Melek Taûs
Melek Taûs (, romanized: "Malak-Tāwūs"), also spelled Malak Tāwūs and Tawûsê Melek, translated in English as Peacock Angel, is one of the central figures of the Yazidi religion. In Yazidi creation stories, God created the world and entrusted it to the care of seven Holy Beings, often referred to as the Seven Angels or "heft sirr" ("the Seven Mysteries"), whom the most preeminent is Tawûsê Melek, the Peacock Angel. Like many aspects of the secretive Yazidi religion, Tawûsê Melek is subject to varied and ambiguous interpretations. The "Yazidi Book of Revelation" ("Ketêbâ Jelwa"), a text generally believed to  have been written by non-Yazidis (along with the "Yazidi Black Book") in the early 20th century but based on Yazidi oral tradition, even though a nineteenth-century translation of the text exists, is purported to contain the words of Tawûsê Melek; it states that he allocates responsibilities, blessings and misfortunes upon humanity as he sees fit and that it is not for the race of Adam to question his choices. Religious significance. The Yazidis consider Tawûsê Melek an emanation of God and a good, benevolent angel and leader of the archangels, who was entrusted to take care of the  world after he passed a test and created the cosmos from the Cosmic egg. Yazidis believe that Tawûsê Melek is not a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels, not a fallen nor a disgraced angel, but an emanation of God himself. The Yazidis believe that the founder or reformer of their religion, Sheikh Adi Ibn Musafir, was an incarnation of Tawûsê Melek. "Tawûsê Melek" is sometimes transliterated "Tawusi Malek", "Malak Taûs", "Malak Tāwūs", "Malak Tawwus", or "Malik Taws". "Melek" was borrowed from the Arabic term meaning "king" or "angel", while "Tawûs  is uncontroversially translated as peacock" (in art and sculpture, Tawûsê Melek is almost always depicted as a peacock). However, peacocks are not native to the lands where Tawûsê Melek is worshipped. Among early Christians, the peacock represented immortality because of a folk belief that its flesh does not decay after death. Consequently, peacock imagery adorns Yazidi shrines, gateways, graves, and houses of worship. The "Kitêba Cilwe" (Book of Illumination), also known as the Book of Revelation, which claims to be the words of Tawûsê Melek himself, states that he allocates responsibilities, blessings, and misfortunes as he sees fit, and that  it is not for the race of Adam to question him. Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir believed that the spirit of Tawûsê Melek is the same as his own; that is, that he was an avatar of the archangel. He is believed to have said: Yazidi accounts of the creation differ significantly from those of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), since they are derived from the Ancient Mesopotamian and Indo-Iranian traditions; therefore, Yazidi cosmogony is closer to those of Ancient Iranian religions, Yarsanism, and Zoroastrianism. Yazidi people believe that God first created Tawûsê Melek from his own illumination  ("Ronahî") and the other six archangels were created later. God ordered Tawûsê Melek not to bow to other beings. Then God created the other archangels and ordered them to bring him dust ("Ax") from the Earth ("Erd") and build the body of Adam. Then God gave life to Adam from his own breath and instructed all archangels to bow to Adam. The archangels obeyed, except for Tawûsê Melek. In answer to God, Tawûsê Melek replied, Then God praised him and made him the leader of all angels and his deputy on the Earth. Hence, the Yazidis believe that Tawûsê Melek  is the representative of God on the face of the Earth, and comes down to the Earth on the first Wednesday of Nisan (April). Yazidis hold that God created Tawûsê Melek on this day, and celebrate it as New Year's Day. Yazidis argue that the order to bow to Adam was only a test for Tawûsê Melek, since if God commands anything then it must happen ("Bibe, dibe"). In other words: God could have made him submit to Adam, but gave Tawûsê Melek the choice as a test. They believe that their respect and praise for Tawûsê Melek is  a way to acknowledge his majestic and sublime nature. This idea is called "Zanista Ciwaniyê" (Knowledge of the Sublime). Sheikh Adî observed the story of Tawûsê Melek and believed in him. Accusations of alleged devil-worship. In the Yazidi myth of creation, Tawûsê Melek refused to bow before Adam, the first human, when God ordered the Seven Angels to do so. The command was actually a test, meant to determine which of these angels was most loyal to God by not prostrating themselves to someone other than their creator. This belief has been linked by some people to the Islamic  mythological narrative on Iblis, who also refused to prostrate to Adam, despite God's express command to do so. Because of this similarity to the Islamic tradition of Iblis, Muslims and followers of other Abrahamic religions have erroneously associated and identified the Peacock Angel with their own conception of the unredeemed evil spirit Satan, a misconception which has incited centuries of violent religious persecution of the Yazidis as "devil-worshippers". Persecution of Yazidis has continued in their home communities within the borders of modern Iraq. Since the late 16th century, Muslims have accused Yazidis of devil-worship due to the  similarity between the Islamic mythological narrative on Iblis and the account of Tawûsê Melek's refusal to bow to Adam. Whereas Muslims revile Iblis for refusing to submit to God and bow to Adam, believing that his defiance caused him to fall from God's grace, Yazidis revere Tawûsê Melek for loyalty towards God and believe that God's command to Tawûsê Melek was a test to see who is truly devoted to God alone. This narrative led to many misinterpretations, also made by Western scholars, who interpreted the Yazidi faith through their own cultural influences. Further accusations derived from  narratives attributed to Melek Taûs, which are actually foreign to Yazidism, probably introduced by either Muslims in the 9th century or Christian missionaries in the 20th century. Accusations of devil-worship fueled centuries of violent religious persecution, which have led Yazidi communities to concentrate in remote mountainous regions of northwestern Iraq. The Yazidi taboo against the Arabic word "Shaitan" (الشیطان) and on words containing the consonants "š" (sh) and "t"/"ṭ" have been used to suggest a connection between Tawûsê Melek and Iblis, although no evidence exists to suggest that Yazidis worship Tawûsê Melek as the same figure. The "Yazidi Black  Book", written by Western Orientalists, directly identifies Melek Taus with Azazil or Azrail. Yazidis, however, believe Tawûsê Melek is not a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels, not a fallen angel. Yazidis argue that the order to bow to Adam was only a test for Tawûsê Melek, since if God commands anything then it must happen. In other words, God could have made him submit to Adam, but gave Tawûsê Melek the choice as a test: God had directed him not to bow to any other being, and his refusal of  the later order to bow to Adam was thus obedience to God's original command. Furthermore, Yazidis identify Melek Taûs with Jibrail (Gabriel). In one Arabic manuscript, the name "Jabrail" is used in secondary reading, instead of "Melek Taus". The title "peacock of paradise" was also applied to Gabriel among Islamic traditions.