Image schemas of the evil inclination in the first chapter of Jami's Silsilat al-Dhahab /

Cognitive semantics is one of the major approaches in contemporary semantic studies. Within the cognitive semantic framework, meaning is understood as the product of lived experience, mental structures, and the linguistics system. One of the most important conceptual mechanisms in this field is image schemas, or mental spaces, through which abstract concepts are organized into perceptual and comperehensible structures. This cognitive capacity gains particular significance in mystical language, ehich is concerned with expressing intuitive and trans-material experiences. The present study aims to provide a cognitive reading of the nafs(self/soul) by examining the image schema associated whit this concept in the first book of Masnavi-ye Silsilat al-Dhahab by Jami. In this analysis, the nafs is examined both as an inhibiting factor on the path of spiritual wayfaring and as an active force within the ontological structure of the human being. This research has been conducted using a descriptetive-analytical method, adopting a cognitive linguistic approach and based on library data. The findings indicate that the cognitive representation of the nafs in this work is formed through three primary schemas: force, containment, and path. Among these, the force schema plays the most significant role in conceptualization. The novelty of this research lies in its cognitive analysis of the concept of the nafs and in proposing a framework for studying mystical concepts based on image schema theory.