dignity,havingcontentedthemselvestoassumetherankofflies.^23 Standingattheir
headisamanwhosurpassesthemallasavotaryoftheAntichristandakindof
atheist–acipherforTamerlane.^24
ThefalsepietyoftheSufiishisfirstandforemostdefect.Ontheonehand,one
mayfindhimsuddenlytransportedinthethroesofmysticrapture,utteringpara-
doxesandgivingvoicetowordsbeyondthescopeofordinaryreason–butthese
turnouttobenothingbutnonsensicaldrivel.^25 Ifecstasymoveshimtodance,itis
onlyasleightofhand;itwouldseemasifbyhistrickeryheaspirestooutwitthe
conjuringheavensthemselves.^26
TheseconddefectoftheSuficoncernshispenchantforwine.Indeed,whilehe
doesdrink‘wine’andimbibefroma‘cup’,heisutterlyignorantofthespiritual
purportofsuchterms.Whileatdawnhemayreceivesomeraptureandintoxica-
tionfromtherecitationofhislitanies–justlookatthewayheendsupdrunkin
theevening!^27 WhiletheSufisipsfromthebeaker,Ḥāfiẓguardshimselffromthe
carboy.^28
ThethirddefectoftheSufi–andthemostsubtlyhidden–ishisfailuretocom-
prehendthesufferingoflove(dard).^29 Sufferinglove-passionisthesuremarkof
spiritualauthenticity.AcenturybeforeḤāfiẓ,Sa‘dīhadopenedhischapteronlove,
inhisBūstān,bytreatingthissamesubject.^30 Ḥāfiẓ,forhispart,neverrefrained
fromdesignatingthesufferingofsuchlove-passionasasignindicativeoftruelove.
ButtheSufidoesnotshowanysignofloveatall.Infact,heknowsnothingmoreof
lovethandoestheangel.UndertheSufi’scassock(khirqa)lieshiddenmanyastain
andfault,andsoheadvisesthatoneshouldfleefromthosewhosportsuchrobes.^31
Indeed,suchaSufiisnothingbutan‘animalwellprovidedwithfodder’.^32
Andyet,despitethesestrictures,ḤāfiẓdeclaresthepathofSufismtobeagood
one,ononecondition,however–thatitleadbeyonditself.Asawaycomposedof
rules,theSufiPathshouldleadtowherenoruleexistssavetheRuleofLove.And
there,theentirehierarchyofperfectionisabolished.
ḤāfiẓindeedclaimedforhimselfthetitleofSufi.HebelongedtotheSufis,he
sighs,but‘hasbecomeinfamousamongthem’.^33 Andsinceherecognizedthathis
Suficloakmerelyservedtoconcealhisblemishesandfaults,actingasagirdlefor
hishiddenheresy(zunnār),tostriphimselfofitaloneshallnotdo.^34 Hedecides
thereforetotakethefurtherstepofchanginghisstatus,settingaside‘theyearsof
honourandreputeenjoyedbyillustriousancestors’,exchangingthesefor‘acup
ofwineandthecup-bearerwithamoonlikeface’.^35 Andyet,isthisreallyamatter
ofhisownfreechoice?Onthecontrary,headmitsthat‘itwastheSufiwhotookme
totheTavern[maykada]bymeansoftheWayofLove[ṭarīq-i‘ishq]’.^36 Soitwas,in
fact,SufismthatenabledḤāfiẓtogobeyondandtoenterthathigherPathof
inspiredlibertinism(rindī):
FromthehierocosmicheavenI’vecome–aSufiwho’sdoomed
TodwelldownhereinthetemplewiththeMagians.^37ḤāfiẓandthePersianSufiTradition 149