Walad nama needs translated?

Rumi’s son is Sulṭān Walad (also spelled Sultan Veled, Walad, Veled, Arabic: سلطان ولد). His most important work is indeed the Walad-nāma / Veled-nāme.

Below is a clear, practical guide to what it is, what survives, and how you can actually get it today.

1. What is the

Walad-nāma (Veled-nāme)

?

The Walad-nāma (“Book of Walad”) is:

• A didactic mas̱navī poem

• Written by Sulṭān Walad (1226–1312)

• Composed after Rumi’s death

• One of our most important early sources on:

  
  

  • Rumi’s life

  • Shams-e Tabrizi

  • The early Mevlevi order

  • How Rumi was understood by his immediate family

• 
  

It is not mystical poetry on the level of Rumi, but it is historically priceless.

2. Language & Form

• Written primarily in Persian

• Mas̱navī meter (like Rumi’s Mathnawi)

• Simple, instructional tone

• Meant for disciples, not literary display

Sultan Walad also wrote works in Turkish and Greek, which makes him especially important historically.

3. Surviving Works of Sultan Walad

The major works are:

A.

Walad-nāma (Veled-nāme)

• His most famous book

• About 9,000 verses

• Spiritual instruction + Mevlevi history

B.

Rabāb-nāma

• Another long mas̱navī

• Heavily influenced by Rumi’s imagery

C.

Ibtidā-nāma

• Sometimes considered his earliest work

• Describes spiritual beginnings and discipleship

4. How to Get a Copy (Practical Options)

Option 1: Printed Persian Editions (Best Scholarly Route)

If you read Persian (or want the authoritative text):

• Critical Persian editions exist, usually published in Iran or Turkey

• Look for:

  
  

  • Veled-nāme-ye Sulṭān Walad

  • Editors associated with Tehran University or Turkish Mevlevi studies

• 
  

Where to find:

• University libraries (especially Islamic studies departments)

• Online Persian bookstores (Ketab.com, Iranian academic presses)

• Major research libraries (Harvard, Princeton, Michigan, British Library)

Option 2: Turkish Translations

Turkey has done the most work on Sultan Walad.

Search for:

• “Sultan Veled – Veledname”

• Often includes:

  
  

  • Ottoman Turkish transliteration

  • Modern Turkish prose explanation

• 
  

Publishers:

• Konya-based presses

• Mevlevi cultural foundations

• Turkish Ministry of Culture editions

This is currently the most accessible modern format.

Option 3: Partial English Translations (Very Limited)

⚠️ There is NO complete modern English translation of the Walad-nāma.

What exists:

• Short translated excerpts in:

  
  

  • Mevlevi studies

  • Academic articles

  • Books on Rumi’s historical context

• 
  

• Summaries and paraphrases in:

  
  

  • Franklin Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present

  • Annemarie Schimmel’s works

  • Mevlevi order histories

• 
  

If someone claims a full English Veled-nāme, be skeptical.

Option 4: Manuscripts (Advanced / Archival)

Manuscripts are preserved in:

• Konya Mevlana Museum Library

• Istanbul manuscript collections

• Iranian national libraries

This is mainly for scholars, but digitized manuscript images do exist in some collections.

5. Why Sultan Walad Matters Spiritually

From a Sufi perspective, Sultan Walad is:

• The bridge figure between:

  
  

  • Rumi the ecstatic poet

  • The institutional Mevlevi path

• 
  

• More sober, instructional, organizational

• A key reason Rumi’s teachings survived as a living order

Rumi was a fire;

Sultan Walad built the hearth.

6. If You Want, I Can Help Further

I can:

• Locate specific Persian or Turkish editions you can realistically obtain

• Translate and comment on key passages from the Walad-nāma

• Compare Sultan Walad’s tone directly with Rumi’s Mathnawi

• Explain how Mevlevis themselves view Sultan Walad

Just tell me which level you want to go to.