Poetic and Functional Potentials of the "Line" Metaphor in Muhammad Füzuli's Layli and Majnun

Muhammed Fuzuli'nin Leyla ve Mecnun'unda "Çizgi" Metaforunun Şiirsel ve İşlevsel Potansiyelleri

Abstract

One of the symbols and metaphors employed in Muhammad Füzuli's Layli and Majnun is the line (writing). In this work, the metaphor attains both an inner (esoteric) and an outer (exoteric) meaning. Majnun (Qays) is a lover who strives to practice the art of love through writing. The line, or writing, becomes both his object of inspiration and his instrument of cognition.

In Sufi teaching, before anything else, the concept of line (writing) is associated with the Divine Tablet (Lawh al-Mahfuz)-the celestial record in which all of God's decrees are inscribed. Fundamentally, a line represents the drawn form of a letter, Word, or thought. Within the discipline of Sufism, the beautiful rendering of this form gave rise to what is known as ḥusn al-khaṭṭ - the art of beautiful writing (calligraphy).

In the process of writing beautifully, the human being seeks to create aesthetic forms that reflect his love for al-Ḥusn al-Muṭlaq - the Absolute Beauty. Everything inscribed with a beautiful line function as a mirror reflecting the Divine Being. From the Sufi perspective, the "line" metaphor we seek to interpret encapsulates "writing" as divine information that shapes and determines human destiny.