Psychological interpretation of animal metphors in Mantiqu't Tayr and Mathnavi

Sufism, stands out among the Islamic sciences as the branch most frequently resorting to metaphorical discourse. Sufis have often employed a symbolic language in their works for various purposes. In this symbolic expression, psychological inferences, especially through animals, attract attention. Rich in metaphorical narration, works such as Mantıqa't-tayr and Mathnavi frequently utilize animal metaphors, through which Sufis conduct psychological analyses. In our study, we observed that in Mantıka't-tayr and Mathnavi birds, donkeys, dogs, oxen, camels, flies, foxes, and other animal metaphors are predominantly employed within the context of psychological analyses. Through these animal metaphors, we found that Sufis conduct psychological interpretations that can be classified under various themes such as nafs analysis, personality analysis, cognitive disorders and positive psychology, human relationships, fostering self-awareness, narcissism and arrogance, and personal development.