Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

FollowingAbūIsḥāq,itwasduringthereignofthe‘HolyWarriorfortheFaith’–
Mubārizal-Dīn(754/1353–759/1358)–thatsomanyofḤāfiẓ’sghazalsattackingreli-
giousfundamentalismandhypocrisy,andrailingagainsttownpreachers,localasce-
ticsandsurlymysticsmasqueradingasSufis,werepenned.AfterconqueringFars,
asGhanīinformsus:

Mubārizal-Dīnbegantoshowgreatrespectanddeferencetothepuritanasce-

tics[zuhād],jurisconsultsandsevereSharī‘a-orientedclerics.Hefocusedpop-

ularattentiononthesayingsoftheProphet[ḥadīth],exegesisoftheQur’ān,

anddiscussionspertainingtothereligiouslaw.Allthetavernswereclosed

down,theircasksofwineemptiedinthestreets,andthetown’sdensofvice

[kharābāt]boardedup.Whenthedoorsofthetavernsareshut,whatother

shopwillbeleftopenexceptthatofreligioushypocrisy[riyā]?^192 Hewentto

suchexcessesinprosecuting‘vice’andcommandingpeopletopursue‘virtue’,

thatthewitsandthecomicsofthemetropolissoonmockedhimwiththe

sobriquet‘thePoliceman’[muḥtasib].^193

ḤāfiẓoftenreferstothisoppressiveIslamicistdictator,themostcelebratedversein
thiscontextbeing:

Althoughthebreezewaftinthescentofroses,

Andthewinebringongoodcheer,beware:don’tdrink

Tothetuneoftheharp–forsharpisthePoliceman’sear.^194

There are a number of other ghazals in which Ḥāfiẓ complains about the
‘Policeman’s’banonmusic,lamentingthe‘cuttingoftheharp’slovelylocks’^195 and
‘boardingupthetaverndoors’^196 inbowlderizedMubārizistān.Infact,itwaspartly
asafoiltothisreligiousdictatorshipthatḤāfiẓelaboratedhismostfamoussymbol
–theinspiredlibertine(rind)–asarepresentativeofthespiritualandintellectual
counter-cultureofthecity.
Thereligiousinquisitioninstitutedbythisrulerhasbeencompared(by‘Abdal-
ḤusaynZarrīnkūb)withthosethatprevailedinEuropeduringtheMiddleAges.
Duringhisreigncertainbookswerebannedasbeing‘uselesstexts’(kutubmaḥrū-
matal-intifā‘),beforebeingcollectedandtheirpageswashedclean.Mubārizal-Dīn
atonepointdemandedthatthepoetSa‛dī’smausoleumbeburntdownandrecita-
tionofhispoemsbeforbiddeninthecity’sIslamicRepublic,sincehishiredmul-
lahshaddivinedcertainhereticalsentimentsinhisverses.HissonShāhShujā‘,
however,intervenedandpersuadedhimtochangehismind,assuringhimthathe
waspersonallyconfidentofSa‛dī’spenitentandpiousnature.^197 Mubārizal-Dīn’s
bloodthirstyandviolentnaturewasnotorious.Itwassaidthathewouldsitinhis
chamberrecitingtheQur’ān,andthenwouldhavecriminalssummonedbefore
him,risefromhisplaceandkillthemwithhisownhands,beforeresuminghis
recitation.^198

ḤāfiẓintheSocio-historical,LiteraryandMysticalMilieuofMedievalPersia 23