Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

Bar dar-i maykhāna-yi ‘ishq ay malak tasbīḥ-gūy

k-andar ānjā ṭīnat-i ādam mukhammar mīkunand.^43

Oangel,givepraiseatthedooroflove’swine-house

Forinside,theyareleaveningtheclayofmankind.

Usingtheimperative‘praise’inaddressingtheangels,Ḥāfiẓhighlightsthespecial
lovingrelationshipbetweenmanandhisCreator.Man’snatureispreparedinthe
wine-houseoflovetowhichangelshavenoaccess;theyshouldstayoutsidethe
door,simplypraisingGod.Severalconceptsinthiscoupletareambiguous.Love
(‘ishq)maybeasynonymforGod,andthewine-housewouldthenbeGod’shome.
Thewordṭīnatmeansliterally‘abitofclay’,butitalsomeans‘nature’or‘natural
disposition’,andmukhammar,literallymeaning‘leavened’or‘fermented’,isderived
fromtherootkhamr(wine).WhatḤāfiẓissayinghereisthatmanwascreatedina
secludedplacebyGod’sveryhand.
WehavealreadyseenhowIblīsrefusedtoprostratehimselfbeforeAdam.Asa
loverofGod,whohaddevotedlyworshippedHim,Iblīsbecamejealouswhenhe
witnessedthelovingrelationshipbetweenGodandmankind.Thestoryofhisdis-
obedienceastoldbythemysticsiscomplicatedbytheelementthat,whenthe
angelsbowedbeforeAdam,theysawtheimageofGodinhim,thusavoidingthe
idolatrywhichIblīshadsaidwouldoccur.Inoneofhiscouplets,Ḥāfiẓstates:

Malak dar sujda-yi Ādam zamīn-būs-i tu niyyat kard

ki dar ḥusn-i tu chīzī yāft bīsh az ṭawr-i insānī.^44

WhentheangelsbowedbeforeAdam,theirintentionwastokisstheground

beforeyou,

becausetheysawinyourbeautysomethingtranscendingthehuman.

OneofthereasonsGodallottedaspecialpositiontomanwasthatHeHimself

instructedtheFatherofhumankind,Adam,inthenamesandattributes(asmā’ va

ṣifāt).Alltheangelsthusacceptedman’sspecialpositionandprostratedthemselves

beforehim.ButIblīs,whowasanarchangel(malak al-muqarrab),reproachedGod

andproudlyconsideredhimselfbetterthanman.Itwouldbebeyondthescopeof

thisshortchaptertoexplainhow,inPersianliterature,thisproudrebelbecame

viewedasamodelofthemysticloverbysome,andconsideredan‘impostor’or

‘pretender’(mudda’ī)byothers.^45 LiketheSufimystics,ḤāfiẓseesIblīsasman’srival

andcharacterizeshimwithsuchtermsas‘quarrel-seeker’(nizā’-jū),‘egotist’or‘self-

worshipper’(khwud-parast),and‘non-adept’or‘non-initiate’(nā-mahram).Whether

becauseheconsideredGodastheonlylegitimateBelovedandfocusofworship,or

becausehewasjealousofmanasapotential‘rival’(raqīb),IblīsquarrelledwithGod

andasaconsequencewascursedwitheternalseparationfromHim.^46 Thisiswhy

poetssuchasḤāfiẓdepictIblīsasan‘egotist’or‘self-worshipper’(khwud-parast);

Ḥāfiẓ and the School of Love in Classical Persian Poetry 117