The Need to Critique Certain Prevailing Trends in Hafez Studies

Saeed Hamidian, professor of Persian language and literature at Allameh Tabataba'i University, speaking at a ceremony honoring Hafez of Shiraz, said that Hafez studies in our era have brought valuable achievements, but alongside this research, erroneous interpretations and hasty readings of Hafez's poetry and thought have also spread, and these must be addressed with a scientific and critical eye.

According to the reporter of Ambassador Arjan of Iran (Ambassador Arjan), the commemoration ceremony of Hafez Shirazi, a prominent Iranian poet and mystic, was held on Monday, October 20, 1405, with the participation and speech of a group of famous figures of Hafez Shirazi.

Mahmoud Shalawi, the head of the Association of Cultural Monuments and Artifacts, said at the beginning of this ceremony: Hafez has found a place in our language and culture with the connection of Iranian love, knowledge and deep-rooted thoughts, which is still present in the minds and souls of Iranians, and his divan, beyond a collection of sonnets, is a reflection of the beliefs and thoughts of Iranians throughout history.

He stated: "Today, in the name and memory of the great tongue, Khwaja Shamsuddin Mohammad Shirazi, we have gathered to benefit from the words of prominent Hafez scholars, including Dr. Hassan Anuri, Dr. Saeed Hamidian, and Professor Bahauddin Khorramshahi; Figures whose researches and scientific services are very valuable in the field of Persian language and literature and knowledge of Hafez.

Referring to a speech by Hasan Anuri about the three qualities necessary for researchers and thinkers, i.e. will, perseverance and love, the head of the Association of Cultural Artifacts and Honors added: Hafez also had these three qualities in himself, but love had a special place for him. Because this love became the basis for writing poetry and expressing thoughts that remained in the form of his sonnets.

Referring to a narration by Mirsed Sharif Jarjani; Professor Hafez said about his poetic talent: According to this narration, when other students asked about the prohibition of writing poetry and encouraging Hafez to become a poet, Jurjani replied that Hafez's poetry is "all the ghazals of knowledge". This narrative shows that Hafez's talent and ability in poetry has been the focus of scholars since that time.

Pointing to the position of the Persian language in the history of Iran, Shalawi clarified: Great men such as Ferdowsi, Sanai, Attar, Molana, Saadi and Hafez played an important role in preserving and expanding the Persian language and literature. Hafez, with the gentleness of his words and the depth of his thought, reached such a position that his divan has found a lasting presence in the homes of Iranians, next to the Quran, and the devotion to his poems has become a part of public culture.

He stated that it is difficult to know "Hafez" without familiarizing himself with the intellectual and cultural background of Iranians, and added: The late Saeed Nafisi considered "Hafez" a poet who reflected a collection of Iranian ideas and thoughts in his poems. Therefore, the understanding of Hafez's poetry cannot convey all the subtleties of his speech without knowing its cultural, historical and semantic contexts.

Referring to the reception of Hafez outside of Iran, the head of the Association of Cultural Monuments and Artifacts said: During a trip to the former Yugoslavia, I observed people's interest in Hafez's name and poetry. In this context, with the cooperation of Prof. Mahmoud Farshchian and Prof. Jalil Rasouli, a book using painting and calligraphy works to introduce Hafez was prepared and presented to the audience at the University of Belgrade.

In the end, he emphasized: "Hafez"'s permanence is not only limited to the beauty of his words; His poetry continues to communicate with the audience with different layers of meaning, from love and knowledge to cultural and human thoughts, and this is the reason why his name and words remain alive in the life and culture of Iranians after centuries.

The deep connection of "Hafiz" with the Holy Quran and its concepts

Hassan Anuri, a permanent member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, addressed the issue and said: The 14th century, from 1301 to 1400, was the peak period of Hafez studies; In this period, many explanations, corrections and researches were published about Hafez's Diwan, which was unprecedented in previous centuries.

Referring to the process of Hafez research in the past century, he said: In this period, six multi-volume commentaries on Hafez have been written, each of which has contributed to the understanding of his poetry and thought. Among these works is the book "In Kimiyai Hasti" written by Dr. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kodkani, which was published in three volumes and presents new views on Hafez's poetry in some areas.

Referring to the five-volume description of Saeed Hamidian, Anuri added: This work is compiled in about four thousand pages, and one of its important features is the methodical description of the sonnets. In the sense that the poems have been examined with a coherent approach and based on a certain system.

According to him, the description of Hafeznameh by Bahauddin Khorramshahi and the works of Rahim Zulnoor and Hossein Ali Heravi are among the important researches in this field, each of which has addressed aspects of Hafez's poetry and thought.

The permanent member of the Persian Language and Literature Academy, referring to the compilation of Hafez's frequent collections, said: These collections have made it possible to search for divan words and check their usage in different editions and prints, and for this reason, they are important in Hafezology.

He considered the critical corrections of Hafez's Diwan to be one of the other important achievements of the last century and said: Allameh Qazvini's correction was one of the first important efforts in this field, and after that, other corrections were published, including the works of Natal Khanleri, etc. Also, the correction of "Shade" by using the opinions of researchers, including Shafi'i Kodkani, has been considered.

Referring to the difference in the versions in some verses of Hafez, Anuri emphasized that choosing the right word plays a decisive role in the accurate understanding of the meaning of the poem.

He further considered having a philosophical mind as one of the necessities of knowing Hafez and added: the attention of poets and thinkers like Goethe and Nietzsche to "Hafez" shows that his poetry has wide intellectual and philosophical capacities. To understand these dimensions, one should be familiar with the philosophical thoughts and questions raised in the intellectual traditions of the East and the West.

Anuri considered the mastery of the interpretations of the Holy Qur'an to be essential for the accurate understanding of Hafez's poetry and stated: Hafez had a deep connection with the Qur'an and its concepts, and the reflection of this familiarity can be seen in his sonnets. However, it is not easy to understand some of these hints without knowing the Quranic contexts and interpretations.

Referring to a verse by Hafez, "Thank God that peace came between me and him", he explained: To understand this verse, one should pay attention to the explanatory narratives about the creation of man. Because some of the meanings of Hafez's poetry are related to religious and mystical contexts and cannot be interpreted only in the context of conventional romantic relationships.

In the end, the permanent member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature emphasized: knowing Hafez requires the simultaneous study of poetry, philosophy, religious texts and interpretations of the Qur'an; Only with such knowledge can one approach the hidden layers and intellectual subtleties of his sonnets.

Poetic tribute to Hafez Shirazi

Later, a video message from Bahauddin Khorramshahi, a permanent member of the Persian Language and Literature Academy, was broadcast to the attendees. In this message, he congratulated Hafez Day and expressed his gratitude to the Cultural Artifacts Association and said: A gathering to honor the greats of literature and culture, including Hafez Shirazi, is a good and valuable ceremony. Because in such programs, happiness and empathy are mixed with science, poetry, literature and mysticism, and a field is provided for dialogue and a deeper understanding of cultural heritage.

He considered the holding of similar rituals for Saadi, Khayyam, Ferdowsi, Molana and Attar as valuable manifestations of this cultural tradition.

Khorramshahi stated: Over the years, he has provided numerous works and researches about Hafez and I hope these works can be useful for the young generation and future researchers.

Referring to his long years of scientific and research activity, he added: What he has done in these years is the result of God's success and he hopes that his works will continue to be read, reviewed and made available to young generations.

Khorramshahi then recited a ghazal that he wrote in praise of Hafez more than four decades ago for the audience. According to him, this poem, which was written in 1363, was a poetic tribute to Khwaja Shamsuddin Muhammad Hafez Shirazi, and in some verses, he described Hafez's poetry as a manifestation of intuition, wisdom, love and knowledge.

In the end, referring to the notes and researches of Allameh Tabatabai about Hafez, he emphasized the importance of collecting and publishing these notes and said: these works, in addition to their scientific value, have special historical importance and validity.

Saeed Hamidian, professor of Persian language and literature at Allameh Tabatabai University (RA) also said in this ceremony: Hafez research has been associated with valuable achievements in our time, but along with these researches, wrong perceptions and hasty interpretations have also spread about Hafez's poetry and thought, which should be addressed with a scientific and critical perspective.

Referring to the five-volume book "Sharh Shogh", he said: a part of this book is dedicated to the criticism of some common currents in Hafez studies; The issues that I have encountered during several decades of research about Hafez and I have tried to express my point of view about them by citing examples and citing works.

Criticizing the prevalence of tfaal, Hamidian added to Hafez's court: Hafez is, first of all, one of the greatest poets and lyricists of the Persian language, and this position is enough to honor him. We should not expect his poetry to tell us about our destiny, dreams and future decisions.

According to him, turning Hafez's divan into a tool for predicting the future is not compatible with the literary and scientific understanding of his poetry.

Emphasizing the necessity of avoiding exaggeration in the description and interpretation of Hafez's poetry, this university professor said: Hafez's intellectual and artistic complexities are so vast that no description can claim to have fully understood all aspects of his poetry. Therefore, the choice of the title "Sharh Shogh" for his work also reflects this humility; Because this book, rather than claiming to be a complete description of Hafez, is the result of the author's perceptions and reflections about his poetry.

Referring to the place of Saadi in the history of Persian ghazal, he clarified: Saadi and Hafez should be considered the two peaks of Persian ghazal writing. In the past, Saadi had a prominent position in Ghazal, but in our time, "Hafiz" has been in the center of attention more than in the past. This change in the amount of attention should not cause Saadi's literary and intellectual status to be underestimated.

Hamidian also criticized some undocumented interpretations of Hafez's poems and said: Sometimes there are opinions about his poetry that are not compatible with the meaning of the verses and historical and scientific knowledge. For example, some verses of "Hafiz" have been related to the scientific discoveries of the new era, while such interpretations have been made without considering the language and intellectual world of the poet's time.

Furthermore, he considered the attribution of some poems to "Hafez" to be carefully investigated and added: In the research about Hafez's divan, one should differentiate between the authentic text and the personal interpretations and avoid interpretations that distort the poem or impose external views on it.

At the end, Hamidian emphasized the necessity of a scientific approach to Hafez research and noted: Hafez has sometimes become a subject of extremes in our times; On the one hand, some give exaggerated impressions of his poetry without careful examination, and on the other hand, the intellectual and artistic dimensions of his works are ignored. A detailed understanding of Hafez requires a critical study, avoiding prejudice and paying attention to the historical and literary contexts of his poetry.

In another part of this ceremony, the reverberation of the songs of "Vasal Yar Group" with the performance of pleasant pieces based on Hafez's sonnets filled the atmosphere, and the exhibition of the connection of line, color and meaning in the form of paintings and calligraphy gave a double effect to this cultural and literary gathering.

Saeed Hamidian, professor of Persian language and literature at Allameh Tabatabai University (RA), said in the commemoration ceremony of Hafez Shirazi: Hafez research has been associated with valuable achievements in our time, but along with these studies, wrong perceptions and hasty interpretations have also spread about Hafez's poetry and thought, which should be addressed with a scientific and critical perspective.

The editor of the story collection "Dawaze Khan" said: What does the term "anti-war" mean? If "anti-war" means against war, yes! We are definitely against war and are not warmongers. But if "anti-war" means anti-defense, no! We were not the country and nation that attacked, but we were the country that made martyrs from its highest officials to its ordinary people.