The Position and Diversity of Paradox and Sensuality in Rumi's Masnavi

This essay analyzes the paradox and sensuality, as two alienation styles and two artistic methods of expression, in the mystical language of Rumi in his Masnavi. Paying attention to the fact that the source of these two imagination forms, being used in mystical literature, refers to one of the basic principles of thought in Ash?ari’s word, denial of causality and belief in absolute domination of God willing on natural causes and His pervasive power to change whole universe, is very important. In addition to the definition of these two expression styles, different kinds of paradoxes and sensualities are discussed through some examples of Rumi’s Masnavi. And some of them, from the 1st and 2ndvolume are compared with each other and their usage frequencies are determined.