Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

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WhenYourcountenancewasrevealed,itsawthatangelshadnolove,

Itshonouroffended,itbecameallfire,andstruckAdam’ssoul.

Inadditiontothefactthatangelsdonotknowlove,Ḥāfiẓisherereferringtothe

conceptofjealousyandoffendedhonour(ghayrat):theloverdesirestocutallcon-

nectionswithanyotherentityandrealitythanlove.Inhistheoreticaltreatiseson

love,AḥmadGhazālīexplainsthatattimesjealousyinlovegoessofarastoeffect

theseveranceoftiesbetweenloverandBeloved,compellingthelovertofocushis

attentiononlovealoneashissolefocusofworship.^40

In other references, Ḥāfiẓ uses bacchanalian imagery to describe the loving

relationshipbetweenmanandhisCreatoratthemomentofcreation.Thelocalityin

whichmaniscreatediscomparedtoatavern,God’sspiritbreathedintoman’s

body(15:29)isdescribedaswine,andman’sbodymadeofwaterandclaysymbol-

izedbythebeaker.Inseveralcouplets,angelsareshownoutsidethistavern,denied

accesstothisprivatemomentofcreation,butinthisexampletheyjoininthe

creation:

Dūsh dīdam ki malā’ik dar-i maykhāna zadand

Gil-i Ādam bisirishtand u bih paymāna zadand.^41

Lastnight,Isawthatangelswereknockingonthedoorofthewine-house

Kneadingtheclayofmananddrinkingwine.

AccordingtoḤafiẓ’scommentatorBahāal-DīnKhurramshāhī,thisparticularcou-
plet,togetherwiththenexttwolinesofthisghazal,summarizeschapter4ofthe
Mirṣād al-‘ibādbyNajmal-DīnRāzī(d.654/1256),inwhichhedepictstheworkshop
ofcreationasatavernwheretheangelshavebroughttheclayofAdamtothe
divineVintnerwhowillkneaditintotheshapeofman,whichGodthen‘perfected
intoabeautifulform’(Qur’ān40:64).^42 Inthischapter,RāzīrecountshowGodorders
GabrieltobringdustfromEarthtomaketheformofman.Rāzīreferstothefact
thatsincemanshouldbeabletocarrytheTrust(amāna),heshouldhavethepower
overboththeworlds,insofarashissoulisfromthespiritualworld,‘thesupreme
height’(‘alā ‘illī’īn)andhisbodyfromtheearth,thelowestofthelow(asfal al-
sāfilīn).Godgivestheangels,whoprecedemanintheorderofbeingandwhohave
enteredthetavern/workshopofbeing,thetaskofpouringhisclayintothemould
ofthe‘humanformdivine’.
ḤāfiẓrefersseveraltimestoGodkneadingman’sclaybeforeHeactuallycreated
him(38:72–5).Accordingtomystics,Godkneadedman’sclayfor40continuous
days,addingloveregularlyintothecompoundsothatlovebecameanineradicable
partofman’snature.IntheDīvān,wefindseveralreferencestothisevent.Inthe
nextcouplet,addressingangels,ḤāfiẓemphasizesthatGodmixedman’sclaywith
wineinthewine-houseoflove:

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry