The debate between reed (nay) and the fire: Sufi metaphor and mystical language in Majzūb-e Tabrizī’s <i>Mathnawī</i>

Shamseddīn Muhammad b. Muhammad Reza, a scholar and poet of the second half of the 17th century, lived during the reign of the Safavid dynasty. Biographical details regarding the poet are scarce; however, his verses strongly indicate his origins in Tabriz. Widely known by the takhallus Majzūb, the earliest records of his life and work are found in contemporaneous tazkiras, providing a verified historical anchor for his literary career. The poet’s literary legacy consists of a Diwan and several Mathnawis, all of which are profoundly rooted in Sufi metaphysics and mystical symbolism. This study analyzes a sixteen-couplet mathnawi, the text of which has been established from the manuscript preserved in the Istanbul Nuruosmaniye Library (No. 03876). The methodology of this study is grounded in qualitative inquiry, utilizing a hermeneutic approach to decode the mystical symbolism within the text. The process began with a scholarly translation faithful to the original Persian, followed by an interpretive analysis aimed at uncovering the Sufi nuances and metaphorical depth inherent in each couplet. The significance of the study lies in its introduction of Majzūb-e Tabrīzī’s previously understudied mathnawi and its hermeneutic insights into the metaphysical metaphors of 17th-century Persian Sufi verse.