the comparison between r. nicholson’s commentary on the second book of masnavi and other scholars’ commentaries

there are different commentaries on rumi’s masnavi, each focusing on it from different pints of view such as literary aesthetics, mysticism, philosophy and subject matter. these various commentaries – including those by reynold nicholson, jafar shahidi, mohammad estelami and karim zamani – make their comparison and contrast inevitable. despite their great affinity, they are different from each other considering their mystical interpretations, allusive references, religious credence, and vocabulary and verse variations. this article is to compare and contrast the commentaries on the second book of masnavi.