The below list gives the titles of the stories in Rumi's Masnavi-e-Ma'navi, as it appears in Reynold A. Nicholson's translation.
Book I
Preface (in prose) Proem The King and the Handmaiden The Greengrocer and the Parrot The Jewish King whose Vizier contrived a plot against the Christians The Caliph and Laylá The description of Mohammed in the Gospel Another Jewish King who persecuted the Christians The punishment inflicted on a man who scoffed at Mohammed The Wind which destroyed the people of ‘Ad . The Lion and the Beasts of chase Azrael and the man who took refuge with Solomon Solomon and the Hoopoe The Fall of Adam The Holy War against the Flesh The Caliph ‘Umar and the Ambassador How Adam acknowledged, while Iblis denied, responsibility for sin “And He is with you, wheresoever you be” “Let him who desires to sit with God sit with the Súfís” The Merchant and the Parrot which gave him a message to the parrots of India The Spiritual Birds that are Divine Intelligences Commentary on a saying of Faridu’ddín ‘Attár . The respect paid to Moses by Pharaoh’s magicians Commentary on a saying of Saná’í, and a Discourse on a Tradition of the Prophet concerning the jealousy of God The harmfulness of being honoured by the people “Whatsoever God wills cometh to pass” The Story of the Harper Explanation of a Tradition of the Prophet concerning Divine inspiration A Story of ‘A’isha and the Prophet Commentary on a verse of Saná’i “Take advantage of the coolness of the spring season” The Moaning Pillar A miracle performed by the Prophet in the presence of Abú Jahl The Prodigal for whom the angels pray The munificent Caliph The Arab of the Desert and his Wife False saints The power of Faith Light and colour Explanation of the Tradition that women prevail over the wise man, while the ignorant man prevails over them The mystery of Moses and Pharaoh “He has lost this life and the life to come” The prophet Sálih and the people of Thamúd The barrier between the righteous and the wicked What is meat to the saint is poison to the disciple The Divine Bounty and those who beg for it The two kinds of “poor” The World's lovers The proverb, “If you commit fornication, commit it with a free woman, and if you steal, steal a pearl” The Grammarian and the Boatman The Spiritual Guide The Prophet's injunction to ‘Alí The man of Qazwín who wanted to have a lion tattooed on his shoulder The wolf and the fox who went to hunt with the Lion . The man who knocked at his friend’s door and, on being asked who he was, answered, “‘Tis I” Description of Unification Noah as the God-man Why the Súfís who know God are seated in front of kings Joseph and the guest-friend who could find no suitable gift for him except a mirror Mohammed and the scribe who wrote down the Qur'anic Revelations Bal’am son of Bá’úr Hárút and Márút The deaf man and his sick neighbour Iblis the originator of analogical reasoning applied to the Word of God Mystical experiences must be kept hidden from the vulgar The contention between the Greek and Chinese artists The Vision of Zayd Luqmán and his fellow-servants The conflagration in Medina in the days of the Caliph 'Umar 'Alí and the infidel who spat in his face 'Alí and his murderer The self-conceit shown by Adam towards Iblís The unworldliness of the Prophet
Book II Preface (in prose) Proem The Caliph ‘Umar and the man who thought he saw the new moon The fool who entreated Jesus to bring some bones to life The Sufi who enjoined the servant to take care of his ass The King and his lost falcon Shaykh Ahmad son of Khizrúya and his creditors The answer of an ascetic who was warned not to weep, lest he should become blind The peasant who stroked a lion in the dark The Súfis who sold the traveller’s ass The greedy insolvent Parable for those who say “if” The man who killed his mother because he suspected her of adultery The King and his two slaves The King's retainers who envied his favourite slave The falcon amongst the owls The thirsty man who threw bricks into the water The man who planted a thornbush in the road and delayed to uproot it Dhu'l-Nún and the friends who came to visit him in the mad-house The sagacity of Luqmán The reverence of Bilqís for the message of Solomon which was brought to her by the hoopoe The philosopher who showed disbelief in the Qur’án Moses and the shepherd The Amír and the sleeping man into whose mouth a snake had crept The fool who trusted the bear The blind beggar who said, “I have two blindnesses” Moses and the worshipper of the golden calf Galen and the madman The cause of a bird's flying and feeding with a bird that is not of its own kind Mohammed's visit to the sick Companion The gardener who separated three friends in order to chastise them singly Báyazíd and the Shaykh who said, “I am the Ka’ba” The novice who built a new house Dalqak and the Sayyid-i Ajall The Saint who rode a cock-horse The dog and the blind mendicant The Police Inspector and the drunken man Iblís and Mu’áwiya The Cadi who wept whilst he was being installed The bitter grief of a man who missed the congregational prayers The thief who escaped because his accomplice gave a false alarm The Hypocrites and the Mosque of Opposition The true believer's stray camel The four Indians who lost their prayers The Ghuzz Turcomans and the two villagers The self-conceit and ingratitude shown by the worldly towards the prophets and saints The old man who complained to the doctor Júhí and the child The boy who was afraid of an effeminate man The archer and the horseman The Arab of the desert and the philosopher The miracles of Ibráhim son of Adham The beginning of the gnostic's illumination The stranger who reviled the Shaykh The man who declared that God would not punish his sins, and Shu’ayb's answer to him The answer of the Prophet to ‘A’isha, who said that he performed the ritual prayer in unclean places The mouse and the camel The miracles of a dervish who was accused of theft The garrulous, greedy, and somnolent Súfí, and his reply to the Shaykh who enjoined him to observe moderation The nature of intuitive knowledge John the Baptist and Jesus Mute eloquence The search for the Tree of Life How four persons quarrelled about grapes, which were known to each of them by a different name How Mohammed established unity amongst the Ansár Solomon and the birds The ducklings that were fostered by a hen The miracles wrought by an ascetic in the desert
Book III Preface (in prose) Proem The Travellers who ate the young Elephant Bilál’s mispronunciation in chanting the call to prayer Moses instructed by God how he should pray The response to sincere prayer The Countryman and the Townsman The people of Sabá and the Prophets How Jesus came forth from his cell and healed the sick The Falcon and the Ducks The people of Zarwán Majnún and Laylá’s dog The Jackal that fell into the dyeing-vat and pretended to be a Peacock The Braggart who pretended that he had dined well Bal’am the son of Bá’úr “And thou wilt surely know them in the perversion of their speech” Hárút and Márút Pharaoh's dream of the coming of Moses The Mughal and the Egyptians The conception and birth of Moses The Snake-catcher and the frozen Snake Pharaoh and Moses The two Magicians who summoned their father from the grave Comparison of the Qur’án to the rod of Moses The Elephant in the dark house Noah and Canaan Infidelity and Predestination The Barber and the Man with grizzled hair The answer of Zayd to his assailant The Companions of the Prophet and the Qur’án The Lover who read a love-letter in the presence of his Beloved The Poor Man who prayed that he might gain a lawful livelihood without work Knowledge and Opinion The Teacher who fancied he was ill The Dervish who broke his vow The far-seeing Goldsmith The Magicians whom Pharaoh threatened to punish The complaint of the Mule to the Camel The Ass of ‘Uzayr The Shaykh who showed no grief at the death of his sons The Blind Man who regained his sight when he read the Qur’án The patience of Luqmán Buhlúl and the Dervish The Visions and Miracles of Daqúqi Moses and Khizr The flight of Jesus from the Fool The Children's Tale of the Three Worldlings The Hares and the Elephant Noah and the building of the Ark The Thief who said he was beating a Drum The meaning of Prudence The Vow made by the Dogs every winter The Divine Providence manifested in the creation of Hell Kings compared to the Báb-i Saghír at Jerusalem The Súfí who fell into ecstasy on seeing an empty food-wallet Jacob's love for Joseph The Amir and the Slave who took delight in the ritual Prayer The Faith of the Worldly Hidden Saints Anas and the Prophet's napkin How the Prophet saved a caravan of Arabs from death in the Desert Miracles wrought by the Prophet on the same occasion Need and distress call forth the Bounty of God The Babe that bore witness to the Prophet The Eagle that carried off the Prophet's boot The Man who asked Moses to teach him the language of Beasts and Birds The Woman whose twenty children all died in infancy Why Hamza in his old age refused to protect himself with a coat of mail The advantages of Deliberation The death of Bilál The World and the Body Statute and Analogy The reverence due to the Shaykhs from their disciples Conventional and intuitive knowledge Faná and Baqá The Wakíl of Bukhárá and his Master The appearance of the Holy Spirit in human shape to Mary, the Mother of Jesus The most beautiful City The Lover in the haunted Mosque The worldliness of Galen How Satan deceived the Quraysh The Boy who beat a tomtom in order to scare a Camel on which they were beating a drum Comparison of the true Believer suffering tribulation to peas being boiled in a pot The Mathnawí and its critics The outer and inner sense of the Qur’án Why the Saints take refuge in mountains and caves How the mountains joined in the song of David The Foal that would not drink The cry of the Devil How each element in the Body is drawn to its original source, and the Soul likewise The Prophet and the Captives The Gnat and the Wind in the presence of Solomon The perfidious Lover
Book IV Preface (in prose) Proem The perfidious Lover (continued) The Preacher who prayed for the wicked The answer of Jesus to the question, “What is the hardest thing to bear?” The Súfí who caught his wife with a strange man The Names of God Comparison of the World to a bath-stove The Tanner who fainted on smelling otto and musk The Jew who tempted ‘Alí The building of the Farther Mosque (the Temple of Solomon) “The Faithful are naught but brothers” The unspoken Sermon of the Caliph ‘Uthmán Man the Macrocosm Comparison of the Prophet and the Moslem saints to the Ark of Noah Solomon and Bilqís The Miracles of Shaykh ‘Abdullah Maghribí The Druggist and the Clay-eater The Dervish and the Carrier of firewood Ibráhím ibn Adham and his abandonment of his Kingdom The thirsty man who climbed a walnut-tree and dropped walnuts into the water Halíma and the infant Mohammed The Worldly and the Spiritual The Poet and the two Viziers Pharaoh and Hámán The Demon who sat on the throne of Solomon How Cain learned the grave-digger’s trade The Súfi who contemplated the beauty of the Garden in his own heart Worldly knowledge and power a dangerous weapon in the hands of the wicked “O thou that wrappest thyself” The Slave whose allowance was reduced Man half angel and half beast Majnún and his she-camel The Divine and the Thief who stole his turban The World's enticement and warning The food of the Saints Death the touchstone of pretension The hypocritical Encomiast The divine Physicians How Abd Yazíd (Báyazíd) Bistámí predicted the birth of Abu‘l-Hasan Kharraqáni How the wind blew perversely against Solomon Abu’l-Hasan at the tomb of Abú Yazíd The Man who took counsel with his enemy The Prophet's appointment of a Young Man of Hudhayl to command the army The Ecstasy of Báyazíd The wise, the half-wise, and the foolish The Three Fishes The ablutionary Prayers