Quranic Secrets in Hafez's Poetry: From Divine Love to the Pursuit of Truth

Shiraz – A faculty member at Shiraz University, explaining the Quranic and mystical dimensions of Hafez's poetry, said divine love, the pursuit of truth, and avoidance of hypocrisy are among the prominent pillars of the intellectual world of the Tongue of the Unseen.

Referring to the position of the Quran in the formation of Hafez's thought and poetic style, Mohammad Moradi said in a conversation with Mehr reporter: Hafez chose his poetic surname in connection with his knowledge of the Quran and mastery of this divine book. According to him, the mastery is not limited to memorizing the verses and also includes knowing the tones and ways of reciting the Quran.

He stated that the Quranic signs in Hafez's poetry are not limited to the use of Quranic words and phrases, adding: In Hafez's poetry, in addition to verbal signs and apparent familiarity with the Quran, layers of meaning and deeper manifestations of this poet's Quranic knowledge can be seen. This familiarity has influenced his poetic style, symbolism and interpretability of his works.

This poet and literary researcher, referring to verses of Hafez in praise of the Qur'an, such as "Your love reaches the cry of your heart like Hafez / The Qur'an is read in four narrations", said: This verse shows that Hafez paid attention to the different narrations of reading the Qur'an, and he also mentioned this familiarity in his poem.

Moradi also mentioned the verse "Whatever I did, I did it all from the government of the Qur'an" and said: Hafez has used the Qur'an in different ways in different parts of his Diwan. Sometimes by bringing Quranic phrases and sometimes through hints, hints and concepts that are present in the semantic structure of his poetry.

Divine love and truth-seeking in Hafez's mysticism

A member of the faculty of Shiraz University emphasized that the influence of the Quran on Hafez's poetry is not limited to the level of words and phrases, and continued: Another part of this influence should be sought in the spiritual and mystical themes of his poetry. Themes that Hafez took from the Quran and the cultural and mystical heritage of Iran and recreated in the form of his poetic language.

He pointed to the verse "Parasite is the love of a human being and fullness / Your devotion is not there until you bring happiness" and added: In this statement, Hafez places love at the center of human existence and in it, in addition to referring to Quranic concepts, we can see a reflection of the mystical interpretation of the purpose of creation and its connection with love and knowledge.

Referring to the fields of formation of Hafez's mystical thought, Moradi said: On the one hand, Hafez was influenced by the mystical tradition of Fars and mystics who lived in this region before him, and on the other hand, the developments of mysticism in the 8th century and the thoughts of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi and the commentators of his school were also effective in the formation of some themes of his poetry.

He considered love, knowledge, conduct to reach the truth, altruism, kindness and avoiding hypocrisy as among the prominent mystical components in Hafez's poetry and said: these concepts can be seen in different parts of his divan and together they present a picture of Hafez's spiritual view of man and the world.

mystical conduct; The way to the truth

Referring to the verse "Don't leave this stage of idleness of Khizr / It is darkness, fear the danger of going astray" and said: In Hafez's poetry, the journey is a path to reach the truth; A path that should be examined in connection with his mystical thought and his spiritual perceptions of the Qur'an.

Moradi added: In Hafez's poetry, reaching the truth is not only achieved by knowing, but it requires walking the spiritual path and crossing the obstacles that keep people away from their destination. From this point of view, guidance and guidance on the path of knowledge have an important place in Hafez's intellectual world.

Wine in Hafez's poem; Literary metaphor or symbol of divine love?

The faculty member of Shiraz University further said about the meaning of wine in Hafez's poetry and different interpretations of this word: When facing the words of classical Persian poetry, one should pay attention to the literary requirements and semantic traditions of that period; Because many words in poets' poetry have metaphorical and symbolic functions in addition to their apparent meaning.

Referring to the views expressed about wine in the book "Hafeznameh" by Bahauddin Khorramshahi, he stated: One of the important perceptions of wine in Hafez's poetry is its metaphorical meaning in the Persian literary tradition. In the same way, words like zalf and narcissus are used in many cases beyond their true meaning in classical poetry.

Moradi continued: In the mystical reading of Hafez's poem, wine can be a symbol of divine love and passion; A state that enters the heart and soul of a mystic and expresses through metaphor the experience of connection with divine love and knowledge.

Emphasizing the necessity of paying attention to the historical and intellectual context of Hafez's poetry, he noted: to interpret the words and symbols of his poetry, one must consider the poet's life environment, the literary tradition of the time, and the intellectual system of his period; Because reading Hafez's poetry based solely on the mentality of the contemporary world may lead to perceptions that are far from the main context of the formation of that poem.