God in the Stories of Masnavi Manavi: A Narrative Analysis

In their research, scholars have studied the subject of God in Masnavi Manavi from various theological, mystical and religious perspectives, emphasizing the non-narrative or non-fiction elements; but this subject is still hidden in its stories. By using analytical-descriptive method, the purpose of this research is to classify the actions of God in 57 stories of Masnavi Manavi according to the type of His emergence and influence in each story. In fact, the stories of Masnavi, along with the exact mystical points, have been able to draw the audiences to the spiritual life, and through this, to make them aware of the absolute presence of God in all aspects of life. The results indicate that God appears as a leading character in the narratives of Masnavi. Sometimes, He appears directly as a key figure through Divine providence, Devine destiny, inspiration and revelation, and sometimes He has a significant presence in the position of a Hatef (the owner of mysterious voice) symbolically and allegorically. By showing such actions, Rumi has tried to guide his readers.