Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

poetsbeforehim,ḤāfiẓequateslovewithGod,whoisalsotheAbsoluteBeloved
longingferventlytorevealHisbeauty.InHisabsolutesolitude,Godwasself-
sufficientandrichineveryimaginablerespectanddidnotneedanyloveror
beloved.Theoristsofloveelaborateonthisinfiniterichnesswhentheydiscussthe
termistighnā–divineindependence,wealthorself-sufficiency–affirmingthatGod
asBelovedwasnotinneedofmanorthecreation.Severaltimesinhispoetry,Ḥāfiẓ
referstotheconceptofistighnā,whichbelongstothehigherspiritualrealmoflove
andtheBeloved.Inthisfamouscouplet,Ḥāfiẓreferstotheshortcomingsofman’s
loveinrespecttotheBeloved’sbeauty:

Zi ‘ishq-i nā-tamām-i mā jamāl-i yār mustaghnī-st

ba āb-u rang-u khāl-u khaṭṭ cha ḥājat rū-yi zībā rā.^19

Thebeautyofthebelovedisrichinitself,ithasnoneedofourincompletelove.

Whatshouldabeautifulfacedowithlustre,hue,moleanddownonthe

cheek?

WhatḤāfiẓisstatinghereisthattheBelovedneverneededman,whomHecreated
‘inthemostbeautifulofforms’^20 tolovehim.Hislovewasagracebestowedon
mankindandwasnotmerelyforthephysicalbeauty,whichtheBelovedHimself
possessed.Thetermistighnāisalsousedtounderscoretheincomparablerichness
andself-sufficiencyoflove:

Giryi-yi Ḥāfiz cha sanjad pīsh-i istighnā-yi ‘ishq

k-andarīn ṭūfān namāyad haft daryā shabnamī.^21

OfwhatweightareḤāfiẓ’stearsbeforethewealthoflove

Forinthisstorm,allsevenseasappeartobeadropofdew.

Man’sdependenceontheBelovedisusuallycontrastedtotheBeloved’slongingfor
mankind:

Sāyih-i ma‘shūq agar uftād bar ‘āshiq chih shud?

Mā bih ū muḥtāj būdīm ū bih mā mushtāq būd.^22

ShouldtheshadowoftheLovedOnefalluponthelovers,whyisthat?

WewereinneedofHim,andHeyearnedforus.

ThispassionatelongingoftheBelovedformankindiscommonlyregardedasthe
reasonforGodcreatingtheworld.Oneofthemostimportanttraditionsconcerning
creationsays:‘I[God]wasaHiddenTreasureandIdesiredtobeknown,soIcreated
thecreationinorderthatImightbeknown.’^23 Godcreatedtheworld,leavingHis
infinitelyrichsolitude,sothatmanmightknowHisessenceandattributes.^24

Ḥāfiẓ and the School of Love in Classical Persian Poetry 111