Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

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Causenodistressandgrieftoanother;

Thengoanddoasyouwish–forin

OurHolyLawnoothersinthanthisexists.^48

It should also be pointed out that the entire injunction to ‘cause no distress and

grieftoanother’(mabāshdarpay-iāzār),propoundedinhisverseasthesolesaving

virtueintheentireMuslim CanonLaw(sharī‘a),was directly adoptedbyḤāfiẓ,not

from‘Aṭṭār,but–onceagain–fromBalyānī’sSufiteachings.(Indeed,thereisprob-

ably much truth in the oral tradition kept by recent masters of the Persian Sufi

Dhahabī Order that Balyānī was Ḥāfiẓ’s Sufi master.^49 ) In theMiftāḥal-hidāyawa

miṣbāḥal-‘ināya,thereexistsanentireseparatechapterdevotedtothisverysubject

• ‘On Avoiding Causing Distress to Others [tark-iāzārī]’^50 – where (in its very first
  paragraph)thetheologicalgenesisofḤāfiẓ’sdoctrineinthisverseappears:

The Master [Shaykh Balyānī] said: ‘Whoever causes distress and annoyance

[āzār:NBexactlythesamewordusedbyḤāfiẓ’sverse]topeople[lit.‘toGod’s

servants’], proves himself devoid of faith in God. There is no greater sin

[gunāh: NB again exactly the same word used by Ḥāfiẓ] than distressing

someone’s heart, nor is there any more meritorious act of devotion than

bringing joy to someone’s heart.’ Thus, ‘Abdu’llāh Anṣārī (d. 481/1089)

declared: ‘Whatever does not bring any comfort to someone else does not

comprise devotional obedience; whatever does not aggrieve and distress a

personisnotasin.’^51

Interestingly (and not incidentally), Balyānī here also provides the entire text (in
Arabic of course) of the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus.^52 For such pacifist senti-
ments,Ḥāfiẓalsohadadefinitepenchant:

Withallmystrengthofhandandfistandarm

WhatmostIgivethanksforisthis:

ThatIcannotdeploymymightandbrawn

Despitefullyonanyonetocausedistress.^53

TheSanctifiedSinnerandtheCastawaySaint

Menwithpompofofficeclad,

Inrobespontificalarrayed,

Butstainedwithavariceandpride:

Theylovetobepreferred,adored

Affectthestateandstyleoflord,

Andshinemagnificentlygreat:

Theyforprecedencycontend,

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry