Textual Analysis of the Masnavi Layli and Majnun: A Little-Known Work by Ali Gilani from the 10th Century AH

The Layli and Majnun masnavi, composed by Ali Gilani—a largely unknown poet of the 10th century AH—is one of the overlooked examples of Persian romantic–mystical literature. To date, it has neither been critically edited nor received comprehensive analytical scholarly attention. This work, in terms of language, structure, meaning, and style, possesses distinctive features that set it apart from other versions of the Layli and Majnun narrative. The aim of this research is to conduct a text-centered analysis of the masnavi across linguistic, rhetorical, semantic, and intellectual layers in order to reveal its literary, mystical, and cultural potentials in a documented and scholarly manner. The methodology is descriptive–analytical, based on close and comparative reading of the text, supported by historical, literary, and rhetorical sources, and an examination of stylistic and semantic elements. The findings show that Gilani presents a mystical and interpretive experience of love within a romantic framework, where earthly and divine love are intertwined. Through multilayered language, a blend of Persian and Arabic vocabulary, the use of scientific terms, and rhetorical devices such as allusion, metaphor, paradox, and supplication, the text emerges as dynamic, intertextual, and symbolic. By linking tradition with innovation, the poem creates a space that both continues classical Persian literary traditions and introduces a novel approach to mystical expression. As the first scholarly study of this neglected work, this research aims to establish Ali Gilani’s contribution to Persian romantic–mystical literature and open new avenues for studying understudied lyrical texts.