Tawûsî Melek or Melek Taûs () is one of the central figures of Yazidism. In Yazidi creation stories, before the creation of this world, God created seven Divine Beings, of whom Tawûsî Melek was appointed as the leader. God assigned all of the world's affairs to these seven Divine Beings, also often referred to as the Seven Angels or heft sirr ("the Seven Mysteries").
In Yazidi beliefs, Tawûsî Melek, the Lord of this World, is responsible for all that happens on this world, both good and bad. According to religious tradition, Nature, with its myriad phenomena of light and darkness, emanates from a single source, that is Tawûsî Melek. Qewl passages emphasize Tawûsî Melek's power on the earth, in the sky, sea, on the mountains, and their residents, that is, his power exists in all parts of nature, whether celestial or terrestrial.
Religious significance
Tawûsî Melek in Yazidi beliefs and mythology
thumb|Melek Taûs, the Peacock Angel. This emblem features Tawûsî Melek in the center, the [[Sumerian language|Sumerian diĝir on the left, and the domes above Sheikh 'Adī's tomb on the right.]]
thumb|Tawûsî Melek depicted as a peacock inside the [[display case on the grave of a Yazidi believer, cemetery of the Yazidi community in Hannover.]]
thumb|[[Quba Mere Diwane is the largest temple of the Yazidis in the world, located in the Armenian village of Aknalich. The temple is dedicated to Melek Taûs and the Seven Angels of Yazidi theology.]]
The Yazidis consider Tawûsî Melek an emanation of God who is 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 Tawûsî Melek is not a source of evil or wickedness.
Symbolism of the Peacock in religious life
In Yazidism, the Peacock, the symbol or icon of Tawûsî Melek, is believed to represent the diversity of the World, the colourfulness of its feathers being considered to symbolise the myriad colours of Nature. The radiating feathers of the peacock’s tail, revealed when it unfurls them in circular display, are held to symbolise the rays of the sun, bestowing their life-giving light each day at dawn. there is also a figure referred to as Malak Tawus, whose identification is tied to the names of angels during various dowres (cycles), which denotes range of concepts. Malak Tawus is believed to be "pure and without sin, above and free of any bad actions, obedient and devoted to God and consisting of light." According to Yarsani doctrine, during the dowre of Shari'at, in which one is being guided by Islamic Law, Malak Tawus was labelled as Sheytan, whereas in the dowre of Haqiqat (Truth), Malak Tawus is called Dawud, who is one of the seven holy Beings in Yarsanism that are referred to as the Haft Tan. Thus, the Yarsanis do not curse Satan.
The term dowre may refer to a period of time that started with the Essences (zāt) of the Divine and of members of the two Heptads manifesting or incarnating themselves as humans. It also refers to a stage in humanity's religious development. The first and initial dowre was the stage of Shari'at, where the Islamic Law was or is in charge and guiding everyone. The Truth (Haqiqat) is thought to have existed during this stage, but had not yet been perceived. Following the dowre of Shari'at were the intermediate dowres of Tariqat, i.e. the 'Path' of a mystical Order, and Ma'refat, i.e. Esoteric Knowledge. The former was marked by the development of mystical brotherhoods that allowed people to start learning about esoteric truth. These stages were succeeded by the present dowre of Haqiqat, which is marked by Sultan Sahak's arrival. The dowre of Haqiqat is the phase of development in which the advanced mystic fully has perceived the esoteric Truth. Yarsanis are thought to be living in this dowre, however, the same is not true for all humans, and most outsiders are still believed to remain in the dowre of Shari'at or the intermediate dowres of Tariqat and Ma'refat. 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.
Some also claimed that Tawûsê Melek was a reference to Ahriman, the evil figure in Zoroastrianism, who had created a peacock to prove that he was also capable of good.
Further accusations were derived from narratives attributed to Melek Taûs, which are actually foreign to Yazidism and 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 similar-sounding words containing the consonants š (sh) and t/ṭ have been used to suggest a connection between Tawûsî Melek and Iblis, although no evidence exists to suggest that Yazidis worship Tawûsî Melek as the same figure. Yazidis did not have the same concept of Satan as Abrahamic religions.
Furthermore, Yazidis do not believe Tawûsî Melek to be a source of evil or wickedness.