the Qur'an?

>>14000425
Yes, Jawid Mojaddedi for Masnavi.

>>13988087
Jalaluddin Rumi, who you have probably heard of, was a commentator of the Quran. The Masnavi covers, elucidates, gives commentary on and refers to the Quran throughout.

I recommend staying away from the nonsense that is the best-selling American free-verse "translation" of Rumi's poetry by Coleman Barks. Coleman Barks does not know a word of Farsi but spruced up some excerpts of various English translations he found and jumbled them up to a book of brief chopped up translations of translations in a punchy American style known as "The Essential Rumi" so you get a lot of young English speaking Americans saying they're fans of Rumi for reading this "book of poetry by Rumi." Not trying to knock it though, if people enjoy it and get something out of it it's still valid, and perhaps can be still said to come through the original kernel of genius that was his mind. It's hard to read it knowing that I could be reading complete versions of his works at this point, though, however.

You may appreciate this talk about the life of Rumi as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj86pH0CAIg