Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

abyssofdivineUnity,theyhavebeenbroughtforthfromthebellyofthe

whaleofAnnihilationandcastupontheshoresofSeparation[tafriqa]where

theyaregrantedgodlysubsistenceandvouchsafedsalvationinordertoguide

mentosalvationandtohigherdegrees[ofperfection].^10

Finallycomethosewho,havingreachedthestageofperfection,haveimmersed
themselvesintheoceanofUnionandhaverefusedthetaskofperfectingother
humanbeings.
ThosethatfaretheSufiway(ahl-isulūk),however,areoftwokinds.Thefirstare
thosewhoexclusivelylongtocontemplatethedivinevisageandpursuethehighest
degree,whichistheFaceofGod(wajh Allāh).Thesecondareseekersofparadise
whoaredesirousofrewardsintherealmhereafter.
Theformerinturnaredividedintotwocategories:Suficmystics(mutaṣawwifa)
andthosewhoincurblame(malāmatiyya).Themutaṣawwifahaveacquiredcertain
qualitiesoftheSufis,yetthey‘stillremainenmeshedincertainattributesoftheir
carnalsouls’.^11 Themalāmatiyya,fortheirpart,formacompletelydifferentcategory
fromtheSufis.Lengthyexpositionshavebeenconsecratedbydoctrinariansof
Sufismoverthecenturiesinanefforttocategorizetheseblame-seekers,ascanbe
seenfromthe‘AwārifofSuhrawardīandtheworksofhisdescendants–indeed,asis
visibleinSufitextscomposedlongbeforehim.Spacedoesnotpermitustodwellon
thisaugustcompanyhere.Admiredfortheirvirtuesoftotaldevotion(ikhlāṣ)and
perfectsincerity(ṣidq),theyarenonethelessplacedinalowerrankthantheSufis,
fortheystilllookatthemselves,makinganefforttohidetheirvirtue,whilethe
Sufihasfreedhimselfdefinitelyfromanyattentiontoandconcernforhimself.
Whereas ‘the partisans of self-blame’ (malāmatiyya) are characterized as being
‘totallydevoted’(mukhliṣān),theSufis‘arepureandemancipatedfromalltaintand
alloy’(mukhlaṣān).^12 WeknowthatIbnal-‘Arabī‘placestheSufisinanintermediary
category, above the ascetics [zuhhād] to be sure, but below the Blameworthy
[malāmiyya],whoarealsocalledtheRealizers[muḥaḳḳiḳūn]’.^13 Accordingto‘Izzal-
Dīn,humanbeingswhonaughtbutseekthelifeofthenextworldaredividedup,
withregardtotheirrespectivepursuitofperfection,betweentheascetics(zuhhād),
thespirituallypoor(fuqarā’),theservants(khuddām)andthedevotees(‘ubbād),cat-
egoriesthatheendeavourstodefine.^14 Butthisisnottheplacetoelaboratefurther
onthisspiritualtypology.
Thesefewremarks,however,doservetounderlinethefactthattheintelligentsia
inthesocietyofShīrāz,Kirmānandotherprovincialcapitalshadagoodoverall
graspofthedoctrinalframeworkofSufism.Thisframework,withitsparticular
mode of thinking, espoused the existence of a definite hierarchy of human
beings,alongwiththenotionoftheirrespectivedegreesofreligiousperfectionand,
therefore,ofvariousranksofmoralperfection,and,finally,oftheirlifewithin
society.

ḤāfiẓandthePersianSufiTradition 147