The Journey of the Word and the Spiritual Semantics of Revelation: A Comparative Study of the Mathnawi-e Ma‘nawi and Tafsir-e Ruh al-Bayan سلوکِ لفظ و معنویتِ وحی: مثنویِ معنوی و تفسیرِ روح البیان کا تقابلی جائزہ

Abstract

This study offers a comparative exploration of the relationship between linguistic expression and revelatory meaning as reflected in Rumi’s Mathnawi-e Ma‘nawi and Ismail Haqqi Bursawi’s Tafsir-e Ruh al-Bayan. Both works stand at the intersection of mystical hermeneutics and spiritual pedagogy, yet they represent two distinct but complementary modes of engaging with revelation: poetic articulation and exegetical exposition. The research focuses on how each text conceives the suluk (journey) of the word—from its outward articulation to its inward spiritual resonance—and how this journey becomes a medium for unveiling the multilayered nature of divine guidance.  Employing a comparative hermeneutic method, the study examines how key Qur’anic themes—such as divine love, inner purification, spiritual ascent, human accountability, and the unveiling of truth—are reframed in symbolic language within the Mathnawi, while Ruh al-Bayan grounds these themes in a structured interpretive framework rooted in Sufi epistemology. The analysis highlights how Rumi’s narrative metaphors, parables, and experiential imagery transform revelatory meanings into existential insights, whereas Bursawi’s tafsir explicates these meanings through linguistic precision, prophetic traditions, and mystical commentary.  Ultimately, the study argues that both works share a unified objective: to guide the seeker from the surface of the word to the depths of spiritual realization. By illuminating the interplay between poetic intuition and exegetical clarity, this research contributes to broader discussions on the semantics of revelation, Sufi hermeneutics, and the interpretive role of language in Islamic mystical thought.