Some Verses From İsmâil Rusûhî Efendi's Commentary On The Poem Of The Mystic Letters

Abstract

İsmâil Rusûhî Ankaravî, a Mevlevi sheikh and commentator of the Masnavi, was born in Ankara in the 16th century and is considered a significant mystic. Although his exact birth date is unknown, it is rumored that he was born just after the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Ankaravî joined the Bayramiyye, Halvetiyye, and finally the Mevlevi orders.

İsmâil Rusûhî Ankaravî has many works. Among these, his notable works include commentaries related to the Masnavi, explanations of Ibn al-Farid's works, and other mystical writings. The focus of this discussion is his commentary on Ibn al-Farid's "Poem of the Mystic Letters," titled "el-Makāsıd-ı aliyye fî şerhi’t-Tâiyye." The work consists of five main sections: the foreword, an introduction, a commentary on the "Poem of the Mystic Letters," appendices, and indexes. The foreword includes subsections on Ibn al-Farid, İsmâil Ankaravî, and the commentator's introduction. The introduction section provides information on existence, names and attributes, the five divine presences, technical terms, some mystical concepts, divine love, and the similarities between divine love and material wine. In the section titled "Commentary on the Poem of the Mystic Letters," the commentary covers the 752 verses of the poem, often examining them individually but sometimes grouping several verses together for thematic coherence. The appendices include a simplified version of the text leading into the index section, which contains verses, hadiths, significant statements, images, and an index.

As examples for this study, verses 3, 49, 71, 242, and 350 have been selected. Since the book does not provide the readings of these Arabic verses, their readings are first presented, followed by their meanings and a mystical interpretation. I hope this work will be beneficial to the academic community.