Like a Lion in the Image of a Cow A Study on Theophanies in Mevlana's Works

In his writings, Mevlānā’s utilizes numerous allegories and similes to the allegories to convey his thoughts and teachings. In some cases, the allegories highly resemble each other. For example, depicting a lion, in all cases, it is described in circumstances that would mistakenly render it as a cow. This allegory is a symbol, an implicit and explicit synthesis of a being whose constituent elements, the lion and the cow, each represent an independent symbol. It demonstrates Mevlānā’s adeptness at creating an original symbol, for the intended synthesis, out of these elements. The religion of Islam and the Prophet’s tradition asserted that the realities of diverse aspects of Messengership, namely, the Word of God, the Messenger of God and the God’s saint, which can be called theophanies, are identical. Therefore, in order to create a symbol that symbolizes a theophany, Mevlānā combines the symbol of the Divine, the lion, with the symbol of the world, the cow. Thus, to symbolize both aspects, he uses the symbol of the lion in the image of a cow. Although this symbol is utilized in Divān-e-Shams, its highest application is in Mathnawī. The repetition of this symbol is corroborative of its herein identified conceptual structure which describes the mode of applying this symbol throughout Mathnawī. Thus, it unveils its significance, function and embodiment in Mevlānā’s thought and language.