It is the day of happiness, come to be friend all
Give hand to each other, go to sweetheart all

Since become unity and oneness all & become colorless
Go to the bazaar with dance

It is the day to dance all the beautiful
We close the stores and become all without work

Dear children

Mathnavi Manavi is one of the greatest treasures of culture and civilization of human being that Rumi has composed as a poem in Persian language.

Mathnavi is full of very interesting stories with a lot of important and ethical words for children.

This book has been composed according to the folklore fictions, parables and poems of Rumi’s time and people and you can find very valuable points about self-knowledge, high status of human being, peace, friendship and democracy.

My familiarity with Mathnavi returns to several years ago, to that periods of my childhood and my dreams since those periods was to make the children of the world familiar with works of this great man of wise and thought. Now, seven stories of Mathnavi is composed and prepared for dear children and has been translated into English language.

Many many years ago, a wise man expressed a very surprising story for his students. He told them:
"O my friend, know and beware that there is a tree in India that every one eat its fruit, he will not become old and will not die".

The students, who have not heard any lie from their master, wish to find that tree before death and eat its fruit to have an eternal life.

For a while, his word of wise man reached to the king and he sent his officers to India to find that fruit in any possible price and bring it for him.

The officer of the king went to India and began to search and seek.
He went to many cities and islands and asked people the signs of that tree, but no one knows its signs. Some people said:
"You are a wise person; there is a secret in your search certainly".
Some of people gave mistake sign to him and some made him ridicule. Any way, he heard many things from any person.
Finally after several years search and seek, he reached to a wise old man. He went to him and asked help him. The wise old man asked him:
"Tell me the truth, what are you seeking?"
The officer disappointedly said:
I'm searching a unique and wondering tree that eating its fruit cause eternity. I searched many years and I did not find it. I did not see and find anything except ridicule and fun of people.
The old wise man laughed and said:
"O noble man, that tree is the tree of knowledge. It is the only high & interesting tree of knowledge that is the water of life and eternity.
Suddenly, the officer became happy and asked the old wise man to explain this tree. The old man continued:
Yes my child, this science and knowledge is called sometimes tree sometimes sun, sometimes sea and sometimes cloud, science has hundreds thousand signs and marks, its least sign is eternal life.
The officer kissed the hands of old man happily and returned to his homeland.

In old ages, there was a man who went to hunting sometimes for entertainment and cooked different types of meals and foods with meat of hunting.
One day that this man has trapped a beautiful and delicious bird, suddenly found surprisingly that the small bird speak with him. The bird asked the man to release him and told the man:
"O great man, I know that you are a quick and worthy hunter and you have hunted different animals like goat, beer and rams in allover your life, but as you have not satisfied by eating all of them, then you will not satisfied by eating me.
The hunter was thinking about the aim of this bird by telling such words, that the bird continued:
"I want to deal with you, if you release me, I will teach you three advices that will be useful in allover your life and it will be better than eating me."
The hunter thought himself that it is not bad and then asked"
"Well, how can I understand that you tell the truth?"
The bird replied:
"I will give the first advice when I am in your hand, I will tell the second advice when I am released and free and reach on the wall and I will say the third advice when I am on the tree and these advices will provide causes of your happiness."
The hunter man accepted. He released the bird and placed in his hands and told the bird:
"Well, it is the time of first advice. Tell the advice to find that if these advices are valuable so far to release you?"
The bird that sees himself in the closeness of freedom, told with cleverness:
"The first advice is that don't believe impossible word and speech from no one."
The hunter man released the bird after thinking to understand other advices.
The bird jumped and sat on the wall and breathes comfortably and continued:
"The second advice is that never regret about last and whatever you have lost".
This time, the bird jumped on the tree and since became certain, told:
"Finally, I had a very gracious pearl with two pounds weight in my stomach and if you could get it, you could get happiness of you and your family."
The hunter man by hearing the words of the bird cried for loosing the bird and the small bird by seeing his states smiled and told him with pity:
"Have you forgotten my advice that never regret about whatever you have lost. Also have you forgotten that I told you never believe impossible words & things? My weight is not more than one pound, then how can I carry a two pound pearl in my stomach? Again don't forget my advices; neither believes impossible words nor regret last and whatever you have lost.
The hunter man told the bird; in fact your words are valuable advices that shall be remembered forever.

In ancient times and in the period of Moses, once a day, Moses was passing a way that suddenly he heard the voice of cries and flue of a man who was praying God. The simple-minded shepherd, without awareness about the special ways of pray, was telling God with a heart full of love:
"O my kind God, I love you so far that I am ready to sacrifice all my goats for you. O my kind God, if I know you are living where, I will bring you bread, cheese and milk every day, I will sweep your house and I will take care of you on the days of illness and I will prepare your place of sleep finally.
Moses who was listening to such words became angry and told with wrath to shepherd:
"What are you saying? With whom you are talking?
The simple-minded shepherd replied: "I'm talking with who has created us, earth and heavens."
Moses answered: "Shut your mouth of such impious words that such word is insult to God. God does not need your milk and cheese, He is not in growth and development, or you have imagined that God has body that you want to comb His hairs?
The shepherd by hearing such words, asked Moses: where have you got such knowledge? Moses replied: "I am prophet of God and invite people to pray God. The shepherd who knew Moses, asked him: then I can not talk with Him such a way?
Moses answered: "You should want God's excuse and do not talk such way, because maybe God become angry and send His fire of wrath for us and in this case you are sinner.
Shepherd, by hearing speech of Moses, felt shame and inferiority and told Moses: "O Moses, I am sure that you are right and I was in mistake, alas and hundred alas."
Well, shepherd felt shame and made his sheep go and was so sorry.
Moses was thinking about that man that suddenly, God addressed him:
"O' Moses, why do you separate our creature from us?
Moses was surprised and did not tell any thing, God continued: "you are selected as prophet to invite people to us with love and kindness not to separate people from us."
Moses replied: but I acted on the basis of whatever you have taught me, unless you have body or need people to do Your works.
God answered: "Yes, you are right, but every human being has its own way and method, we consider less word of the people and more consider their hearth. Don't forget that some groups of people are always caring about rituals, but these rituals are just for closeness to us. Those who are full of love are not care about such rituals and they are not care about correctness of words and speech.
Religion of such beloved people is different from all religions, because their religion is just God, and that shepherd was a bereaved that talked with me with honesty.
Moses, by hearing such words, went to desert and was seeking the shepherd until found him in a corner while he was sad and sorrowful, Moses went ahead and told him:
"O' shepherd, do not be sad and sorrowful that God has sent a message for you. Shepherd watched Moses surprisingly and asked him: what is that message?
Moses replied: go and pray God in any manner and however you love and in any language that you like and don't afraid.

Don't seek any rituals and manner
Tell whatever you like and love.

In old and ancient days, it was a tradition that athletes and pederast made the wild animals as tattoo on their body and arm.
This tradition originated in this thought that animals like lion, tiger and leopard were symbols of braveness and intrepidity and athletes intended to introduce and showed themselves as brave men.
A man that was seemingly champion and athlete went to a tattoo man and told him:
"I am going to make a tattoo on my back and shoulder as its color be well-colored and dark colored.
Tattoo man who did not know what picture shall be tattoo, asked him: "what picture do you want?
“The seemingly champion answered: "as you see I am a champion and athlete and I have selected the picture of lion because I will become stronger with this picture and my enemies will afraid me as they afraid lion.
The tattoo man after drawing the picture of lion on the body of the man, prepared pen and ink and dipped needle into the back of the man to be able to carve the picture on his arm.
Suddenly the man cried and said: "O my hand, what are you doing?" It is which one of the member of the lion that you have begun to carve?"
Tattoo man said: it is tail of the lion.
The champion who could not endure the needle of tattoo man, commanded him: leave the tail and begin the other member of lion, makes no difference a lion without tail, a lion without tail is called also a lion. Tattoo man left the tail and said whatever you like. He began his work from other place of lion, but again athlete cried and asked, it is which member of the lion?
 Tattoo man answered: it is the ear of lion, and I want to make head of lion. Champion said: ear is not needed and make the other member of the lion. Tattoo man began from the other member of the lion, and again the athlete cried that I can not endure the pain of needle, it is which member of the lion? Tattoo man again answered: it is stomach of the lion, and I want to draw just trunk of the lion. The athlete said again: "leave this member also and begin from the other place.
Tattoo man surprised and throws the needle and told: is there any lion like this?
Who has seen lion without tail and stomach, when God created such lion?

In ancient days, there was an old man who lived in a far village lonely.
By passing time and beginning periods of oldness, his ear became deafer until he could not hear any voice and sound.
In these days, one day he saw one of his friends, he told him that his neighbor is sick and is in the bed of illness.
The old man became sorry to hear this news and intended to visit his neighbor as soon as possible.
After several days, he went to visit his neighbor but he was thinking about his deaf ear that how he can hear the words of his neighbor, then he said to himself, well I will ask him how is him? He will answer: I'm well. Then I will be glad and I will say, thanks God. Then I will ask him what drug do you eat? He will answer: for example such drug. Then I will immediately tell: may it agree with your health, it is a very effective and good drug. Then I will ask him: who is your doctor? He will reply: such and such a person. It makes no difference who, I will tell immediately that he is an experienced doctor, if he comes to visit you, you will gain your health.
In this time, the old man reached to the house of the neighbor. He knocked the door, when the door was opened; he went to the bed of the patient and told him: I am sorry to see you in this state. Tell me how are you? The patient who was suffering from pain, answered: what shall I tell my brother, I am dying from pain and ache.
The old man, based on his thought, answered immediately: thanks God.

In some days, school children who were tired from lesson and exercise and homework, consulted with each other that how they can escape from lesson and exercise.
One of the students who were cleverer than the others told:
"Tomorrow we will come to school one by one, and we will tell the teacher why your face is faded? Are you sick? When we all tell such a thing, he will believe and imagines that he is sick.
The other students accepted this opinion and agreed not to disclose this secret. Tomorrow, children came to school with this plan. All of them waited for the clever student to begin the plan. He came and arrived to the class and told hello and said him:
What's the matter? Why your face is faded?
The teacher answered: No, I'm well and I don't have any problem. Go and sit down and read the book. But the teacher fell into suspicion.
The other student came and told:
O' teacher, why your face is faded today?
Accordingly, thirty students came and asked this question. The teacher was sure that he is not well. He came home and the students came also to his home. His wife told him:
Why do you returned early? What's the matter?
The teacher angrily told his wife: Are you blind? Don't you see my faded face? Strangers are worried about me, but you have not told me even that my face is faded.
His wife that has seen him in good health several hours ago, answered him: you are well, you have fallen in suspicion.
The teacher told:
You still show grudge. Don't you see me suffer and in pain? If you have become blind and deaf, what shall I do?
His wife said:
Now I bring a mirror to see that your face is normal.
The teacher dried and told:
Neither you nor your mirror tells the truth. You are my enemy; make ready my bed that my head ache.
His wife did not know what she has to say, therefore, she prepared his bed and the teacher stretched.
The students sat beside the teacher and read their books slowly and showed them sad. The clever student pointed out children to make their voice loud. The he said:
Read slowly, your voice irritates the teacher. If one Dinner that you give to the teacher cost such trouble that the teacher endures?
The teacher said:
He is right. Go, you made my head ache more. Class is closed today. Children prayed for health of the teacher and went to their home happily.
Their mothers asked them surprisingly:
Why didn't you go to school?
The children answered:
Today, our teacher became sick.
The mothers did not believe and told:
You lie to us. We will come to school tomorrow to know the fact.
The children told:
Welcome, go and ask the right and false of our words. Tomorrow, mothers went to school, the teacher was in bed and had fever. The mothers asked:
What's the matter? From when do you have head ache? Excuse us, we didn't know. The teacher said:

One day a dragon grasped a bear and wanted to kill it and eat. The bear cried and wanted to help him. A champion went and saved the bear. When the bear saw kindness of the champion fell on the foot of the champion and said:
In gratitude for your favor and kindness, I will be your servant hereinafter and I will come with you everywhere you go.
Both of them went with each other and they reached to a place and since the champion was tired and wanted to sleep, the bear said:
Sleep comfortable, I am your guard. A wise old man was passing there and when he saw these two with each other, asked the champion:
What is your relationship with this bear?
The champion said:
I saved this bear and he became my friend. The old man said: don't trust to the friendship of a bear that is more evil than thousand enemies.
The champion replied: this old man is jealous. The bear is my friend, I helped him and he does not become disloyal to me.
Kindness and friendship of stupid deceive you; leave it alone because this friendship will cause your regret.
But again the young champion replied:
Oh old man leave me alone and go ahead your way. The champion did not listen to the old man and the old man went. Several moments after that, the champion who was so tired, slept and the bear continued to watch and guard him.
Suddenly a fly sat on the face of the champion and the bear kept away the fly, but the fly again returned.
The bear kept the fly away several times, but the fly did not go. The bear became angry and took a big rock and when the fly sat on the face of the champion, the bear threw the rock on the face of the champion and crushed the face of the champion.
Kindness of a stupid human being is like friendship of a bear, his friendship and enmity is same.

A wise enemy elevates you