J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 2(1)571-572, 2012
© 2012, TextRoad Publication
ISSN 2090-4304
Journal of Basic and Applied
Scientific Research
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Anti-hypocrisy in Divan of Hafez
Ahmad Reza Keikhay Farzaneh*
Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, University of Sistan and Baluchestan , Zahedan, Iran
ABSTRACT
This article aims to study how Hafez stands against the hypocrites of the time and after it and
whom he spoke against. Mystics and pious people who deceit people are aimed to in this
article. It has been shown in the end that Hafez has no controversy against true believers and
he speaks for piousness.
KEY WORDS: Anti-hypocrisy, Divan of Hafez, Hypocrisy, Duplicity, Sufism.
INTRODUCTION
One of the key features of Hafez is that he truly knew himself, he know who he is and do not intend to
be other than their real character. One should be achieved to such a place of freedom and liberality to be a
fearless one and do against dishonesty and untruth [1].
Hafez antagonizes to liars and hypocrites. There are many people including preachers, inspectors,
school’s lawyers, arbiters and prayers and if one of these people are involved in hypocrisy, they will not be
protected from Hafez’s blames.
Hypocrisy and Duplicity in Divan of Hafez
If depicted by his Divan, Hafez’s time was full of guilty, corruption, hypocrisy and crime [2], and
Hafez believed that the greatest sin threatening to Islam and spoiling human is hypocrisy. It can be certainly
said that no one, in no period and no time enthusiastically and decisively tried to antagonize hypocrisy and
attempted to eradicate this corruption as Hafez in Islamic culture [3].
This social thinker may stand personally against all hypocrites in his time and his future time [1], and
weapon is word full of satire and prank but incisive, penetrating and memorable [1].
The convent and monastery settlers, hospice and hospice settlers, cloak and cassocks, including
mystic and ascetic, sheikh and drunken are all under the humorous satire and criticism of Hafez. If a mystic
did not digress from mysticism and a pious did not digress from judge and Gnostic did not digress from
convention and ethics, Hafez was not struggled with them. It was not the case that they were struggled with
Hafez. Hafez accidentally had an accepted social respect, position and dignity. He did not concerned himself,
but some significant values that was corrupted [4].
O Hafez, be bibulous and belling and be happy But do not trap Quran in deceit and hypocrisy, which
hypocrisy and deception is uglier than any other sin [5].
An instance of Quran being trapped in hypocrisy can be seen in Qazali’s words [4].
“It has been narrated in Ibn Abbas that The Prophet said that there were being some races that retell
Quran, but not effect they are received, and it has been said that who can read Quran as ours and knew the
truth the same as us? Then He looked at His companions and said that they are the same as you and my
Umma and these people are firewood of hell” [6].
Understanding the real intention is among the Hafez’s advices to this point, as in the above couplet,
Hafez did not mean to be drunken and rouge [7]. He explicitly expresses that non-hypocritical drink is much
more better than hypocritical asceticism and He said that though this action may be fault, it is firstly not
corruptible, secondly no man is faultless. Furthermore, he does not conflict against religion and divine laws.
By drinking, he did not mean praising negligence and bad drunk. He explicitly maintains that this is just a
comparison [1].
A drunken who is not in favor of hypocrisy and simulation is much more better than a pious that is in
favor of hypocrisy and flaunt [5].
Battling against hypocrites is Hafez’s most social message. He takes refuge to tavern and desolation,
either this tavern is a place of debauchery or an abbey of Sufis, knaves or philosophers [8].
Sufism and piousness in divan of Hafez
More than 30 times the term “Sufism” is used sonnets of Hafez and its meaning according to Hafez is
much close to a hypocrite pious [1].
He continually reproaches the Sufis in his poem and ridicules the monastery in his poignant words.
There are many and various types of ridiculous words: “if a Sufi drinks loving wine according to his
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Ahmad Reza Keikhay Farzaneh, Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, University of
Sistan and Baluchestan , Zahedan, Iran. Email: [email protected]
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Keikhay Farzaneh, 2012
capacity, let this be tasty. A Sufi’s faith criticism is not always clean and pure [5]. He even shows the
hypocrite’s trap all in a sudden and declares that “the artful Sufi once again intents to entice people” [2]. The
ascetic’s monastery and Sufi’s hospice is the same in Hafez’s view. Where he “gets used to hospice and
cloak and where “he could not find a grateful old man”, and where he was suspicious of hypocrisy. This
monastery is similar to hospice and this complaint is for an ascetic that is a Sufi and his cloak is not
indicative of piety and abstention [1]. Some verses in Hafez’s poems are in favor of Sufism and do not mean
humor and criticism or this meaning seems weak in his verses. Hafez’s struggles is for hypocrites Sufism in
8th century in which made use a station to deceive people , although Hafez is undoubtedly believed both in
ecstatic ( mystical) epistemology and both respects the pure Sufis [9].
It can be concluded from all the aforementioned investigations and studies that neither Hafez is a
hospice Sufi nor a fashioned ascetic, but a mystic with broad disposition, a pure and non-hypocrite pious and
an aggrieved critic specific to his time and place. Hafez’s special criticism is for those owners with titles and
epithets and indications of religion and true direction. This is not indicative of misjudgment and lack of
devotion to the nature of true direction and truth of religion and also indicative of denial and lack of respect
to followers of true direction, but quite on the contrary, it is resulted from pure actions, true belief and
representative of regret and avoiding from self-assertion and cheap clothing which do not respect to religion
with their behaviors and unsteady the real follower’s stature [7].
REFERENCES
[1]. Estelami, Muhammad,” Lessons of Hafez” the criticisms and explanations of Hafez’s sonnets, 1st
edition, Tehran, Sokhan publications, 2003. PP 17,21,22,20,17,18,17,20,36.
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Sokhan publications, 1997, PP. 38-163.
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[7].Mortazavi, Manouchehr, “ the school of Hafez or an introduction to study of Hafez”, 4th edition, Tabriz,
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[8]. Niazkermani, Saied, “Study of Hafez”, 1st Vol. Azarabadegan publications, Spring 1985, P. 113.
[9].Pourjavadi, Nasrollah, “ Of Hafez”, selected articles of Danesh Publications” 2, University Press Center
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