On the occasion of October ۱۲th , the commemoration day of Hafez: “I am devoted to love, and free from both worlds.”
The known Iranian poet never left his beloved Shiraz, yet he was a master of the journey within.
According to the Public Relations Office of the National Commission for UNESCO in Iran, citing a reporter from Ettelaat Newspaper: Love is the essence of existence. A person in love is generous and kind, seeing nothing but goodness and beauty in everyone and everything. When we fall in love and an unspoken secret stirs within us, we become pure, clear, and sincere like a child. And to know whether our beloved also casts a glance our way, we have no refuge but Hafez, the sweet-spoken poet, for Hafez is love itself.
When the pain of homesickness takes hold of us, or when our lives are dimmed by the grief of losing a loved one, and when we lose hope in everyone and everything, the Master of Shiraz carries us on his wings to the heavens, soothes the wounds of our hearts, offers comfort in times of hardship, and teaches us patience in times of adversity. He shares in our joys, keeps us company in our poverty, and shows us the path of acceptance, surrender, and forgiveness. He purifies our souls and spirits and guides us towards true happiness: love.
Hafez never turns anyone away from his threshold. He brings no bad tidings and judges no one. Hafez is opposed only to hypocrisy; whoever is given to hypocrisy can never truly know Hafez.
Love in Classical Iranian Literature
Dr. Abdolmahdi Mostakin, Professor of Persian Language and Literature and Director of the Culture Group at the National Commission for UNESCO in Iran, speaks about love and its meaning in the works of the great figures of Persian literature:
“Love is fundamentally the foundation of the work of all the great, insightful figures and distinguished literary and cultural personalities of classical Iran. Seven outstanding cultural figures of our land, Saadi, Rumi, Attar, Nizami, Khayyam, Ferdowsi, and Hafez, approached the concept of love from distinctive perspectives and left us with timeless works.”
From the perspective of the great poets and literary figures of Persian literature, the divine spark that God has placed within us is love, and attaining union with love is by no means easy.
“When the Beloved Shows Coyness, Show Your Devotion.”
The professor of Persian literature explains that, in Hafez’s view, the beloved is always in the position of naz (coquetry), while the lover is in the position of niaz (devotion and supplication). Saadi, whom Hafez regarded as a master, expresses a similar idea in one of his stories: Two lovers are travelling in a boat when a storm rises and they are thrown from the boat into the turbulent sea. The boatman comes to rescue the young man, but he says, “Leave me and take my beloved’s hand. My life is of no value; save the life of my beloved.”
Dr. Mostakin emphasizes: “If love does not flow through a person’s being, they cannot attain higher spiritual heights. Earthly love is a prelude to heavenly love. Unless you first experience and honour the Layla of this earthly world, you cannot unite with the Layla of the divine realm. God created women in the role and status of the beloved.”
If you honor this divine gift entrusted to you, you will uphold the dignity and status of your wives, mothers, and daughters as they deserve, regard them with wisdom and refinement, and safeguard the esteemed status of women.
Then the Layla of the divine realm will also deem you worthy of entering the true world of love.
The Painter of Words and Master of Language
Dr. Mostakin notes: “Hafez drew inspiration from around 40 figures who came before him, from Fakhr al-Din Iraqi to Nizami, Saadi, Khwaju Kermani, and Owhadi Maraghe’i, among others. Yet he truly transformed the words he had learned into works of art: he refined them, polished them, and adorned them with beauty and elegance, thereby earning a unique place among the great poets and masters of Persian literature. So much so that Wolfgang Goethe, the German poet, writer, and painter, said: ‘Your words, Hafez, are like bride and groom, and when you place them beside one another, it is as though they enter the bridal chamber. With these imaginative images of yours, you have made me your devoted disciple.’”
The professor of Persian language and literature explains: “As Rumi says, there are two kinds of people: those who look to the hereafter (ākhir-bīn) and those who look to the trough (ākhur-bīn).
A person who is ākhir-bīn is someone who is not easily deceived. From the outset, they recognize the risks, crises, and challenges along the way and are not taken in by the seductions and enchantments of the world.”
They are like horses and mules, their heads forever buried in the feeding trough, carrying with them the fleeting pleasures of this world.
Hafez’s artistry lies in his ability to portray human desires such as greed, envy, resentment, and avarice with remarkable clarity, revealing their ugly and destructive nature.
A Master of the Journey Within
Dr. Mostakin recalls: “Our country has always been subjected to incursions by outsiders. To endure these assaults, we have always sought refuge in the lofty concepts of mysticism and lyrical poetry.”
Although he never left his beloved Shiraz, he was a master of the journey within. To attain spiritual love and discover the divine light within, one must continually journey inward. Hafez did just that and became known as Lesan al-Ghayb, the Tongue of the Unseen.
