Sanai: The Pioneer of Mystical Persian Poetry Before Rumi

Long before Rumi’s soaring verses filled the courts and khanqahs of medieval Persia, another poet quietly forged the language of Sufi mysticism into lyrical form. Abū al-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam Sanāʾī Ghaznawī (c. 1080–1131 CE)—known simply as Sanai—laid the groundwork for the great spiritual epics that followed, weaving philosophy, ethics, and divine longing into the first truly “Sufi” Persian masnavi.

1. A Poet of Two Worlds: Court and Cloister

• From Ghazni’s Palaces… Sanai served at the glittering Ghaznavid court of Sultan Masʿūd III, mastering the classical forms of panegyric (qasida) and lyrical quatrain (rubā‘ī). He was equally at ease praising royal patronage and extolling the virtues of justice and generosity.

• …To the Path of the Heart. A profound spiritual turning point—some say a vision of the Prophet Muḥammad—propelled Sanai from courtly poet to mystic teacher. He retreated from politics to pursue and share inner wisdom.

This duality—courtier and wandering dervish—infuses his work with both rhetorical polish and heartfelt urgency.

2. Hadiqat al‑Haqqīqa (“The Walled Garden of Truth”)

Sanai’s masterpiece, completed around 1121 CE, stands as the first major Persian masnavi dedicated entirely to Sufi doctrine.

• Structure: Over 10,000 couplets in rhyming masnavi form, divided into thematic chapters on tawḥīd (unity of God), love, morality, repentance, and the stages of the spiritual path.

• Blend of Genres: Fables, anecdotes, direct address, and Qur’anic citations mingle freely—each story functioning as both narrative delight and moral mirror.

• Key Anecdote: The tale of the moth who sacrifices itself in the flame becomes a powerful emblem of …