Ali-Akbar Salehi: Being Rooted in a National Culture Is Not an Obstacle to Universality but Can Be Its Source; An Idea Arising from Authentic and Deep Experience Has a Greater Capacity to Connect with the Shared Conscience of Humanity / Hafez's Global Brilliance Reflects the Capacity of Iranian Culture for Dialogue with the World

The head of the Iranology Foundation, stressing Hafez Shirazi's global standing, described his poetry as a profound window into understanding the worldview, cultural identity, and historical experience of Iranians. He stated: Honoring Hafez means honoring a language that for centuries has carried thought and beauty.

Emphasizing the global position of Hafez Shirazi, the head of the Iranian Studies Foundation considered his poetry a deep window to understand the worldview, cultural identity and historical experience of Iranians and stated: "To preserve Hafez is to preserve a language that has carried thought and beauty for centuries."

The text of Ali Akbar Salehi's message is as follows:

Iran, the land of wisdom and love, in its history and culture, has grown names that have transcended the borders of time and geography and joined the common heritage of humanity. Khawaja Shamsuddin Mohammad Hafez Shirazi is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant of these names and one of the greatest representatives of Iranian spirit and thought in the world. A poet whose words originated from Shiraz, took root in the lives of Iranians and became a language for man's dialogue with himself and the world on the horizon of world culture.

The 20th of October, the commemoration day of Hafez, is a great opportunity to reread the legacy of a poet whose sonnets have been mixed with the lives of Iranians for centuries. In happiness and sadness, in solitude and togetherness, in moments of hope and in times of doubt. Hafez does not live only in the pages of his divan; His presence can be recognized in the language and memory of the people, in the long-standing ritual of fortune-telling by Hafez, and in the emotional bond of successive generations with Persian poetry. It is rare to find a poet who is so deep in the memory of a nation and, at the same time, resonates so widely in other cultures of the world.

The secret of this permanence should be sought in the wonderful combination of the beauty of speech and the depth of thought. Hafez talks about love and freedom, truth and hypocrisy, the instability of the world and the desire for human liberation with a language full of music, illusion and elegance. In his world, the sonnet goes beyond the expression of feelings and becomes a field of reflection on existence, morality and human nature. This multiplicity of meaning has taken his poetry out of the scope of a historical era and has provided the possibility of new readings for different generations.

From the perspective of Iranian studies, Hafez is not just a pinnacle in the history of Persian literature; He is a deep window to know the worldview, aesthetic taste and historical experience of Iranians. In his ghazals, the subtleties of the Persian language are mixed with layers of mysticism, wisdom, literary traditions and criticism of social relations, creating a complex and fruitful image of Iranian culture. Studying Hafez, therefore, is not only the recognition of a great poet; Rather, it is a way to understand how a part of Iran's cultural identity was formed and continued over the centuries.

Hafez reminds us that the identity of a nation is not limited to its geographical borders, political ups and downs, and material monuments; Language, thought, imagination and way of facing life are also the most fundamental elements of national identity. From this point of view, Divan Hafez is a part of Iran's living memory; A legacy in which the past speaks to the present and the experiences of a culture are transferred to future generations in the form of artistic words.

Hafez's global brilliance is also a manifestation of Iranian culture's capacity to dialogue with the world. His poetry, despite its deep connection with the language and cultural context of Iran, has found audiences from various lands and intellectual traditions, and has become one of the most well-known manifestations of Persian literature in the world in numerous translations and researches. This global success shows that being rooted in a national culture is not an obstacle to universality, but can be its source; Because a thought that arises from a genuine and deep experience has a greater ability to communicate with the common conscience of humans.

In our time, when the acceleration of developments and the abundance of information sometimes take away the opportunity for reflection, rereading Hafez can be an invitation to deep thinking, searching for truth and restoring the relationship between man and himself. The familiarity of the young generation with this heritage should not be limited to the preservation of verses or special commemorations; It is necessary that Hafez's poetry is connected with today's questions and its intellectual and human capacities are introduced to the new generation in the form of education, research and cultural dialogue.