Abstract
The Ineffability of Love in the Light of the Mathnawi’s Last Story Or Why Was the Mathnawi not completed?
In the last story of his Mathnawi, Rumi speaks of three prince brothers who fell in love
with the daughter of the Chinese Emperor. In the story, two older brothers pass away.
However, there is no definite conclusion about what happens to the third and youngest
brother. In this article, relying mostly on the Mathnawi’s commentary of Ahmed Avni
Konuk, we will try to examine the issue whether the story is complete or not in the original
and the question of the seventh volume of the Mathnawi, explanations of the mystic
symbols occurring in the story and the ineffability of love as the intended message.
Keywords
Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, the Mathnawi, love, the seventh volume of the Mathnawi.
