The Masnavi, Book One (Oxford World's Classics)

Mount Qaf in medieval Islamic cosmology, Qaf refers to a range of
mountains that surrounds the world and marks the border with the
spiritual realm.
Nimrod a ruler who declared war on God and had Abraham thrown
into a massive 
fire. Abraham was miraculously protected by God, who
turned the 
fire into a comfortable rose garden for his sake, while
Nimrod was killed by an army of 
flesh-eating and blood-sucking
Glossary of Proper Names
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gnats sent by God, including one which entered his brain through his
nostrils.
Omar Omar ebn al-Khattab, the second successor of the Prophet as
caliph, and thus one of the four Rightly-guided Caliphs. He became a
follower of the Prophet Mohammad though he had been one of his
fiercest enemies among the polytheists in Mecca. The account of his
surprising conversion relates that he had originally intended to kill
the Prophet, but was moved on hearing the Koran being recited at
his sister’s house. Although his career as caliph was highly successful
militarily, he is none the less portrayed as a pious ruler who lived simply
and expressed concern especially to distribute alms to the poor as fairly
as possible.
Osman Osman ebn A
ffan, the third successor of the Prophet as caliph,
and thus one of the four Rightly-guided Caliphs. His greatest achieve-
ment is generally thought to be overseeing the compilation of the
authoritative edition of the Koran.
Rostam the heroic Persian king whose feats are recounted in Ferdowsi’s
Shahnama (Book of Kings).
Saleh Arab prophet mentioned several times in the Koran (e.g. 
7: 73–9),
who was sent to the 
thamud.
Samarkand city in Central Asia, near Rumi’s birthplace, which was of
major cultural importance in Rumi’s time.