244stageofourpath,areinevitablyandultimatelyinGod’shands,notsolelytheresultof
ourownillusionof‘arbitrarychoosing’(ikhtiyār).Forinrealitytheyarealwaysguided
and determined by the ineluctable and all-Wise divine Will (khwāsta/irādat), high-
lighted in the final words of thisghazal. From that perspective, once again, the ‘We’
significantly beginning the second half-line here refers not simply to our common
humanity, but to the two dramatically contrasting possibilities which that human
statealwaysoffersus.Fortotheextentthatthe‘We’inquestionisthelovingdyadof
IandThou,ofourtrueselfinsurrenderedharmonywiththeSpiritandtheBeloved’s
Intention (the ‘amorous glance’,‘ishva, in all its infinite and constantly changing
forms), then there is no illusion of arbitrary or random willing (ikhtiyār), where our
choice and God’s are already the same. This is the familiar ‘spiritually intoxicated’
stateofinnertrustingsurrender(taslīm/islām)andproximityalreadybeautifullycon-
veyedbysomanyoftheearlierlineshere–andastatewhichevenḤāfiẓ’smostrecal-
citrantreadersmayhaveexperiencedfromtimetotime.
Theotherwayofunderstandingandexperiencingthis‘We’is,ofcourse,atleast
as familiar to every reader. Instead of the human soul and Spirit in union and sur-
render, we can also focus on the constantly struggling and competing tendencies,
tropisms and aversions of our ego-self (nafs), whose complexities and deep-rooted
contrariness readily give rise to our common illusion of arbitrary wilfulness
(ikhtiyār),andtotheendlessoppositions,complaintsandfruitlesshiddenscheming
(makar) of the critic/plaintiff/pretender (mudda‘ī) and pious ascetic (zāhid) alike.
Thatillusion–andthepathwaystoitseventualdissolution–arethesubjectsofthe
followingline.
Since the theme of God’s ‘veiling’ of the normally ‘sober’ human soul (mastūr, in
thefirsthalfofline5)–understoodhereandthroughoutḤāfiẓnotassomesortof
deserved punishment or arbitrary destiny, but as the most essential metaphysical
preconditionfor our spiritual growth and perfection – is what most essentially con-
nectslines5and6here(and,indeed,ultimatelyunifiesalltheversesofthisghazal),
it is absolutely essential to refer back at this point to the underlying Qur’ānic
description of this situation at verses 17:45–53. Not only is the inner state of those
who are momentarily veiled beautifully described at this point (see the partial
translationimmediatelybelow),but,moresignificantly,theQur’ānheregoesonto
describetheirrailingandcarping,blindnessandillusions,andconstantbitterques-
tioningofGodandtheProphet,insuchvividanddramatictermsthatitisimmedi-
ately clear that this wholeghazalcan be seen as a beautiful poetic, orchestral
transposition of that long scriptural passage. Here are the first two verses of that
decisive Qur’ānic section, which also pointedly highlights the ultimate divine
responsibilityforallthestatesofthehumanHeart,theongoingrealitythatḤāfiẓso
forcefullyemphasizesinthislineandthroughoutthisghazal:
And whenever you recite the Qur’ān, We place between you and between
those who do not have faith [=spiritual certainty] in the spiritual world a
veiledbarrier(hijābmastūr).AndWeplaceovertheirheartsshrouds,lesttheyḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry