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Biographers
state that Rumi began the Mathnawi at the
suggestion of his then-favorite disciple, Husam
al-Din Chalabi, who knew that many of Rumi's
devotees also studied carefully the didactic
poetry of Sanai-i and Attar, two masters who had
preceded Rumi. Such works present Sufi teachings
in a form readily accessible and easily
memorized, and are better suited to the warmth
and fellowship of Sufi circles than the
classical textbooks labored over by
savants.
When
Chalabi presented Rumi with the idea that he
should write a work in the style of Sanai-i and
Attar, to complement his other poetry, the story
is told that Rumi responded by taking down from
his turban a slip of paper containing the first
eighteen lines of the Mathnawi. From then on
Rumi and Chalabi met regularly, Rumi composing
and dictating, and Chalabi writing and editing.
This work began around 1260 A.D. and continued
with certain delays until Rumi's death in 1273.
The sixth book of the work breaks off in the
middle of a story, indicating that Rumi
apparently died before completing it.
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