Metaphorical Approaches to the Notion of Nafs by Mevlana Celaleddın Rumi

30274

The concept of nafs (self) constitutes one of the central points of Mevlânâ’s understan-ding of Sufism. Essentially, the idea of nafs has been one of the important topics of discussion since formation of Sufi mysticism to the pre-sent. Mevlânâ added to this literature by his own interpretations. His idea of the nafs is based on the concepts of the nature of self and its education. He employed metaphors to explain the concept of nafs in different con-texts.This article aims to examine those me-taphorical narratives put by Mevlânâ. From this aspect, our work is intended to pave the way for a better understanding of the literary graces of the language applied in the works of Mevlânâ, and thus to contribute to a better understanding of his ideas.

71

Mevlânâ , Nafs , Metaphor.

Journal Of Turkish Research Institute

102

Journal Of Turkish Research Institute