The Sermons
This is a collection of seven of Rumi's sermons, entitled, "Majâlis- é Sab`a (literally, "seven sessions"), commonly known as his "Sermons." The sermons begin with a prayer in Arabic, then an "intimate prayer" [mûnâjât] in Persian. Sometimes Rumi quotes verses from earlier sufi poets (such as Sanâ'î and `Attâr), as well as from his own poetry. There are also occasional short stories (of which some are in the Masnavi).1
Persian Editions
The best edition was made by Tôfîq Sobhânî (1986), based on the oldest manuscript (in Konya, Turkey, dated 1352).
English Translations
The entire book of sermons is still not translated in full. So far, only one short sermon (the Sixth) has been translated-- by Franklin Lewis.2 William Chittick translated one short excerpt (of a paragraph in length) and three long excerpts excerpts (of one to one and a half pages in length).3
Notes
1. see "Rumi-- Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rumi," by Franklin D. Lewis, 2001, pp. 293-94.
2. Franklin Lewis, "Rumi-- Past and Present, East and West," pp. 130-33.
3. William C. Chittick, "The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi," 1983. See "Index of Sources," p. 380. Short excerpt: p. 48. Long excerpts: pp. 129-30, 199-200, 70-71. Chittick's citations do not identify the particular sermons the selections are from.
