Teaching Iranian Music Modalities

Teaching Iranian Music Modalities

Dastgahs, Gushehs, and Analysis

Philosophical and Therapeutic Aspects of Melodies and Tunes

Teaching Iranian Music

(Blessed Be His Soul)

His Eminence Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Nekounam

Author: Nekounam, Mohammad-Reza, 1327 –

Title and Author: Teaching Iranian Music: Instruction on Dastgahs and Modal Scales / Mohammad-Reza Nekounam

Publishing Information: Islamshahr: Sobh-e-Farda Publishing, First Edition: 2014 (1393 in the Iranian calendar)

Physical Description: 599 pages

ISBN: 978-964-2807-50-5

Catalogue Information: FIPA

Subjects: Music – Miscellaneous Issues

Subjects: Music (Teaching)

Subjects: Music (Philosophy)

Dewey Classification: 02 / 780

National Bibliography Number: 344390

Publisher: Sobh-e-Farda

Edition: First Edition, Printed in 2019 (1398 in the Iranian calendar)

Print Run: 3000 copies, Price: 700,000 Rials

Location: Tehran – Islamshahr – Nasimshahr – Vajehabad

Postal Code: 3769138575

Phone: +98 025 32 90 15 78

Website: www.nekounam.ir

Copyright Reserved for the Author

Preface

The science of music is one of the most complex and modern disciplines of today, while also being one of the oldest. Its historical roots trace back to the profound thoughts of philosophers such as Aristotle, Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and Farabi. The subject of this science pertains to sound and harmonious, beautiful, and rhythmic tones. Sound spans the realm of divine truth, with one example being the revelation of prophets. The celestial sounds, which mystics greet with spiritual listening (sama‘), represent another example of sound. Sound in nature has countless manifestations, such as the soothing sound of a waterfall, the pleasant and intoxicating song of nightingales, the sorrowful wail of wind through poplar trees, the waves of the sea, and the cool morning breeze—each of these has its unique musical quality. Sound, voice, and song are divine gifts bestowed upon humanity, acting as the language of the heart, which moves in harmony with the pulses and rhythms of our veins and nerves.

Sound symbolizes life and motion in every phenomenon. A being without sound is one without movement or growth. When sound is harmonized, it transforms into music. Sound can be of truth or falsehood; it is through sound and voice that falsehood challenges truth, and it is with its sound that truth can vanquish falsehood. In our detailed work “The Jurisprudence of Singing and Music,” we have demonstrated that the use of harmonious and melodious sound, singing, and music, as well as the natural pleasure derived from them, does not, in itself, present any legal, intellectual, or emotional issues, either spiritually or essentially. The problems in this field arise from external and incidental factors associated with music. Even the recitation of the Qur’an can be affected by these external factors, leading to difficulties.

“Song,” “Melody,” “Singing,” and “Music” are the fragrant fruits of nature and the emotional language that can nourish the soul, providing peace and tranquility to the mind and body. Just as sleep, food, and other natural desires are essential for the health of the soul, music can serve a therapeutic and emotional role, healing human afflictions and ailments. Music and harmonious sound arise from the core of each phenomenon, guiding the listener to peaceful gardens or deserts, and in moments of solitude, it becomes the companion of the soul, leading to a connection with the Divine. It awakens love, joy, enthusiasm, sorrow, beauty, intoxication, prayer, and other emotional and mystical experiences, fostering spiritual and intellectual healing.

The art of “music,” as a branch of mathematics, is one of the most complex human arts in the present day. Among its various forms, “Iranian music and its modal scales” stands as one of the purest forms, having been nurtured by great masters.

Since 1968 (1347 in the Iranian calendar), I have been a student of the esteemed master, Mr. Hassan Golchin, who, in terms of character, manners, faith, mastery, and voice, ranks among the greats. This text is the result of my fifty years of engagement with the subject, and it has been organized into two sections.

Dastgahs and Gushehs

Dastgahs are like the main streets of a city, while Gushehs are akin to well-known and hidden alleyways. In Iranian music and vocal tradition, there are seven famous Dastgahs: Shur, Homayun, Mahur, Segah, Chahargah, Nava, and Rast-Panjgah.

The Shur Dastgah is considered the “mother” of all Dastgahs. It has numerous subcategories, including: Afshari, Dashti, Abu’ata, Bayat-e-Tork, Kordbiyat, and Bayat-e-Isfahan.

In this book, we treat each of these modes—Afshari, Dashti, Abu’ata, Homayun, Bayat-e-Tork, Shushtari, Shur, Shur Shiraz, Masnavi, Esfahan, Segah, Chahargah, Mahur, Nava, and Rast-Panjgah—as independent Dastgahs of Iranian music, with detailed instructions for each.

This text was originally written in 1968 and later became a part of my music curriculum for students at the seminary in Qom. A selection of this work is presented here, with the hope that scholars of religious sciences will come closer to the subject of music, gaining a complete understanding of it. With this knowledge, they will be able to engage in precise juristic research regarding the boundaries of what is lawful and unlawful in music and singing, avoiding both dogmatism and uncritical permissiveness.

It is noteworthy that I have spent two years discussing the jurisprudence of music in my advanced jurisprudence classes. The outcome of these discussions has been published in multiple volumes under the title The Jurisprudence of Singing and Music. Interested readers should refer to this detailed work for our specific views on the subject.

Chapter 1: The Structure of Music

Mathematical Foundations: The Origin of Music Science

In ancient philosophy and wisdom, music is considered a branch of mathematics. Alongside natural sciences and theology, mathematics is one of the foundational sciences. This classification arises because the subject of theoretical wisdom either pertains to material phenomena or immaterial ones. The understanding of these phenomena can be dependent on the involvement of matter or not. If both the phenomenon and its perception are dependent on matter, it falls under the category of “natural science.” If matter does not play a role in either the phenomenon or its perception, it is categorized as “theology.” When matter only influences the external manifestation, but not the perception, it becomes part of “mathematical science.” Music, as an art, is part of this ancient philosophy, along with fields such as arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. Great philosophers, especially those from the Shiite tradition, excelled in this science, using it to perfect their philosophical teachings and attain mastery over language, arranging words as one arranges musical notes.

The principles of mathematics are based on four main disciplines:

A. Geometry: The study of quantity and its properties, concerned with the measurement and dimensions of space.

B. Arithmetic: The study of numbers and their properties, concerning discrete quantities.

C. Astronomy: The study of the movements of celestial bodies and their relationships to one another and to earthly phenomena.

D. Composition: The study of the arrangement and relations of components, which in music, concerns the harmonious arrangement of sounds (notes) to form melodies and compositions.

Music, as an art, requires knowledge of general science, natural sciences, arithmetic, and geometry. For instance, creating sound can be compared to drawing a line in geometry, and the act of humming can be likened to counting numbers in arithmetic. Hence, music is fundamentally tied to mathematics and necessitates an understanding of both continuous and discrete quantities.

The branches of music also intersect with related fields such as acoustics, motion physics, and even esoteric sciences like numerology and astrology, although the realization of these phenomena extends beyond mathematical foundations.

The Nature of Sound and Its Relation to Music

Sound resembles a number in that its determination is distinct, and both unity and oneness exist within all numbers. Sound, in the same way, can be found across all of its wavelengths, and through its short or long reach, it is unified. Just as parity is universally applicable to even numbers, where no difference can be accepted, the terms “even individual” or “individual even” emerge from the combination of numbers. Otherwise, an even number remains even, and an odd number remains odd, as these two are intrinsic attributes of numbers. In numbers, there is no increase or decrease in the essence, as one thousand is equivalent to one, and it is not that a thousand is “more numbered” than one. The finite number bears no increase or decrease, yet it remains limited.

This proportionality and harmony within the components of sound and music is the cause of its beauty, goodness, and pleasantness. For instance, the harmonious alignment of consonants and vowels in a beautiful line of poetry is integral to its beauty, just as in animals, harmony among its members is necessary for it to be deemed harmonious, and the face is not beautiful unless this proportionality is preserved. Sound is not exempt from this notion; it has its own form of harmony. Sound is considered harmonious when its pitch, tone, modulation, frequency, and arrangement are in harmony. A sound exhibiting this harmony is termed “ghina” (melodiousness), and the science of music concerns itself with these harmonious features. Therefore, music is regarded as a branch of mathematical science. Music, for instance, deals with the number of notes, the high and low pitches, articulation, and other sonic qualities, all of which are finite and distinct. Ghina arises from such a composition. Music deals with the state of notes (composition) and the distances between them, as well as the connections (intervals) that must occur. The stretching and joining of sound is known as tahrir (melodic ornamentation), and these connections must be proportional, which is termed iqaa (rhythm). Oud (a musical instrument) is the measure of ghina and serves as the criterion for distinguishing between true and false ghina. Music is the art that distinguishes pure sounds from impure ones, just as logic distinguishes true propositions from false ones.

The subject of music is “harmonious sound.” Human sound originates from the breath in the vocal cords. Part of the vocal cords is situated in the larynx. The air moves from the lungs, much like powerful ocean waves, and strikes these cords. As a result, the muscles in the larynx and vocal cords vibrate. When air from the lungs, which is like turbulent ocean waves, exits and strikes the vocal cords and the nasal passages, sound is formed.

We define sound as: “Any kind of vibration that creates a wavelength.” This vibration or movement can occur in both material and immaterial phenomena. Since there is no phenomenon in the universe that does not involve movement or create a wavelength, every phenomenon produces sound. However, in order to hear the sound of a phenomenon, one must have an auditory tool suited to its wavelength, capable of receiving it according to its specific frequency and decibel range.

In defining sound, it is said: “Any noise that comes from the mouth—without employing the articulation of letters—is sound.” Hence, sound is not merely what is heard by the ear, but hearing sound is its effect. Human sound is produced by the vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx and throat. It should be noted that if the sound is reflected, it is then termed “voice.”

The Contraction and Expansion of Sound

Since sound is a type of wave motion, it has the properties of contraction and expansion. Contraction and expansion are dependent on movement and are therefore present in all phenomena, even the entire existence. The divine breath (the breath of Allah) also has contraction and expansion. When this concept extends to the material world, it manifests in electrical systems as two wires, one positive (phase) and one negative (neutral). Sound also follows the system embedded within all phenomena, and it is created by the contraction and expansion of existence and its phenomena, which generate wavelengths.

When contraction and expansion are discussed in the context of music, they are described by the terms composition and rhythm. The combination of two notes or a series of notes signifies composition and contraction, while the matching of intervals represents rhythm. Rhythm dictates where the sound should be contracted or expanded, where the curve should rise or fall, and where the sound should be fine or coarse. Thus, rhythm brings balance to sound. Sound is created by “silver” and rhythm. The “silver” refers to the articulation of letters or the striking of a musical instrument, produced through the physical contact of one body with another. In prosody, “silver” refers to a syllable, either moving or stationary, from which the “cause,” “meter,” and “interval” are derived. The silver in prosody and music requires specific harmony for performance in a particular mode.

The Nature of Ghina (Melodiousness)

The harmony of human sound is called ghina. The term ghina in Arabic means possession, capability, or power. It can refer to something material (“qana”) or immaterial (“ghina”). The power associated with ghina applies to both physical strength and willpower. Ghina implies capability, which is not confined to material wealth but can also refer to spiritual strength or resilience. While ghina refers to possession or capability, qana is more permanent and applies to immovable matters. Thus, it is not appropriate to say that a voice or song can be described by qana since it is subject to change, such as rising and falling, or varying in pitch and tone.

The concept of ghina encompasses “sound” as one of its manifestations of power. A specific sound is considered ghina because it represents an example of power. God is described as ghani (self-sufficient) because He possesses power and does not require anything outside of Himself.

Beauty, wealth, and a beautiful voice are all forms of capability. These three attributes can transcend and humble others. People who have beautiful appearances or pleasant voices often feel a sense of superiority. Beauty, like ghina, leads to a sense of empowerment, but those who lack physical beauty (especially if they do not have firm faith) may feel inferior. A beautiful voice and a pleasant sound are forms of ghina, and when someone sings beautifully, others are drawn in and listen attentively. Beauty, likewise, can have a transcendent effect, although it may be veiled or hidden in some cases. However, the power of the voice cannot be hidden, and it is persistent, often resulting in arrogance and self-assertion.

The naming of a sound as ghina is related to the idea of power. A pleasant voice has the capability to move others and affect them, which explains its connection to the term ghina (power).

The Musicality of Sound

Ghina refers not only to sound but to an aesthetic quality of sound, often associated with a beautiful, harmonious voice. When sound is composed harmoniously, it becomes ghina. Music, on the other hand, encompasses the art of creating sound through various instruments such as the violin, flute, and others. Music, therefore, is more general and includes not only vocal sounds but also instrumental compositions. While ghina refers specifically to the beauty and harmony of human-produced sound, music can be both ghina-based or not, depending on the presence of harmony and rhythm.

The Role of Tarab (Ecstasy)

One of the attributes of ghina is its ability to induce tarab (ecstasy). A melodious voice and harmonious sound create a state of ecstasy, a form of joyous feeling that is both uplifting and pleasurable. The act of drawing out a sound, creating a pause, or a quivering note can induce tarab, as can the sound of a child or the chirping of a bird. This sensation is akin to the exhilaration one might feel while descending rapidly in a car, where a feeling of lightness and pleasure arises. This state of ecstasy, however, can also result from intense happiness or sadness, and it provides a deep sense of joy or pleasure, known as tarab.

The Essence of Sound and its Emotional Effect

Breathing and sound are inherently linked to joy, and a beautiful voice brings about a state of emotional agitation, which in turn pleases the soul. This is similar to the pleasure derived from seeing beautiful handwriting, a beautiful face, or any other form of beauty that evokes such a reaction in a person. For a rational individual, seeing someone who is courageous and generous is delightful. Sound and voice have a similar effect, and there is no avoiding this. If a person does not enjoy beauty, they are considered mentally ill, though there are instances when a person might still be healthy. For instance, if during midday in the month of Ramadan someone is brought the finest food along with soft drinks, pasteurized yogurt, and iced water, and they refuse to eat, despite the food being delicious and visually appealing, they may experience an unpleasant state of mind. However, a person who is a little weaker might derive pleasure from it and might even wish for it to be iftar time, so they can enjoy the food. If they choose to break their fast, their fast becomes invalid.

Elation is a matter of propensity, just as a knife or a revolver can be dangerous depending on who holds it and with what intention. If it is in the hands of a mad person, it can be harmful, but if it is in the hands of a wise, noble, and strong person, there is no cause for alarm. Propensity is different from causality. In today’s world, elation has both a lawful and an unlawful aspect. In times of oppressive rulers and corrupt societies, if music, singing, and joy are placed in the hands of the worldly and the forces of falsehood, it is like handing a weapon to a mad person, as it will lead the individual toward forbidden actions, negligence, and sin. Sound, especially joyful sound, in and of itself, is not inherently wrong; it is good in its proper place. It only becomes improper and undesirable when it is used for evil and corruption.

The Content and Substance of Sound

Sound is united with its content and material. In speech, the first thing that becomes apparent is sound, and when it is added to the oral cavity, it forms words. Sound, content, time, place, and other characteristics such as how a piece is sung, the emotional state of the performer, and the various stages of the soul, all combine to create either a pleasant or unpleasant sound. A sound that elicits joy, whether it is uplifting or sorrowful, has characteristics that go beyond the sound itself. For example, if a singer performs a Dashti for someone who has lost their father, or sings Shur or Esfahani, the person may begin to weep. Similarly, singing the same melodies at a celebration may cause discomfort or even laughter. In such celebrations, it is more appropriate to perform Zabol, Chahargah, or Bayat-e-Tork to ensure that joy does not turn into sorrow.

Subjectivity in the Enjoyment of Sound

The science of music serves to refine sound, which, through its connection to the soul, nurtures human emotional faculties. Musical improvisations also vary. Sometimes they arise from a mode, and other times without it; sometimes they are natural, and sometimes acquired; they can be wild or controlled, collective or individual.

Sound has both content and material. The content of sound is associated with the state of the soul. If this association is not considered, the sound may become painful. The aversion to sound might arise from the air or breath or other external factors that are incompatible with the sound. Discord may result from the pitch or range of the sound, its form, or the chosen mode. The aversion could be due to the proximity or distance of the sound, its type, or its composition. In any case, the harmony or discord in sound and listening, and their impact on the human soul, can vary. Understanding these nuances is essential for anyone who wants to work with music and become a musician.

The Attributes of Sound

The characteristics of sound, such as its range, tone, and the interaction between them, all influence its impact. These characteristics include the pitch, volume, and timbre of the voice, and how they align with the chosen mode. For instance, the Chahargah mode is similar to speech, whereas the Sega mode requires the use of the throat. The way a voice resonates with the surrounding environment also influences its perception. Those who live in mountainous areas may have a different voice from those who dwell in valleys, and each voice will be perceived differently depending on the environment.

Grief, Wailing, and Joy

“Grief” is the subtle sorrow, while “wailing” refers to more intense mourning. In musical modes, the “rough” modes are associated with wailing, while the “fine” ones are linked to grief. For instance, Shushtari, Mahur, and Segah are considered sorrowful, while Chahargah is more raw and harsh.

It is narrated that the Quran was revealed with grief, and it should be recited with a tone of grief. This means that recitation should be done with a soft and calm voice, in contrast to a harsh and deep voice. The Quran is a manifestation of divine “gentleness,” and should be recited gently.

Grief, too, can be joyful. For example, the Dashti mode, while inherently sorrowful, can still be uplifting, and the Shur mode, though associated with sorrow, is also capable of generating joy. When a singer performs Dashti or Zabol, it can evoke a sorrowful joy in the listener that might even bring them to tears. Joy and sorrow are intertwined with elation, and the way they affect the heart depends on whether they cause the heart to sink (sorrow) or rise (joy).

The Science of Recitation (Tajweed)

Tajweed refers to the proper articulation of every letter and sound with all the required attributes. Tajweed is a form of melodic ornamentation that enhances the sound, while ghina (melodic singing) is a description of the voice itself. The two are connected: ghina can exist without Tajweed, but Tajweed always implies a certain level of melody.

Tajweed is crucial for the proper recitation of the Quran. For example, the elongation of vowels in Quranic recitation significantly improves its beauty. The Surah Al-Fatiha, among all the chapters of the Quran, presents one of the most challenging examples of Tajweed, as its vowels require a particular musical quality that can only be properly articulated through ghina. Without this, it becomes difficult to achieve the correct recitation.

The Surah Al-Fatiha is called “the opener” because it “opens the way” in recitation. Without ghina in its recitation, one cannot truly “open” it and “break the line,” much like those who recite it incorrectly, as some do with the Torah, often with an unnatural nasal tone or an odd cadence.

Melody

A melodic voice is one that is delicate and refined. When a voice is accompanied by beauty and subtlety, it is said to be a “melody.” Melody refers to the high-pitched and refined aspect of the voice, distinct from the deepness or resonance of the sound.

Vibrato and Trill

A trill refers to the rapid oscillation of sound in the throat, producing a warbling effect, often called tahreer. The vibrato in an animal’s voice can vary in intensity, with some creatures, like the nightingale, producing beautiful trills.

Excitement and Agitation

Sound can also have a stimulating effect, either through elation or agitation. The relationship between elation and excitement is logical: a sound may neither be elating nor exciting, or it may be both. Some sounds elicit joy but do not induce excitement, while others may provoke excitement but are not particularly joyful.

Excitement from sound is not a fixed quality. It depends on the context, the individual, and their mental state. For example, someone suffering from internal turmoil might experience excitement from an elating sound, while others may not respond to the same sound at all.

The excitement or elation caused by sound is subject to context. A beautiful woman’s voice may arouse excitement, not due to the sound itself but due to her beauty, or a young couple might become excited by conversing, even without paying attention to the meaning of the words.

The Relationship Between Sound and Its Context

It is essential to recognize that sound’s potential for excitement depends on the context and is not inherently good or bad. For example, a voice that excites is permissible when the context is lawful, like in a healthy marriage or joyful setting, but becomes impermissible when it incites sinful desires. Therefore, the permissibility or impermissibility of a sound’s exciting effect depends on the context and the intentions behind its use.

The Musical Structure of Sound

The form and structure of sound, whether in voice or in musical instruments, provides a framework for creating rhythm and melody. This can be through the human voice (via modes and scales) or through the use of musical instruments. A musician must follow the appropriate scale or mode throughout a performance to avoid straying from the intended sound.

The Symbolic Meaning of Sound

We have mentioned that all phenomena manifest through contraction and expansion. All things in existence, including sound, reflect the attributes of God. The movements of the universe—both physical and emotional—are all forms of this contraction and expansion. These movements produce sound, and the quality of sound reflects the quality of the actions. The Rational Voice with Its Sweetness

There is a rational voice that possesses a unique sweetness; although Ibn Sina, a remarkable genius, referred to the human voice as a divine gift with inherent sweetness, his expression is an apt and eloquent one. The five senses are God’s blessings to humanity, natural to human beings. The ear is meant for hearing, and the voice for creating melody, singing, and reciting.

The ability to produce sound, using the vocal cords and the auditory system with all their intricacies, is a striking example of the miracle of creation. Even a slight misalignment of the vocal cords can lead to a loss of sound, or vocal strain due to swelling of the cords, interrupting their natural expansion and contraction. Those who suffer such disorders must consume starch or eggs to restore the cords to their original state, allowing for proper expansion and contraction. Likewise, the pleasure derived from hearing beautiful, delightful melodies is a natural experience for the human ear and intellect, and any deviation from this is a disturbance to nature, requiring correction. However, it is essential to understand the boundaries of nature through religious teachings, as the limited knowledge of an ordinary human being requires guidance from the limitless wisdom of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who conveyed the divine knowledge.

It is true that beauty, capability, and goodness are not forbidden in Islam, which is a natural religion; however, concerning sound and voice, it is only when there is a clear prohibition that a judgment can be made. The only valid sources for such rulings are the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Analogical reasoning or personal judgment cannot serve as evidence for establishing religious rulings. The absence of proof of prohibition leads to the permissibility of singing and music. While we state that sound and the enjoyment derived from it is a natural process, this argument is incomplete unless it is affirmed by the absence of any prohibition from the Shari‘ah. Therefore, all the arguments presented against such enjoyment must be thoroughly examined, and if no prohibition is found, it should not be unjustly declared forbidden.

The Authority of Sound Creation

Ibn Sina’s eloquent expression points out, “Among the sensory experiences, sound has a particular sweetness.” This sweetness is not exclusive to the listener, as the singer also enjoys the act of singing. The vocal cords are awakened as the person sings, and the pleasure is derived from both the act itself and the power exerted over it. Sometimes, the singer enjoys their voice even more than the listener, as they relish the act of producing such a beautiful sound. The cords are constructed in such a way that there is a necessity for breath, and it is in the act of breathing into these cords that the singer derives enjoyment, which is then transferred to the listener.

A harmonious voice expresses a person’s power and capability. Those who can shape their voice musically create a beautiful song, displaying their utmost capability. Such skill is not easily attained. The creation of a pleasing voice involves many challenges, requiring talent, learning the principles of sound and voice, and understanding its rhythm and flow. Not everyone can make their voice sweet and pleasant. One voice may resonate, while another does not; one may be deep, while another is high-pitched, and so on.

The Rule and Power of Sound

In his continuation, the Sheikh also mentions another valuable point: Nature — which is a divine sign within bodies — maintains itself through various states and qualities, and is governed by a definite system (which does not deviate).

The effect of sound is called its “rule.” Nature has an effect, and sound, like any natural phenomenon, is not without its influence. For instance, if a person shapes their voice over six months within a specific musical mode, such as the “Mahur” mode, it will cause the person’s pupils to constrict, as the sound waves produced affect the eyes. Similarly, if someone sings in the “Shur” mode, it softens their heart, and singing in the “Bayat” mode leads to laughter. Singing the “Saqi-nameh” induces a decrease in worldly attachment. If the “Esfahan” mode is sung, the singer will experience prolonged youth. These examples demonstrate the diverse effects of different musical modes. The Sheikh further asserts that nature possesses its own effect, which is divine, and sound also exerts its own influence.

Today, sound has become a tool for propagating both truth and falsehood. One example is the community of religious reciters within the country, and certain singers outside the country. Religious reciters have become the voices of the Islamic regime, while some singers abroad represent the opposition. Singers are the only artists who have been able to maintain their presence abroad, reviving the opposition from obscurity, while reciters within the country wield such influence that they sometimes surpass even religious scholars, and philosophers often find it difficult to counter them. This demonstrates the power and magnitude of sound. Both religious reciters and singers have the ability to release their voices freely. However, those who lack the courage to liberate their voices or have not undergone proper training are deprived of this power. This sweetness of voice enchants and captivates people, a power unmatched by other means. Scholars must possess the ability to freely release their voices, speak effectively with the general public, and manage their speech with ease. Some individuals, in addition to courage, mysticism, truth, and jurisprudence, gained prominence precisely because they could establish a pleasant verbal connection with the people, effortlessly making them laugh or cry. If we review the background of any successful person, we often find that their family possessed a free and sound way of thinking, far from stagnant, dogmatic beliefs. Otherwise, a child cannot grow in such an environment. Such individuals become great because they grew up freely and were not deprived of free speech or action.

The Sweetness of Sound

Imam Sadiq, in his “Tawhid Mufaddal,” beautifully elaborates on the science of sound, voice, and music, offering profound insights. However, notable geniuses like Ibn Sina have only touched upon specific aspects of it. It is a great regret that there were neither capable students nor suitable conditions for these teachings from the infallible Imams to flourish. The Imams were very much oppressed, and the tradition left by them remains unfamiliar even in the era of the rule of the Ahl al-Bayt. Despite these narrations, one feels hesitant to bring up Ibn Sina’s high-level arguments on music and singing and compare them with the words of the infallible Imams.

In this narration, not only is there no prohibition on sound, voice, singing, or music, but the voice is also depicted as beautiful and sweet. Therefore, it should be said that the approach of those who view sound and voice negatively, sometimes avoiding it altogether, is different from the approach of Imam Sadiq and his perspective. In “Tawhid Mufaddal,” Imam Sadiq outlines various rules of knowledge, such as physiognomy, palmistry, and psychology, explaining that the way a person speaks with their lips and tongue correlates with their physical characteristics. Problems with the lips, mouth, teeth, and pronunciation can arise from physical defects.

Those who think enjoying beautiful, melodious, or emotional sounds is wrong should reconsider, for this noble passage from “Tawhid Mufaddal” counters their viewpoint:

“If the sense of hearing did not exist, the enjoyment of delightful and joyful or sorrowful sounds would be lost.”

A joyous sound is one that brings a feeling of ecstasy, excitement, and joy. This characteristic is more pronounced in the voice of a woman. Surely, Imam Sadiq would never value something haram, nor would he consider a sin to be of great importance. Therefore, if he approves of a sound that is joyous, it signifies that joy itself cannot be the reason for its prohibition. Imam Sadiq, with his greatness, speaks of the beauty of joyous sounds, indicating that such joy does not render the act prohibited. Given these words and others, Imam Sadiq emphasizes the value of hearing and sound in creation. He notes that if a person does not hear the news of the people, they are like a hidden witness among them, or as though dead, unable to connect with others. A person who does not communicate and is isolated cannot truly live; it is through speech and the power of the voice that one engages with the world. Likewise, if a religion lacks an effective speaker, it becomes marginalized and eventually forgotten, just as if the voice of falsehood is ignored, it too fades into oblivion.

The Dual Nature of Voice: Wild Nature and Acquired Skill

Up until now, we have discussed how the voice, with its wild nature – which is the human voice – has two distinct aspects: one is its natural essence, from which each person derives a certain degree according to their own capacity. Some may possess a low pitch, others a high one; some may have a coarse voice while others have a finer tone. The second aspect is the kind that relates to the type of musical system they possess, and the first aspect is innate and non-acquired.

The second aspect, however, is acquired through education and training. Knowledge can enhance the wild natural voice, elevating it beyond its natural, unrefined state. Vocal training is akin to learning logic; it is a practice that helps structure the mind. Singing and music are like the science of logic. Every person, for their success in expressing feelings and in how they articulate their words and voice, must engage in practical work, and it would be most fitting to introduce this to students at the elementary school level.

Having a beautiful voice does not mean that one can master all musical systems with ease. Sometimes a musical scale is deep, suitable for those with lower voices, while other scales are high-pitched and suited to those with a higher voice. Singing from the head, chest, mouth, or throat varies greatly, and each individual has their own unique style. If society progresses and children are tested for their vocal qualities in early childhood, they will have fewer difficulties with pronunciation as adults.

The Impact of Environment on Voice

The openness or confinement of one’s living environment has a significant effect on their voice. Living in a cramped, enclosed space – such as a small apartment – limits the mind and shortens one’s lifespan. Just as a lion’s roar changes when it is kept in a cage, a person’s voice becomes confined and constrained in such an environment. However, if one lives in a spacious home with an open space, their voice remains more liberated and controlled. If a person has no access to such a space, they can go out into the streets, parks, or any open area, especially at night, to let their voice out. A child who spends all their time indoors in an apartment not only loses the clarity of their voice but also experiences mental, emotional, and physical fatigue, leading to a narrow, rigid mindset.

Those living in small homes or apartments, who frequently need to remind their family members to lower their voices, should apologize to their household members. This is because hearing a voice by a non-relative is not problematic, and a woman’s voice is not inherently something to be concealed. Living in close proximity with others also brings a sense of deprivation. Those who are forced to live quietly at home must, at the very least, go out once a week to the wilderness to shout and release the pent-up emotions within them.

When we speak of a “spacious home,” we are not referring to grand palaces built of turquoise stone, but rather to open, expansive spaces. This is why humans should not sever their connection with the sky. A prayer said in an enclosed apartment is very different from one said outdoors. The voice indoors is muffled and restricted, often emanating from the nose or throat, while outdoors, the voice feels open and free. Prayers in an enclosed space lack the clarity and rhythm found when praying under the open sky. Open space promotes a free mind, open thoughts, and brings calmness. Those who stay indoors constantly tend to have a more rigid mindset, imposing a similar sense of confinement on their family members. The inability to trust is a result of living in closed environments. If a child’s hands and feet are confined in a cradle, they will grow up with a limited, authoritarian mindset.

The Effect of Clean Air on Voice

In addition to correct breathing, clean air is essential for producing a beautiful, resonant voice. Clean air is particularly important for those on a spiritual or mystical path. Polluted air dulls the mind and dries up the source of thought. A spiritual person should strive to live in a natural environment under the open sky, avoiding confined indoor spaces, and constantly gaze at the sky.

For proper vocalization, one must also practice correct breathing. Without incorporating appropriate exercise and breathing techniques available through professional institutions, one cannot achieve a well-balanced and controlled voice. Regular exercise helps keep the lungs open, expelling all impurities and refining the voice.

Flexibility and Softness of the Voice

We have already stated that voice requires resonance, freedom, and flexibility. Just as the body of a gymnast is soft and elastic, a voice should also possess this flexibility. A stiff voice, like a rigid body, cannot bend or vibrate freely. A stiff voice lacks the flexibility to move up and down or shift easily between different tonal qualities. This flexibility in voice is manifested in its pitch, from high to low. A lower, non-flexible voice is suitable for recitation and similar purposes, while a higher voice can express greater variation and nuance. The person with a higher voice can easily sing in multiple languages, while someone with a lower voice may struggle to adjust to different tonal systems.

Pitch and Timbre of the Voice

Pitch and timbre are of great importance in music and singing. It is necessary for a singer to understand the range of their voice, or how many “octaves” their voice spans, and the particular musical scale they are performing. The relationship between a singer’s pitch and the corresponding musical scale is crucial, and it dictates what range the singer performs best in.

Pitch varies between different animals, just as their natural states differ. Some animals have deep voices, like cattle, while others, like dogs, produce higher, sharper sounds. Animals that live in the wild, in a more natural environment, tend to have a purer, more resonant tone. Birds such as roosters and canaries produce higher-pitched sounds. If a rooster is kept in a confined space or a canary is placed in a dark room, they become restless, unlike hens who do not show the same behavior.

Although many singers desire to stretch their vocal range and sing in higher registers, there is also an art to singing in lower tones, which is often more difficult to master.

The Raspy Quality of the Voice

Another characteristic of voice is that it can sometimes be smooth, but other times rough and gritty, like the sound of a radio that alternates between a clear signal and one that is staticky. As the frequency of the voice increases and becomes more pronounced, it may acquire a raspy texture. This raspy quality can be difficult to discern in normal circumstances, but an experienced ear can detect it based on the frequency and other acoustic features of the voice.

**Just as early humans did not know what fire was, but with the advancement of thought, they have now learned to burn even the air, so too has sound, voice, musical instruments, and devices followed a similar trajectory, originating from human nature and advancing step by step. Sound and voice are part of the melody of the heart and its nuances, just as poetry is. One of mankind’s talents and specialisations is the composition of poetry. As human intellect has evolved, many poems have been written that mesmerise scholars and spiritual individuals alike. The term ‘i‘rāb’ is used for that which manifests movement; similarly, sound and voice reveal the hidden thoughts of the soul: “What is in the jar is what pours out.” Expression of inner thoughts sometimes occurs through speech and at other times through cries. Speech can be spoken or silent. Between speech and sound, there is unity, and sound cannot exist without speech. Of course, speech, in the context described above, includes not only words that are considered nonsensical but also those that are imbued with meaning. In certain places and times, one must cry out, sing, or call out, and there exists a close relationship between song and certain events. One example of this is fear. A person who is afraid, like someone walking in a dark alley or a quiet street, may begin to sing aloud. Similarly, someone who is dreaming may unintentionally speak or cry out when faced with a difficulty, and if this does not happen, they may experience a nervous disorder, or potentially become mentally ill in the end.

God Almighty has made speaking and crying out at the peak of fear a source of reassurance, so that, without intending to, a person may begin to sing when feeling overwhelming fear. Were it not for God’s grace in providing this voice, many fears would lead to a stroke. It is like someone with a fever who, if their temperature rises too high, might suffer from convulsions. The fever can be likened to the heat beneath a cauldron, which, if it rises too much, causes the water inside to spill out. To prevent convulsions, the body’s temperature needs to be lowered through methods like sponging, which transfers heat from the brain to the lower body. However, sponging does not completely eliminate the fever; it only reduces it and prevents it from reaching the brain and causing convulsions.

Music: The Knowledge of the Inner Melody

Music is the knowledge of the soul’s expression. It is the language of the heart, not merely of sound. It is the ‘spoken language’ of the soul, the utterance of the inner being of existence and the divine. This is a language which the universe keeps hidden within itself, never revealing it to the external world. Only those with keen hearing can follow and discern it. When someone strikes a bowl, it is possible that the bowl itself does not comprehend the sound, but the heart of the bowl recognises it. The sound of the bowl is its inner utterance, its soul’s expression. Likewise, the echo of a shout under a dome or its reverberation is the voice of the person, while the sound of the dome itself is something different. The sound of the bowl’s interior is not the same as the bowl itself. All these sounds are external, yet the sound within the bowl is its own. Bowls, like every other phenomenon, know the sound of their own heart. Not only bowls, but every phenomenon is aware of the melody of its own heart, which differs from that of others. One heart is delicate, while another is hard. The sound of the heart is manifested in the voice and song. This is the voice by which one can examine the heart and understand the essence of its being, just as the appearance of the face reveals the inner secrets, and this knowledge of music can lead to understanding these mysteries.

The idea that speech is not merely verbal, but also the sound, is crucial in understanding the relationship between sound and the science of music. If this knowledge continues to be managed and guided by wise individuals, rather than being hindered by superficial religious scholars, the advancements of music would have been much more profound. A person who does not understand the intricacies of music is like someone who only sees a rectangular dining table and assumes that is the only way a table can be. However, when they enter a restaurant and see round tables, they claim that such things are not tables and must be removed! The subject of music is a deeply complex and important one. We will speak more about the significance of this knowledge in the next section. Those who fail to recognise the subject of this highly modern science will also fail to uphold its proper etiquette.

Nature: The Teacher of Musical Instruments

Just as Aristotle, through careful observation of the spoken and written language of people, was able to discover logical propositions, so too did nature provide the basis for musical devices, scales, and modes, which later evolved into more complex forms. The first musical instruments were inspired by nature. The creation of musical instruments is attributed to the wise Pythagoras, who, through his sharp observations, was inspired by the sound of a hammer on an anvil to create the ‘tar’, and the sound of wind blowing on a decayed stone to imagine the ‘barbat’. In this way, musical instruments were carefully crafted through the wisdom of scholars by studying nature. For example, observing the mechanics of human vocal cords led to the creation of various musical instruments, particularly wind instruments. If one blows into a piece of a leek, the sound that emerges is similar to that of a flute or a reed pipe, playing a melody of kindness.

The Relationship Between Sound and the Nature of Being

The study of sound, its system, rhythm, and structure, is intricately tied to human nature and the phenomena of existence. The devices and methods of music that we use today have evolved, from nature, to the elaborate and diverse forms they take in various cultures and societies. In the Persian tradition, these sound systems are known as ‘maqam’ or ‘dastgah’, which refer to the overall framework of melody and rhythm.

Sound and its structure have a nature, system, rhythm, and rhyme. Not only do human beings and other creatures have sound, but even abstract entities and the Divine possess sound and speech. The scales and modes in different cultures, and the names given to them, are discovered through nature, just as Aristotle discovered logical forms through observation. Over time, these scales were refined, and many more modes were discovered, contributing to the rich tradition of music we know today.

FA’ALATEN = — U —

FA’ALAN = — U —

MAFA’ILAN = U — — —

FA’ULAN = U — —

MUSTAF’ALAN = — — U —

MAFULAN = — — —

FELATAN = U U — —

FA’LAN = U U —

MAFA’ILAN = U — U —

MOFT’ALAN = — U U —

FA’ LAN (= FA’AL) = — —

B. Elements that do not appear at the end of the line. The final syllable of each of these elements is short:

FA’ALATUN = — U — U

FELATUN = U U — U

MAFA’ILELUN = U — — U

MUSTAF’ELUN = — — U U

MAFULUN = — — U

MAFA’ELUN = U — U U

C. Final elements, which only appear at the end of the line:

FA’L = U —

FA’ = —

The last two elements, in irregular meters, also appear at the end of a half-line.

Sometimes, one, two, or three syllables may be omitted from the final element of a meter. For example, if one syllable is omitted from “MAFA’ILAN = U — — –“, it becomes “FA’ULUN = U — –“, and if two syllables are omitted, it becomes “FA’IL = U –“, and if three syllables are omitted, it becomes “FA’ = U –“. The final syllable of the line is always long.

Classification of Poetic Meters

The poetic meters are extensive, but they are divided into groups. Meters that are balanced in the length of short and long syllables form a group. For each meter group, there is a base that consists of four components (for a single line, and eight components for a couplet), and other meters in the same group are derived from it either by omitting one or two components from the four-component meter or by omitting one, two, or three syllables from the final component of each meter. It should be noted that although the unit of meter in Persian poetry is the line, in traditional prosody, following the Arabic meter system, the unit of meter is considered to be the couplet. Based on this, a couplet with eight, six, or four components is called, respectively, a “Mathamman” (octosyllabic), “Musaddas” (hexasyllabic), and “Murabba” (quadrasyllabic).

A. Basic (without omission): Healthy Mathamman; such as the poetry of Sa’di:

“As the heavens begin to draw a pattern, no one is left to hold this salt;
I do not know if I am a fish or a king, a child of Adam or a fairy?!”

Each line of this poem consists of four “Mustaf’alan” components, and thus this couplet is a “Healthy Mathamman.”

B. Omission of one component: Healthy Musaddas; such as the poetry of Vaqār Shirazi:

“As the night walker moves in the dark night
So no one knows of his going…”

C. Omission of two components: Healthy Murabba; such as the poetry of Golchin Gilan:

“The sea of Hassa moves constantly
In turns and twists, winding and winding”

From each of the three mentioned meters, one, two, or three syllables can be omitted from the final element. If one syllable is omitted, the resulting meter is called “Mahzoof.”

Poetic meters arise either from repetition of components or from alternating components. The names of meters resulting from the repetition of components are as follows:

• Mafa’ilan: “Hizaj”
• Fa’latan: “Ramal”
• Mustaf’alan: “Rajas”
• Fa’ulun: “Mutakarib”
• Felatan: “Ramal Makhbun”
• Moft’alan: “Rajas Motawi”
• Mafa’lan: “Hizaj Maqboud = Rajas Makhbun”

The meters resulting from the alternation of components are:

• Mafa’lan Felatan: “Mujtasaf Makhbun”
• Maful Mafa’ilan (Mustaf’al Mafulun): “Hizaj Akhreb”
• Felat Fa’lan: “Ramal Mashkoul”
• Maful Fa’latan (Mustaf’al Fa’ulun): “Mudarak Akhreb”

Chapter Two / The Importance of Melodies and Music

Chapter Two:

The Importance of Melodies and Music

Understanding the significance of musical systems:

We have mentioned that sound has numerous scales and notes that sit together, much like the letters of the alphabet form words. Recognizing these notes decodes the message of the heart of the speaker.

In the following, we will explore the impact of sound, voice, and music on the human soul through the melodies of certain Quranic Surahs, verses, and prayers. This will emphasize the necessity of understanding musical systems. Sound and voice are divine gifts that God has bestowed upon humans, and other phenomena also carry their own melodies with their respective musical systems. One such phenomenon is the Surah al-Fatiha. This Surah has its own musical system, and some poetry can be sung within this system.

The prayers in the Sahifa Sajjadiya and the invocations of Imam Zayn al-Abidin also contain melodies with a spiritual rhythm! Music is an international and inherent language of phenomena, which reason cannot do without. A normal person, within the bounds of religious limits, needs to benefit from music for healthy living.

Musical Voice of the Quran

The Holy Quran, the only complete divine book, contains a variety of musical systems. These systems are special to this heavenly book. A musicologist reflecting on the verses of the Quran would find that it is filled with rhythm and melody, leading them to believe they are holding a musical book. The Arabs, who were the most eloquent poets, listened to the most refined poems and considered themselves the exclusive masters of such poetry, found the Quran more eloquent than their own poetry and its musical systems unknown to them.

If one has knowledge of acoustics, they will notice that in the study of the Quranic language, the sound of the Quran is unique and language plays no significant role. For instance, it is not the case that the music of the Quran is Arabic in nature. The language of the Quran is the language of nature, and even animals are not alien to it. To comprehend the melodic meaning of the Quran, knowing Arabic is not necessary; someone aware of sound and acoustics, or attuned to the melody of nature, can understand the Quran’s message without knowing Arabic or Persian.

If one understands the musical systems and styles of sound, they will realize how God revealed the Quran to Gabriel, and how Gabriel received it. The sound of revelation and the divine voice are mysteries of existence. Is the voice of revelation a material sound or an immaterial and abstract one? In any case, sound is a profound reality, the essence of which humanity has yet to fully comprehend, and it is something that the divine messengers have transmitted to us.

Imam Sajjad (a.s.) recited the Quran so beautifully that some people would lose consciousness upon hearing it. The water carriers, upon hearing the captivating, heavenly voice of Imam Sajjad (a.s.) reciting the Quran, would become so entranced that they would lose their senses, even in the intense heat with water containers in their hands. They seemed to be addicted to it, and they would always act this way, standing in groups. The reason for their fainting was the great spiritual ecstasy contained in the voice.

The Imams, being infallible and possessing divine knowledge, conveyed an inherent purity and sincerity in their beautiful voices, making them soothing to the heart. The divine light of prophethood and guardianship shone through in their faces and words, and such truths need no further examination. Anyone who has even a distant scent of the reality of guardianship would understand and accept it.

If the Quran, the Sahifa Sajjadiya, and the supplications of Ali, Sajjad, and Mahdawi, along with the supplication of the beloved Lady Fatima (a.s.), were presented with beautiful voices, the heavens would open up, and the hearts of all listeners would be captured. Just as the companions of the Imams would fall into a trance upon hearing their voices.

However, reaching this level requires the proper education and cultivation of a select group of righteous individuals. The elegant words in the Sahifa Sajjadiya, much like powerful modern weaponry, could bring down corrupt systems effectively, but who truly understands their value and can make use of them?

Poetic Meter and the Classification of Metres in Traditional Persian Poetry

The Arabic Metre and Its Application in Persian Poetry

The concept of “meter” (known as ‘arûz in Arabic) refers to the structure of rhythmic patterns in poetic lines. It is based on the arrangement of long and short syllables, and is crucial in shaping the rhythm of a poem. The basic elements of Arabic meter consist of various combinations of ‘arûz patterns that influence both the flow and melody of the poetry.

Patterns of Meters

1. Fâ‘ilatun = – U – –
2. Fâ‘ilun = – U –
3. Mufâ‘îlûn = U – – –
4. F‘ûlûn = U – –
5. Mustaf‘ilun = – – U –
6. Maf‘ûlûn = – – –
7. F‘alâtun = U U – –
8. F‘ilun = U U –
9. Mufâ‘ilun = U – U –
10. Muft‘ilun = – U U –
11. Fa‘ilun = – –

These are the foundational elements of the metre in Arabic and Persian poetry. The final syllable of each unit in these patterns is typically short.

In some cases, the final syllables of certain metrical units are omitted or reduced, a practice known as hadhf (elision). For instance, the pattern Mufâ‘îlûn may undergo elision to become F‘ûlûn or Fa‘il, with one, two, or even three syllables omitted from the final unit. This modification contributes to the flexibility and variation in poetic form, especially in Persian poetry.

Classification of Poetic Meters

Poetic meters in Persian poetry can be classified into groups according to the symmetry between long and short syllables. The metrical units in these groups are typically based on four elements in a line (or eight elements in a couplet), with variations stemming from the omission of one, two, or three syllables in the final unit.

• Perfect Meters: These include meters with no omission of syllables and are called Muthamman Salim (perfect eight-syllable meter), as seen in the poetry of Sa’di:
  “Until the sky makes its mark, no one is untouched,
  I know not whether it’s a fish or a fairy,
  The child of Adam or an angel?”

Each line of this poetry is composed of four units of Mustaf‘ilun, amounting to eight units in total, forming a perfect metrical pattern known as Muthamman Salim.

• Meters with One Omitted Unit: This variation is known as Mussadas Salim (perfect six-syllable meter), such as in the poetry of Waqār Shirāzi:
  “As the night walkers move on in the dark night,
  No one is left to know of their passage.”
• Meters with Two Omitted Units: This is termed Murabba‘ Salim (perfect four-syllable meter), as exemplified by the poetry of Gulchīn Gilānī:
  “The sea churns constantly,
  Twisting, turning, with bends and swells.”

Poetic Variations and the Role of Syllables

The metrical patterns in Persian poetry can be derived from the repetition or alternation of metrical units. The names of some of the most common poetic patterns are:

• Mufâ‘îlûn: Known as Hizaj,
• Fâ‘ilatun: Known as Ramal,
• Mustaf‘ilun: Known as Rajaz,
• F‘ûlûn: Known as Mutaqārib,
• F‘alâtun: Known as Ramal Makhbūn,
• Muft‘ilun: Known as Rajaz Mota‘wī.

These variations show the intricate relationships between syllables, rhythm, and poetic form. Poetic patterns that result from alternating metrical units include:

• Mufâ‘ilun, F‘alatun: Known as Majtas,
• Maf‘ûl, Mufâ‘ilûn: Known as Hizaj Akhbār,
• F‘alât, F‘ā‘ilan: Known as Ramal Mashkoul,
• Maf‘ûl, F‘ā‘ilatun: Known as Muḍāra‘ Akhbār.

Importance of Melodic Sound and Music in Poetic Form

Poetry is inherently linked to the perception of sound and rhythm. Understanding the underlying musical devices in poetry, such as the specific musical modes or dastgāh (systems of musical scales) applied in religious or poetic contexts, enriches the emotional and spiritual experience of the listener. Just as ‘arûz governs the rhythm of poetry, sound and melody contribute significantly to the affective power of recitation.

In the Qur’an, for example, various dastgāh are used, particularly in recitation, where each verse’s rhythm and melody impart spiritual meanings beyond the literal words. The Qur’anic melody, or tartīl, has a profound effect on the heart, transcending the Arabic language and impacting all listeners, regardless of their native tongue. This is akin to the way in which classical poetry resonates with the listener, invoking deep emotional responses based on rhythm, tone, and meter.

The Role of Sound in Qur’anic Recitation

The Qur’an itself possesses a distinct musicality inherent in its sound, with each verse carrying a melody that is both unique and integral to its message. This musicality does not require the listener to understand Arabic in order to be affected by its beauty. The sound alone conveys the spiritual depth of the verses. Through recitation, the spiritual nourishment provided by the Qur’an becomes accessible even to those who may not comprehend the literal meaning.

The rhythmic qualities of Qur’anic recitation have long been recognised for their therapeutic impact. The melodic recitation not only facilitates spiritual reflection but also brings healing, offering peace and calm to the listener’s soul. Thus, the act of reciting the Qur’an is seen as a profound form of connection with the divine, where the beauty of sound leads the listener to a deeper spiritual awakening.

The Musicality of Prayer and Supplication

Just as in the Qur’an, the sound and rhythm of supplications and prayers (such as the famous Dua Kumayl and the prayers in Sahifa Sajjadiya) play a crucial role in facilitating a connection with the divine. These prayers, when recited correctly and in their proper musical form, have a profound effect on the heart, leading to deep emotional and spiritual responses. The correct recitation, guided by the spiritual essence of the prayers, draws one closer to God, helping individuals to endure suffering and hardship, much like the example of Imam Zayn al-Abidin, whose recitations were so powerful that they could make listeners faint with their intensity.

Conclusion

The study of poetic meters, sound, and music in both religious texts like the Qur’an and in Persian poetry reveals a rich, complex interaction between language, rhythm, and the spiritual experience. Through proper understanding and application of these principles, the true power of poetry, prayer, and sacred recitation can be realised, offering a profound connection between the listener and the divine.

The Balance of Sensory Input and the Effects of Music in Spiritual Practice

The import and export of sensory perceptions must be balanced; any deviation from this equilibrium results in detriment to the self. In the past, there were numerous cases of blindness, primarily due to the lack of proper hygiene and the overuse of the eyes. Today, the number of individuals who wear spectacles has increased significantly because the eyes become fatigued through overexertion. Electric light shining on the eyes is akin to small stones that harm both the eyes and nerves. Therefore, the use of fresh air and natural light is recommended to prevent the bombardment of artificial lighting.

Islam does not regard singing (ghina) and music as irrational pursuits, nor does it neglect their importance. It accords significance to all things, especially to human nutrition and the science of dietetics, ensuring that only wholesome foods are consumed while harmful foods are avoided.

The Nutritional Effects of Music

As previously noted, music and singing serve both as nourishment and medicine. The energy derived from music encourages and supports human endeavour, much like patience and prayer. Similarly, musical refrains and vocal modulations can provide assistance. However, singing and music may also have a destructive potential, comparable to a knife that can be wielded for good or ill.

Imaginative music can invigorate the soul, inspiring movement, while rational music, at elevated spiritual stations and divine ranks, can elevate a person to celestial heights—even as high as the throne of the divine. References to miracles or spiritual gifts (karamat) in this context do not merely serve to silence sceptics or boastful claimants but rather to bring seekers closer to the possessor of such miracles and to enable them to attain similar capabilities. The human faculties of voice, sound, and musical refrain are potent means by which one can ascend to other realms.

Music engages the emotional dimension of the soul. Hence, excessive indulgence in music and singing may render a person fanciful and weak-willed. Conversely, complete abstention from these arts can result in a dry intellect and, consequently, a shortened lifespan.

Music imparts feeling to the human soul much like the prayers (rak‘ahs) performed at intervals throughout the day and night. God has prescribed seventeen rak‘ahs for believers, to be performed morning, noon, and night, not all at once. One wisdom of the daily prayers lies in their capacity to cleanse and purify the soul’s emotional faculties, offering a degree of suppleness. A person constantly engaged in worldly toil experiences a contraction of their emotional sensitivity, as the Qur’an states:
“Indeed, for you in the day is prolonged occupation.” [Qur’an 84:7]

Prayer alleviates this contraction. The five daily prayers, by their emotional and energising nature, counteract the drying effect of daily labour upon the soul, restoring flexibility. Those devoid of prayer and joy in life become spiritually arid, and few can soften their resolve. Worship is a melodic emotional, psychological, and heartfelt experience that prevents the human heart from fracturing amidst the pressures and realities of life, providing hope for divine assistance that makes affairs easy.

A person lacking in emotional capacity cannot live a gentle and peaceful life but will dwell in spiritual dryness, becoming estranged from constructive and compassionate interactions with others. One who has passed seventy years without benefiting from voice, sound, poetry, rhyme, meter, or similar soul-enhancing experiences suffers from a barren psychological state, akin not to the warmth of a desert but to its harsh, parched dryness, manifesting as hardness, conflict, and aggression towards others.

Conversely, a person who insists on performing prayer, study, or other activities only when listening to music is psychologically unwell—like a person reliant on a crutch who has thereby weakened their legs and back.

The Role of Musical Modes in the Mystical Path

Our discussion here concerns the seeker and traveller on the divine path, not the general public. The seeker requires singing and music, but the permissibility of music depends on understanding the musical modes. Permitting music for certain seekers at specific stages of their journey does not imply universal permissibility for all. Music that benefits one seeker may harm another; likewise, a particular voice or sound might be suitable for one and detrimental for another.

For example, the mode of Māhur may be recommended for some seekers for a particular period, but this does not imply that all music is permissible for all seekers, much less for ordinary people. A seeker aspiring to progress through spiritual valleys and mountains must secure firm footing and needs music as a means of traversal. However, this does not mean that everyone walking on level ground should carry this tool and use it.

In mysticism, singing, music, and samā‘ (listening to spiritual and metaphysical sounds) are recognised as helpers and supporters. A seeker, under the guidance of a qualified spiritual master, learning the stations of divine love, faces numerous hardships, the least of which are material poverty and worldly troubles. Should the seeker enter the spiritual valleys (ūdiyah), even harsher states will be experienced.

Such a seeker, naturally devoted to the path, may become psychologically exhausted due to intense pressures and may even wish to abandon these stations. With the counsel and permission of the spiritual master, listening to singing and music in measured quantities is advised. The type of music is determined by the master according to the seeker’s purpose and needs.

It should be noted that there is a distinction between the aim and the actor regarding music and singing. This distinction stems from the preparatory and foundational aspects of music and singing. A person dominated by desire and sin will become more disposed to sin by listening to music, whereas a person engaged in worship will find music supportive of that worship.

Music thus has preparatory and foundational considerations and must be prescribed according to the individual’s spiritual path and what the music prepares them for. Only then can permissible music in specific modes be recommended to the person, according to their stage of growth and spiritual position.

Music for the Seeker: Numerical Roles and Variations Across Spiritual Stations

Music for the spiritual seeker must have a numerical or structured role, which varies according to the maqams (musical modes) and spiritual stations. At one station, it is recommended to attentively listen to singing and music in a particular musical mode, while at another, listening to the same may be prohibited and a different mode is advised; elsewhere, all kinds of music may be altogether forbidden.

Sama’ and Dance

In spiritual stations and maqams, the term Sama’ is often mentioned and regarded as one of the stations. This is discussed in the book Manazil al-Sā’irīn (Stations of the Wayfarers). In our third volume of commentary on this text, entitled The Red Journey, we elaborate on the station of Sama’. Sama’ is a spiritual reality, evident in the Sahifa Sajjadiya (the devotional prayers of Imam Sajjad). By Sama’ is meant the hearing of spiritual voices and divine inspiration in the form of sound and voice, not the Sama’ popular among some Sufi groups accompanied by dance and rhythmic movement.

Types of Attainment

It has been stated that singing and music serve as Mu‘īn (helpers) and Mūṣil (connectors) that lead the seeker to higher spiritual stations. These connectors can be of two kinds: Nafsī (psychological or imaginary) and Ma‘nawī (spiritual). The imaginary connector operates in the realm of representation, while the spiritual helper is abstract, divine, and transcendent. The voice of revelation, inspiration, and vision belongs to the latter category. Given that devotees of the Divine Threshold are of two types—those who love through discipline and those beloved by grace—it follows that music for beginners and intermediate seekers, or so-called lovers, acts as an imaginary and psychological connector. However, the Divine Friends and those beloved by God have no need for such means. The beloved do not rely on refrains or rhythmic patterns to aid their ascent; their spiritual flight is fueled by divine, transcendent inspirations and by the voice of revelation and vision.

Music, singing, and Sama’ serve those who need support from below or those from whom the hand must be withdrawn; whereas those who descend from above to below, unrestrained, dancing in the presence of God, require no worldly aids or stimulants.

Those beloved souls who have been eternally charged, whose ascension began even before conception and who have run since infancy, do not require encouragement with childish whistles to progress.

These aids and stimulants are for those who seek to ascend from the lower to the higher realms. These seekers are Muḥibb (lovers) who do not become enthusiastic without hearing a sound or intoxicated without a melody; they are weak in the path and lovers of the way. Yet the divine beloved are intoxicated and enraptured upon hearing the voice of revelation, inspiration, and vision. For this reason, religious leaders did not carry instruments such as the accordion or ney-labak, as they did not need them and found themselves in a different realm and manner. Their temporal, spatial, and social circumstances limited their ability to teach these arts to others.

If beloveds die, disintegrate, revive, and eternally remain so, their love for the Beloved does not diminish; rather, their enthusiasm and love increase moment by moment.

In this domain, many we consider as complete are in fact beginners or intermediate seekers. For example, Rumi and Hafez are still on the path and are counted among the intermediate and lovers.

Among the means that lead the seeker to God, giving importance to sound and voice is paramount; yet, maintaining moderation is crucial. Excessive exposure can lead not to nearness but distance, and instead of attainment, neglect — akin to consuming poison disguised as food. To determine whether singing and music serve as connectors, one must uphold the pure and informed rulings of Sharia, deriving judgements from religious law, which educates humanity and guides believers in both theory and practice, independent of personal benefit or harm.

Of course, it should be noted that without certainty and intention, playing music is not permissible. Music must be supportive and connecting, not harmful. A seeker with certainty and resolve, alongside all other disciplines, also benefits from music.

The Necessity of Knowing Musical Modes

A religious jurist must know the musical modes to issue a legal ruling about music, while a sage must not only know but also be able to perform it. A philosopher who cannot present music lacks practical wisdom. A singer must know the modes, present them well, and express their own emotional state freely. Although a singer may not reach the intellectual stature of a jurist or philosopher, their practical responsibility is greater: they must embody the musical knowledge they possess. If unable, they resemble a literary scholar who cannot properly pronounce accents.

Therefore, for a jurist, knowledge of musical modes and sound is sufficient to issue rulings. However, a philosopher aiming to specialize in his existential substance must have the ability to perform. A singer may not seek self-revival but rather aims to spread joy and sorrow to others, inspiring them.

Stages of Discovering the Radif (Musical Repertoire)

Nature is the source of discovering musical modes. To discern a mode, three factors must be considered: first, the person must memorize natural sounds with their memory, analyse them, and become so skilled that upon hearing a sound or melody, the mind instantly recognizes its mode, e.g., whether it belongs to the Mahur or Shushtari mode.

Second, they must be able to execute the sound swiftly and fluently in performance within the identified mode.

Third, beyond memorization and precise performance, this must become an ingrained skill, whereby the person becomes an expert in phonetics and acoustics.

Varied States and Different Rulings

Each musical mode has a distinct emotional effect. If a sound harmonizes with a mode, it is impossible for it not to bring pleasure. If a sound lacks pleasure, it is either because the mode is mixed, or the time, place, and listener’s conditions are inappropriate. When the mode’s conditions are met, pleasure and resonance are produced as naturally as moisture is inseparable from water.

Sound and voice, pleasure or sorrow each have conditions and effects. Not every sound is pleasurable in every circumstance; pleasure depends on the conditions being met. Thus, one cannot categorically deem a particular sound universally permissible or forbidden, since what is permissible for one may be impermissible for another. Individuals’ particularities influence the ruling on singing and music.

Motivations Differ Among Individuals

Just as sounds have motives, people differ in what motivates their reception of sound. Hence, a sound may be motivating in one context and not in another, pleasurable in one and not in another.

Sound and Voice as Material Phenomena

The recognised sounds used by musicians are material phenomena. Sound and voice are physical: waves, refrains, compositions, and rhythms form its components; music contains no transcendent element.

Sound and voice coincide with waves, rhythms, and compositions, yet differ from words, which have semantic and phonetic significance. Sound and voice may accompany feelings such as joy, sorrow, distortion, and confusion, stimulating imagination. Being material, wave congruence cannot be eliminated. However, the celestial call, revelation, and spiritual sound are beyond this discussion.

The Four Associations (Qirans) of Sound

Sound and voice may inherently have three associations (qirans): wave association, lexical association, and emotional association. A fourth, incidental association exists, relating to extrinsic factors such as heat, cold, time, place, speed, hardness, softness, quality, and color. These factors affect performers and listeners by influencing the experience of sound.

Each of these four associations—wave, lexical, emotional, and incidental—also applies to musical instruments. For example, the wave association in a tar or tonbak causes vibration. Just as sound emerges from the larynx, it also emerges from a pipe since blowing is not confined to the mouth’s exit. Violin or ney playing are technical skills with distinct ‘languages,’ generating sound by manipulating waves. One might also consider this differently: since words are conventional signs, whether produced vocally or instrumentally, both represent sounds and expressions; only the tools differ, not the meaning, which is always conventional.

The sound of the ney and the naī differ: the former’s connotation is non-lexical, the latter’s lexical. Emotional association is present in instruments. The ney has many variants, each with its own mood depending on circumstances.

The fourth association relates to time, place, and other situational factors, causing differences even within the same instrument. For instance, a tar sounds differently in one place compared to another; playing it with a finger versus a ring produces differing sounds.

Listener’s Varied States

Just as the performer and instrument’s associations affect them, listeners also vary according to temperament, motivation, age, health, and so forth. Each factor influences the ruling on music. One mode may be problematic for one but permissible for another, or appropriate in private but forbidden in public.

Sometimes the soul’s aim in listening is imagination, which may bring forth spiritual ascent or evoke a celestial realm; however, the subject remains the soul. Sound and voice enter the soul but may remain or exit it. Sounds that enter the soul may corrupt or encourage virtue.

Understanding singing and music with all their characteristics is essential before judging their permissibility. Singing may denote mere sound or music, meaning rhythmic, harmonious sound—music is the harmonious composition of notes and rhythms. Sound and music or pleasant voice have distinct definitions.

The Decline of Music Therapy

For a long period, the clerical scholars — who insisted on the absolute prohibition of music and advocated caution — and, on the other hand, the rise to power of the dervishes during the Safavid era, who adopted an extreme approach to music and recognised no prohibitions, engendered considerable conflict and turmoil. Such discord rendered ineffective even the works of prominent figures like Mirdamad, Sheikh Baha’i, and Mulla Sadra, for during times of dispute and strife, reason tends to be overshadowed, and the less rational often prevails. Even the Shah himself pursued the matter cautiously, occasionally favouring one faction over the other. Ultimately, the sectarian scholars, supported by the Safavid court, gained dominance. The ascendancy of superficial literalists inflicted extensive damage on Shi’a culture, displacing the scholars versed in both intellect and transmitted knowledge, who consequently fell into scarcity and marginalisation. Eminent scholars such as the late Mulla Sadra and Fayz Kashani were subjected to exile and obscurity during this period.

The scarcity of religious scholars possessing comprehensive knowledge led to the loss of musical scholarship among them. Thereafter, it was the disreputable and unruly who came to represent music, and the names of great scholars like Farabi and Avicenna were no longer invoked in this context. Seminaries, dominated by literalists, became devoid of the sciences of music, astronomy, and astrology until the arrival of the Westerners in Iran and the establishment of Dar al-Funun. Since then, music education, like many other sciences, was removed from the curricula of the few remaining scholars, who themselves were increasingly marginalised. Students, ignorant of philosophy, wisdom, and spirituality, received musical instruction only under foreign tutors, and few took up the study of music earnestly.

During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah, military musical ensembles were established in the European style, replacing traditional naqqārehkhāneh (drum and trumpet ensembles). The primary objective of founding the music department at Dar al-Funun was to train musicians and instructors to manage these ensembles. The European music teacher, Monsieur Lemaire, became the chief instructor. However, the music taught by Lemaire fell into the hands of petty nobles and musically inclined women, many of whom lacked scholarly standing. Among those who graduated from his school, there were no notable scholars. Iran’s music, as the sole Shi’a country in the world, was effectively reduced to “Monsieur Lemaire’s music.” Following Lemaire’s teachings, the profound poetry of Hafiz, Saadi, and Rumi was displaced by trivial and vulgar verses, and the dominance of dry, fanatical literalists expelled the refined poetry and music from the national culture. Instead, sensual and licentious poetry and music dominated the royal courts, erasing the legacy of illustrious scholars such as Sheikh Tusi and Farabi.

The dry rigor and dogmatism of these literalists led to the loss of cultural leadership by true religious scholars and plunged Shi’a culture and its teachings into obscurity. Monsieur Lemaire, who was affiliated with the Masonic Jewish political movement, pursued a policy of “undermining Shi’a knowledge.” He subjected Persian literature and mysticism to Western musical influences, promoting the propagation of indecent and erotic themes. His pedagogy caused the profound works of religious scholars and philosophers to be supplanted by crude and vulgar songs, such as “This poor Mahoosh has torn sleeves” or “On a path, I saw a girl casting eyes at a donkey, with her tight skirt.” Consequently, music and singing became associated only with licentious men and women and with gatherings that were dominated by sin. Some pious individuals even lost the courage to attend family weddings, and the Shi’a society deteriorated in ways that should never have occurred.

Religious scholars, instead of adopting a balanced approach or utilising the guidance of the Qur’anic injunction: “And prepare against them whatever you are able of power” (Qur’an 8:60), fled from the issue. The conduct of Amir al-Mu’minin, whose armour and military attire were so perfectly fitted that not a single piece lay upon his back unnecessarily, was abandoned in the battle of music and singing. Unfortunately, genuine academic centres of music, as in many other fields, retreated, leaving the tools of this cultural struggle in the hands of figures such as “Monsieur Lemaire the Mason,” who filled the void and committed acts that should not have been done against the Shi’a Wilayat culture.

The disciples of Monsieur Lemaire employed musical systems, painstakingly discovered and developed by religious scholars, for base purposes. These systems, which possess intricate technical, philosophical, and psychological complexities, were wrested from the seminaries. During the Qajar era and especially under the Pahlavi regime, singing and music underwent continuous regression, adopting the musical customs of the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers. The faithful avoided even family celebrations resembling feasts, conducting their weddings in the manner of mourning ceremonies, reciting prayers and abstaining from clapping.

God has made worldly affairs an adornment for people, and the adornment of the world and enjoying it is a natural and innate matter embedded in the essence and psyche of human beings. The Sharia only prevents people from deprivation and disobedience, not from success, happiness, and natural pleasure. The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) states: “From your world, I have chosen three things: women, perfume, and the delight of my eyes is in prayer.” This statement confirms both material and spiritual success, indicating that the Seal of the Prophets partakes in both. Interestingly, the Prophet’s words imply that one should not be immersed solely in material pleasures, receiving only (love of desires from women and children), but rather should seek spiritual ascension alongside material pleasures, aiming to conquer the pinnacle of spiritual perfection and divine proximity. In both success and enjoyment of pleasures, one must avoid corruption, immorality, and vice, and pursue only permissible delights.

This prophetic narration, which states that he chose from the world women, perfume, and prayer, suggests that the divine saints, although earthly, are heavenly, and though heavenly, are earthly. The art lies in living a normal life like others while having the Throne under one’s feet. In understanding the divine saints, all facets and dimensions of their personalities must be considered, so that focus on one aspect does not lead to neglect or mutilation of others.

In any case, the essential point is that engineering ‘religious happiness’ is a social necessity. The Holy Qur’an, in one of its verses, issues the following wake-up call:

“Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment of God which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?’ Say, ‘They are for those who believe during the life of this world [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.’ We detail the verses for a people who understand.” (Qur’an 7:32)

Who has forbidden the lawful good things, especially for the believers and in this worldly life? Such good things, which are God’s provision here, will be even purer and more abundant in the Hereafter, appearing as “pure wine.” We explain these matters for those who use reason and comprehend. It should be noted that the tone of this verse is one of warning and admonition. Joy, vitality, and the use of wholesome stimulants such as legitimate singing and dancing, especially for spouses, are among the good provisions of life that should not be deprived of, nor should lethargy and despair—both evil in nature—dominate; especially since the governance of the Wilayat system purifies and legitimises many matters.

Attention to such matters reveals the endlessness of jurisprudence and the recognition of priorities within jurisprudential discussions. It is naïve to think that a few classical jurisprudential texts, mostly repetitive despite their great merit, suffice for today’s society, as many past pronouncements were made in times when non-religious governments prevailed, or addressed topics transformed by scientific progress. Naturally, Shia theology remains foremost in all domains, bearing a 270-year tradition of infallibility—transcending time—although understanding the words of the infallible is not easy, and it is naïve to assume it can be grasped simply. Jurisprudence concerns understanding the rights of people over God, God’s rights over people, and people’s rights over each other and society; this understanding requires sharp intellect, keen precision, a pure heart, a virtuous nature, and a sacred disposition.

Historically, power was held by opponents of Shia Islam, who controlled policies related to singing, musical instruments, and other tools of joy and vitality. Meanwhile, the tragedy of Karbala inflicted a lasting wound on Shia hearts, mourning for their perpetual suffering. For the symbols of piety and loyalty who truly understood the guardianship, the plight of the rightful authorities was exceedingly painful. The grief and oppression of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) drained the energy of Shia scholars. Not only in ancient times but even under the cursed reign of Reza Khan, people would retreat to basements, close doors, draw curtains, and weep bitterly in sorrow for their master, Imam Hussein.

Today, with the Islamic Shia system under the leadership of Imam Khomeini established, it is possible to initiate the engineering of ‘religious happiness.’ Planning for celebrations and proposing frameworks for joy are necessities of our time. The concept of ‘religious happiness’ is still undeveloped and unrecognised in our society. Our people are deprived of experiencing the ‘taste of happiness’ under the auspices of a ‘religious happiness’ plan, and thus many youths respond positively to the slightest stimuli and resort to artificial joys and false entertainments.

From now on, one must think about designing the appropriate religious sources of joy in various forms, including singing and music, to such diversity and vitality that it may even be presented to non-Muslims, inviting them towards this religious and cultural commodity of Muslims.

Both crying and joy must find their rightful place and be treated justly and systematically, with sorrow and happiness kept free from sin and transgression.

For instance, the use of permissible singing and music in religious and national celebrations and other joyful gatherings such as weddings and birthday parties generates happiness. In events like weddings and religious festivities, believers are bestowed greater blessings, and religion permits the rejoicing of the faithful at joyous occasions and the sacred bond of marriage accompanied by singing, which in essence is not prohibited.

Permissible Music

In the seven-volume book “Fiqh of Singing and Music,” we have analysed and substantiated the jurisprudential discussion that music in itself is permissible. If no sinful or forbidden acts accompany singing and music, then singing and music, whether performed by men or women, are permissible. However, if alongside singing and music, sins occur, and music serves the cause of falsehood and oppression, it is prohibited. Sins such as drinking alcohol, the intrusion of unrelated men upon women, and other corruptions typical of nightclubs, cabarets, and dance halls represent consequences that change the primary permissibility of music and render it forbidden.

A melodious voice is a divine gift of beauty and kindness that remains beautiful; it is a merciful attribute, and not everyone possesses it. Just as one cannot deface a beautiful face with a blade, one cannot spoil a melodious voice, although both must be safeguarded from harm, which is sin.

Humans inherently possess the ability and capacity to create worldly versions and equivalents of heavenly pleasures and joys that are lawful, to discover or invent them, and to offer them legitimately to the people of the world. They may shatter the realm of disbelief with the sound and melody akin to that of David, because all are captivated and bewildered by a melodious voice. This feat is achievable even by non-infallible people, and it would be a great honour for the people of our guardian country to accomplish this—as Japan leads in electronics, and our country is establishing a competitive platform in this and other fields, especially in defense industries. Iranians have always been capable. Today, the champion of champions lifting the heaviest weights comes from our country—a land where, once, many struggled with basic Quranic reading, yet now thousands of Quranic recitations take place within it. These are all signs that an Iranian loyal to the Wilayah can and must, through their efforts, establish a superior century-long culture known as the advanced and progressive Shia culture of Wilayah and love of Amir al-Mu’minin.

This requires precise design, ideologists, theorists, and capable leadership who with piercing insight foresee the challenges of the next century in the realm of religious guidance and the expansion of Shia intellectual foundations and think ahead to overcome them. First, they must purge religion of superstition and confront the pseudo-science that the scientific world of the next century will criticize. They must clearly delineate the lawful and forbidden in religion, then invest in its propagation. Unfortunately, after the late Allameh Tabatabai and Imam Khomeini, our seminaries have seen fewer capable theorists. If we can offer lawful music to the world, then instead of a loyal individual retreating to a secluded place only to hear the neighbour’s forbidden music, a non-Muslim will regard the Shia singer with reverence, stirred by the spirituality in their singing, and will send blessings repeatedly upon the teachers who trained such a singer.

Also, loyal musicians must elevate therapeutic music to its rightful status, employing instruments and singing in charitable causes and in the treatment of psychological illnesses, reviving the spirit of religious culture in the hearts of the youth of this land and even in people of other nations, letting them taste the pleasure of love for the family of the Prophet through their loyal music.

Causes of Prohibition of Music

We have stated that music itself is permissible. Music becomes forbidden when associated with certain sins, such as: propaganda of unjust ruling powers, revival of symbols of falsehood, styles linked to tyrannical regimes, promotion of immorality, encouragement of violence, excess in frivolous music, and lack of essential propriety.

**At the time of the issuance of narrations, the unjust caliphs of the Umayyads and Abbasids controlled the cultural and intellectual engineering of the people, organising sinful gatherings centred on singing and music. On the other hand, Shia practiced taqiyya (prudential dissimulation) to remain safe from the oppression of unjust rulers. Although the Imams exposed the falsehood of the ruling system, they did not have the means to confront the regime in all aspects. Narrations that strongly forbid singing and music reveal the enemy’s severe misuse of these means to control public will through music. They organised musical groups and used entertainment as a form of distraction, deception, and cultural occupation, turning music into an instrument of tyranny and despotism.

The Shia response to this misuse was initially to avoid music in public spheres to preserve spiritual purity and not be misled by the corrupt musical culture of the regime. Hence, in classical narrations, severe admonitions and prohibitions were recorded, aiming at the corrupt musical environment and not the intrinsic nature of music itself.

Such narrations cannot be understood except within the political and social context of their time. A pure understanding of the Imams’ guidance requires differentiation between intrinsic rulings and contextual prohibitions, which is part of the jurisprudential development and the renewal of religious sciences.

Excessive Music as a Form of Immersion in Futility and Falsehood, and a Prohibited Matter

Excessive engagement with music constitutes a form of immersion in futility and falsehood (lahw and laghv) and is therefore considered impermissible. Previously, we elaborated extensively on the various forms of forbidden futility, frivolity, and vain pursuits, clarifying that not all futility and frivolity are inherently unlawful; just as not every harm is forbidden. For instance, one should not claim that eating food is prohibited merely because it damages teeth. Instead, rulings must be grounded in real and significant benefits and harms. It is accurate that not every form of futility is forbidden, nor is every harm impermissible, but when one indulges excessively in frivolous and vain activities—such as constantly carrying and playing a musical instrument, prioritising music over prayer and essential duties—this becomes unlawful. The pure and permissible becomes contaminated and transformed into forbidden impurity, and one falls into vain and futile indulgence.

Similarly, if music is performed in the context of wine drinking, disobedience, or immodesty, it is forbidden, and praying in such an environment is problematic. Therefore, excessive indulgence in music is likewise sinful and prohibited.

Music as a Secondary Necessity, Not a Permanent Profession

Singing and music should never be selected as a lifelong and primary occupation but rather regarded as an art alongside a formal profession.

Human needs are categorised according to consumption levels into two primary groups: primary and secondary needs. For example, water, bread, meat, and air are primary necessities, whereas the use of salt and certain spices fall under secondary needs. Salt consumption may extend over months and is only used as a seasoning in small quantities in each meal; excessive intake leads to gradual death. Secondary needs are consumed sparingly, hence market inflation has minimal effect on their prices. Following secondary needs are “luxuries,” which are the third category, and life without them is possible.

If one omits salt, food spoils quickly and tastes bland, but avoiding sweets and chocolates does not cause harm or loss.

Singing, music, sound, and vocal art belong to the secondary needs of humans. While their use is necessary, they are not primary necessities. Excessive and continuous engagement with singing and music exhausts both body and mind. Although sound and music are necessary for the human psyche, dedicating one’s entire life to them inevitably leads to mental breakdown.

This principle also applies to the excessive recitation of the Holy Qur’an; overindulgence in recitation may cause neurological issues and harm brain function.

Excess in any matter is detrimental, and moderation must be observed in all things, including spiritual matters. For instance, prolonged Qur’anic recitation near the Kaaba can result in nervous weakness and hardness of heart, which may ultimately cause neglect of religious obligations and even abandonment of obligatory acts.

Constant Attendance at Music Venues and Its Harmful Consequences

Continuous presence in music schools, concert halls, or places such as hotels where orchestras regularly perform—or in cabarets and dance halls (setting aside their inherent prohibitions)—leads to adverse and hazardous effects on singers, musicians, and listeners alike. Exposure to sound—albeit rhythmic—and constant attendance in venues of ongoing singing and music performance can cause serious health problems, most notably sudden death, stroke, and seizures. The noise generated by sound systems alters blood flow, making it either too rapid or too slow, which can result in stroke. This effect is analogous to fluctuating electrical currents that, if excessive or insufficient, cause bulbs or electrical motors to burn out.

Those exposed to noise pollution are at greater risk of stroke and seizures than others, although not everyone exposed will suffer such consequences.

The instruments played produce both mechanical and physical sounds which impact the brain and cerebellum. Such sounds act like a constant hammer striking these areas, causing listeners to lose equilibrium and altering their blood flow. Elevated blood flow reduces the heart’s pumping capacity, while arterial blockages can lead to cardiac infarction. Similarly, elevated body temperature causes seizures, while lower-than-normal temperatures result in hypotension.

The Therapeutic and Harmful Aspects of Music

Having a profession involving continuous presence in music venues can, in some cases, cause excessive blood flow and stroke, but it may also have medicinal effects by normalising circulation in those with sluggish arteries and nerves. Thus, music can act as both medicine and poison. Determining the appropriate dosage requires consultation with medical professionals, psychologists, and experts in music therapy.

Moreover, constant attendance in crowded venues where singing and music are performed undermines the state of worship for those present. Worship requires a serene and spiritually conducive environment, free from worldly distractions—conditions not met in music venues.

Neglecting Music: The Harm of Deficiency

Just as excess music consumption is harmful, so too is deficiency in listening to music. Insufficient exposure to singing and music results in hardness of heart, emotional dryness, and obsessive behaviours. Plato stated:

“He who does not love beautiful form and sound suffers from a temperamental disorder and requires treatment.”

However, an expert is needed to determine the appropriate amount, as insufficiency can also lead to spiritual desiccation and negligence.

Religion requires skilled scholars who can prescribe music in its various forms and quantities tailored to individuals. Unqualified prescriptions from the uninformed can severely damage both soul and psyche. The relative nature of music’s permissibility makes its legal assessment challenging. A jurist speaking on this matter must possess thorough knowledge of music theory, jurisprudence, spiritual states, and human psychology; otherwise, they risk speaking beyond their expertise. The modern scientific community strongly discourages non-experts from dispensing advice in specialised fields, imposing penalties for irresponsible guidance in medical matters.

The present study asserts that music cannot be categorically forbidden nor universally permitted. Its ruling is relative, contingent on the individual, time, place, and considering associated effects and consequences, encompassing everything from prohibition and dislike to permissibility, recommendation, and obligation.

Chapter Three: Musical Modes (Radifs)

The Sixteen Renowned Musical Modes

The musical modes and radifs (traditional melodic frameworks) of Iranian classical music are among the oldest and most authentic musical traditions worldwide, historically preserved and innovated by master musicians. As mentioned, during our youth, we benefited greatly under the tutelage of Master Hassan Golchin, a prominent figure of his time. Besides his skill and beautiful voice, he possessed exemplary ethics and human character and served as a worthy spiritual mentor. May his soul rest in peace.

The modes are either international—such as Segah, Chahargah, Dastgah, Mahur, Homayoun, and Afshari—or regional and ethnic, specific to certain areas. Examples include Hijaz, Shur Shiraz, Shur, Isfahan, and Bayat Turk. Hijaz is a melodic fragment incorporated within modes like Abu Ata.

Many modes attributed to foreign countries are, in fact, appropriations of ancient Iranian cultural heritage. Foreigners have profited greatly from exploiting these cultural riches through investment and appropriation.

Each mode consists of various subdivisions, including ‘Daramad’ (prelude), high and low registers, overall climax and nadir, each containing numerous melodic fragments (gushehs) that follow the mode’s characteristics. A segment of a mode is called a ‘Teke.’ For example, Homayoun is a dignified, weighty mode that becomes sharp at its climax, called ‘Chakavak,’ which is itself a teke. Chakavak, Abu Ata, Bidad, and Bakhtiari are all segments related to the Mahur mode, each with distinct moods. The Qur’an is recited in Abu Ata with a Hijaz melodic fragment. Abu Ata can even be extracted from animal sounds—for instance, the phrase ‘the frog sings Abu Ata’ is not merely a metaphor but a reality.

Afshari mode incorporates Iraqi and Rize segments and interacts with Segah’s ‘Mokhalef’ and ‘Moveyeh.’ Dashti mode includes ‘Raje’eh’ and ‘Oshagh.’ ‘Hesar’ and ‘Shekasteh’ belong to Bayat Turk. Segments are arranged sequentially, with varying emotional intensity.

Each principal Iranian mode contains multiple gushehs, which hold particular value in musical art and are highly esteemed by connoisseurs. Among these gushehs are ‘gahs’—referring to the pitch range or ceiling of the mode, which varies. Changing the pitch ceiling transforms the mode itself, turning it into Segah, Dastgah, or Chahargah. The core modes are closely related, with Segah being soft, Dastgah very low and soft, and Chahargah tall with a sharpness suited for rhythmic and traditional poetic contexts. Chahargah is appropriate for dance, featuring rhythmic cycles of one, two, or three beats extending to longer patterns.

Modes correspond to the vocal range of individuals; not every mode suits every voice. For instance, one singer may excel in Bayat Turk, another in Oshagh or Raje’eh. Modes are akin to voices, naturally differing from person to person.

Occasionally, modes are performed freely or in specific styles, but disregarding performance rules results in stylistic errors (‘Lahn Kharij’). Besides modes, gushehs or segments can adopt various styles, such as the regular Mokhalef or Mokhalef in the style of Golpa; Shushtari mode can be performed in free style, or in the styles of Abdolwahab Shahidi or Gabri, reflecting different musical backgrounds.

Style and Mode Distinction

‘Style’ differs from ‘mode.’ Two singers may perform the same mode in different styles. Style is a creative, invented aspect, whereas mode is a discovered and natural phenomenon. Master musicians may invent new styles, imprinting their personal signature on a mode. To illustrate: Homayoun and Mahur are distinct modes, akin to the difference between wheat and barley, while style differences are like the variance between Shiraz wheat and northern wheat, both wheat but differing in characteristics.

A skilled singer may create a personal mode without deviating into incorrect intonation or stylistic errors.

Dialects influence mode construction and alteration. For example, Bayat Turk differs significantly from Bayat Isfahan, though both are Bayat. Other modes also vary with the singer’s accent: Dashtestan for Dashti, Zabol for Chahargah, and Shur Shiraz for Shur.

Iranian music includes many modes and radifs, well-known examples being Afshari, Dashti, Isfahan, Abu Ata, Homayoun, Shushtari, Shur, Shur Shiraz, Pahlavi or Masnavi, Segah, Chahargah, Mahur, and Rast Panjgah. We initially provide brief explanations for each, followed by suitable poetry aligned with the modes and gushehs.

Chapter Three / The Shur Mode

Dastgah-e Shur

Dastgah-e Shur is the heaviest, yet a very beautiful and intoxicating musical mode. It carries mystical and spiritual motivations, and in the early mornings, it creates a uniquely delightful atmosphere.

Shur begins with an Introductory Phrase (Daramad) leading into Shahnaz, incorporating the Afshari interval, and it draws upon influences from the Eshaq and Shur-e Shiraz modes—which possess their own distinct independence and freshness—as well as elements from Iraq and Rahaav.

Saqi-e Sangin Del (The Stern-hearted Cupbearer)

Introductory Phrase
Metre (Arūḍ): Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
(– U – – / – U – – / – U – – / – U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Mahzūf

O stern-hearted cupbearer, how long, for God’s sake,
Will you repeatedly pour the blood of my heart into the cup?

Eventually, O bud of hope, you did not blossom;
The sapling of my endless life was plundered.

Cheshm-e Makhmūr (The Intoxicated Eye)

Metre: Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(U U – – / U U – – / U U – – / U U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

Prostration upon your face became my ritual,
Like a Hindu’s sun-worshipping faith.

If your intoxicated narcissus eye sees me,
It lowers its gaze in shame, for I am poor.

Ābād-e Eshq (The Thriving Love)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(– U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Muqassar)

Fire ignited in my heart by the injustice of tyranny,
O, I sacrifice myself for all, I cry out against all.

My heart seeks refuge amid the burning grief and sorrow,
Since I lost my soul’s health and comfort.

Ahl-e Pardaghā (The People of Deceit)

Metre: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
(U – – – / U – – – / U – –)

Poetic metre: Jadid or Hazaj Musaddas Mahzūf

My soul and heart freed from every desire,
By my beloved, this heart became content.

“I never complain of strangers,”
For whatever befell me came from the familiar.

Safā-ye Lab-e To (The Purity of Your Lips)

Metre: Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(U U – – / U U – – / U U – – / U U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

My life is but a particle, and that particle sacrificed for your lips,
The essence of both worlds is less than the purity of your lips.

Gharq-e Ātash (Drenched in Fire)

Metre: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
(– – U – – / – – U – – / – – U – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Hazaj Mosamman Akhrab Makfūf Majbūb

I have a chest that burns my head,
My soul and body are drowned in fire.

Farāz-e ‘Arsh (Ascendancy of the Throne)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
(– U – – / – U – – / – U – –)

Poetic metre: Ramal Musaddas Mahzūf

My pain has no cure, my beloved,
How long shall I fall apart, from head to toe?

You have comfortably settled upon your throne,
Do whatever you wish with me, my dear.

Qesse-ye ‘Āsheqān (The Tale of Lovers)

Metre: Maf‘ūl Maf‘ā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
(– – U / U – – U – / U – – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (quatrain metre)

You scarcely hear the tale of lovers,
Listen, listen, for their tale is delightful.

‘Āqebat-e Nokū (The Good End)

Metre: Maf‘ūl Maf‘ā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
(– – U / U – – U – / U – – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (quatrain metre)

They say there will be speech at the Resurrection,
That beloved will be stern-tempered.

Nothing comes from pure good but goodness,
Be happy, for the end will be good.

Shekast-e Khvish (One’s Own Defeat)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(– U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Muqassar)

Glass has no closer kin than stone,
Every break that befalls anyone comes from oneself.

Tare-ye Yār (Beloved’s Lock)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(– U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Muqassar)

My resolve is that all friends
Abandon everything and take hold of the beloved’s curl.

Kīsh-e Zendeh Delān (Faith of the Living-hearted)

Metre: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
(U – – U – / U U – – / U – – U – / U U –)

Poetic metre: Mojtath Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

For the faith of the living-hearted, life is hardship,
I have not journeyed to the Kaaba as the way was not safe.

Geryeh-ye Bi-Shiyūn (Tearful Without Lament)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
(– U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Muqassar)

The candle made this clear to everyone,
That one can weep without lament until dawn.

Gheybat (Absence)

Metre: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
(Mustaf‘ilun Mafā‘il Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al)
(– – U – – / U – – U / – – U – / U – –)

Poetic metre: Mozāra‘ Mosamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahzūf

I do not complain of your absence,
For where there is no absence, presence yields no pleasure.

Fakhr-e Tāvānagar (Pride of the Wealthy)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘alun
(– U – – / U U – – / U U – – / U U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

I have no fear of poverty, yet I died of this grief,
The wealthy passes me by boasting.

Ashk-e Chashm-e Man (My Eye’s Tear)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘alun
(– U – – / – U – – / – U – – / – U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Mahzūf

People must be awakened by my tears,
Alas, how strange it is that when I weep, no one wakes.

Zarreh (Particle)

Metre: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
(U – – – / U – – – / U – –)

Poetic metre: Jadid or Hazaj Musaddas Mahzūf

If you remove a single particle from its place,
The entire universe will be disturbed from head to foot.

Khab-e Ghaflat (Sleep of Negligence)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘lun
(– U – – / – U – – / – U – – / – U –)

Poetic metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Mahzūf

I see the collar of curse among the truthful,
And see the sleep of negligence in the eyes of the awake.

Sahra-ye Eshq (Desert of Love)

Metre: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
(U – – – / U – – – / U – –)

Poetic metre: Jadid or Hazaj Musaddas Mahzūf

The heavens hold nothing but love’s desert,
*The world without ove is but a barren waste. Gushehs (Melodic Pieces) of the Shur Dastgah

Buselik

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / U U – – / – –
Metre Type: Ramal, hexameter, masked, maqṣūr

Example verse:
Nāzparvard tana‘m nabard rāh be dust
‘Āshiqī shive-ye randān belākesh bāshad

Parvāneh

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –
Metre Type: Ramal, octameter, masked, omitted (maqṣūr)

Example verse:
Tā to raftī ze baram, dīde-ye man shod tārīk
Roshani-bakhsh-e del o dīde-ye man rū-ye to būd

Hosayni

Metre: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
Metre Pattern: Mustaf‘ilun Mafā‘il Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al
Metric Pattern: – – U – – / U – U U / – U – / U – –
Metre Type: Mudhāri‘, octameter, kharib, makfūf, maḥdhūf

Example verse:
Gar bar konam del az to va bardāram az to mehr
In mehr bar ke afkanam, in del kojā baram

Khoshastah

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U – –
Metre Type: Ramal, hexameter, omitted (maḥdhūf)

Example verse:
Goft naṭqam chon shotor zīn pas bekhaft
Nabūdash bā hich kas tā hašar goft

Rajaz

Metre: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
Metric Pattern: U – – – / U – – – / U – –
Metre Type: Jadīd or hazaj, hexameter, omitted (maḥdhūf)

Example verse:
Pedar ba‘d az to maḥnat-hā kašīdam
Biyābān-hā va saḥrā-hā davīdam

Zanguleh

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U – –
Metre Type: Ramal, hexameter, omitted (maḥdhūf)

Example verse:
Gheyr nākāmī dar īn rah kām nīst
Rāh-e ‘eshq ast īn, rah-e hammām nīst

Shur-e Golpā

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U – –
Metre Type: Ramal, hexameter, omitted (maḥdhūf)

Example verse:
Mast-e mastam sāqiyā dastam begīr
Tā nīftādam ze pā dastam begīr

The Afshari Dastgah

Afshari is a plaintive musical mode, expressing the sorrowful language of a melancholic heart. It is rarely used for joy or celebration. This dastgah has a particular solemnity and refinement suitable for the expression of deep emotional states. Many Persian poems fit well within its atmosphere.

Afshari includes many beautiful gushehs and is noted for its precision. After the introductory melody (daramad), it proceeds to the ‘Iraq’ gusheh and ascends with ‘Rahāw’ or ‘Navā’, before returning to the daramad in the lower register. Its foundational gushehs include Iraq and Rīz, similar to those of Segāh and Chahargāh.

Both simple and compound recitations of the radif are customary. In compound recitation, freedom of taste, artistry, and mastery over the gushehs govern the performance.

Afshari is among the most important common dastgahs, suitable for religious contexts such as sermons, recitation of elegies (rouzeh), prayers, the call to prayer (adhān), and Quranic recitation. The Qur’anic injunction: “And recite the Qur’an with measured recitation” (Quran 73:4) is said to be unattainable without knowledge of this mode.

Ātash Āh (Fire and Sigh)

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: U U – – / U U – – / U U – – / U U –
Metre Type: Ramal, octameter, masked, omitted (maḥdhūf)

Excerpt from the Introduction (Daramad):
Mīshavad padrah-ye cheshmam por kāhī gāhī
Dīde-ām har do jahān rā be negāhī gāhī

‘Iraq

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Metric Pattern: – U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –
Metre Type: Ramal, octameter, masked, omitted (maqṣūr)

Excerpt:
Khānmān-sūz būd ātaš āhī gāhī
Nāleh-ī mīšavad posht-e sepāhī gāhī

Rahāw and Return to Daramad

Excerpt:
Rang-e zardī nabūd ‘eyb, marānam az kūy
Jelveh bar qarīye dahad kharman-e kāhī gāhī

This summary introduces the metrical structures and the emotional and functional character of the modes and gushehs in Persian classical music, particularly in Shur and Afshari. It provides examples of traditional poetic metres and their relation to the musical setting.

Gonche-ye Parchak
(Metrical Pattern: Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilun)
Metre: Ramal-e Mosamman Mahzoof

Introduction
From the dawn of eternity, I have seen this heart, exceedingly pure, cleft asunder —
I pledged forever to this torn bud of mine.

I severed my heart from myself, rose above the tumult of the world,
And at last, I banished from my heart the visage of sorrow.

Iraq Section
I cleansed my heart of all else until I clearly beheld,
A celestial beauty, moonlike in form, graceful in allure.

Without form or image, the beloved’s slender figure entered my heart,
And in my gaze, its manifestation diminished the very heavens to a speck.

Pure eyes are needed to see without veils—
When will you find a way into the sacred sanctuary of true perception?

Release Section
The ever-beautiful soul of your captivating essence kills me repeatedly—
I sacrifice this fearless servant for your countenance.

The Burning Heart
(Metrical Pattern: Mostaf‘elun Mafā‘ilun Mostaf‘elun Fa‘l)
Metre: Mozāre‘ Mosamman Akhreb Makfuf Mahzoof

Introduction
Although none has burned in the fire of your love like me,
Your heart did not burn for me; I cannot understand why it did not.

Iraq Section
The burning in my heart caused by your presence—
When did the flame rise that the bird of passion did not burn?

“Release” and “Melody”
Like a nightingale, the music played in the love-infested land—
I wonder why the reed did not burn from this melody.

Bright Soul
(Metrical Pattern: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘alātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun)
Metre: Mojtath Mosamman Makhboun Mahzoof

Introduction
We sat in your fire, and the smoke of love rose—
Yet you did not sit long enough to extinguish the flame.

Your eyes never awaken from the intoxicated sleep—
What do you know of my vigil, sleepless until dawn?

Iraq Section
Lovers come to your snare willingly—
Whomever you capture, you free from themselves.

Release Section
Bright soul Saadi is the candle of your assembly—
It serves no purpose to burn it.

Corner of Recitation
(Metrical Pattern: Fa‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun)
Metre: Ramal Mosamman Makhboun Mahzoof

Introduction
O breeze, tell what you heard from the lips of the beloved—
Lovers are confidants, not outsiders.

Since you have news of the hair that breaks the locks,
Tell us the tale of captive hearts.

Iraq Section
So you may recount the story of my beloved with utmost longing—
Say again, breeze, say it a hundred times more.

The Tale of Sight
(Metrical Pattern: Mostaf‘el Mostaf‘el Mostaf‘el Fa‘lun)
Metre: Hazaj Mosamman Akhreb Makfuf Mahzoof

Last night I pondered you till dawn—
A flood of sorrow poured from these eyes into my lap.

Much bitter grief turned into the fruit of my heart—
Your absence depressed my soul, body, head, and heart.

The candle, flower, and butterfly learned love from me—
My heart’s fire burned every tent and granary.

O heart that has no news from the eyes in your chest—
My eyes have become blood, from this tale of seeing.

In both worlds my two eyes flowed—
No fear remains of sorrow, even the slightest prick.

From that burning fire that set heart and eyes ablaze—
A tumult arose with a hundred cries and wails.

At night I asked, “O beautiful moon, where are you?!”
How long shall I remain thus, bewildered by your love?

Reveal that face; your absence has taken my heart and faith—
My soul reached its limit at the valley of safety.

Answer me once with your charming glance—
So I may live again after all this dying.

O beloved, come and take the hand of this weary one—
Until the good one reaches the patience to arrive.

…and so forth for each section.

Notes for an Academic Context:

• The original Persian metres are indicated to preserve the structural understanding for scholars of prosody.
• The translations attempt to retain the formal tone appropriate for academic literary studies while clarifying metaphors and classical Persian imagery.
• Persian poetic terminology (e.g., “Iraq” for a section, “Release” for ‘Rahaav’) is preserved to reflect the original structure.
• Visal of the Winged Beauties
• Prosodic Meter: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
  Pattern: Mustaf‘ilun Mafā‘il Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al
  Meter Type: Present tense, eightfold, final truncated and clipped
• Be a mirror, seek the union of the winged beauties,
  First go to another house and seek the guest.
• The Word of Love
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Pattern: Ramal, eightfold, truncated
• Whatever you say has an end, except the word of love,
  All have spoken, yet this tale has no conclusion.
• Sitting Upright
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘ūlun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘ūlun (Modern prosody)
  Meter Type: Present tense, eightfold, final truncated
• My love and yours no longer bear passion or spark,
  From continuous intoxication, my heart knows no news.
• Because of your constant presence, I am unaware of my separation,
  This heart has no concern except your love.
• I am indifferent to existence; you yourself are all being,
  Other than your affection, my heart has no other task.
• Freer than existence, distant from appearance and being,
  Without name, fame, or title, none of these matter.
• I am drunk and intoxicated by you, intoxication settled in my heart,
  My heart is headless and footless, without upheaval.
• I have passed beyond appearances; you appeared in my heart,
  Except for union with your essence, this heart has no gaze.
• In the land of manifestation, only you sit happily,
  Since love in my heart bears no fruit without you.
• You are the secret of every manifestation; my soul is devoted to your essence,
  What is this ‘we’ and ‘I’? The heart bears no ‘two’.
• Because you are manifest in clear and hidden forms,
  The soul lost to commotion fears no danger.
• My soul is devoted to your face, wholly running toward you,
  No one has this skill in love and loving.
• Good never dies because it lives through love,
  Where there is love, death has no place.
• Intoxicated and Mad
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun
  Meter Type: Rajaz, eightfold, sound
• Introduction
• I am intoxicated and mad, alien to all but you,
  Beloved, you are my life, you are the candle and I the moth.
• When you sat before me, this heart was freed from sorrow,
  In solitude and in public, I am a light in this abode.
• Iraq Style
• No, no, I spoke wrongly, let me burn,
  Head to foot, I am mad, mad indeed.
• Sweet Memory
• Introduction
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
  Meter Type: Hazaj, eightfold, final truncated and clipped
• Every night, sweet face’s memory steals my peace,
  My soul’s tranquility is taken by sweet discourse.
• Sweetheart, do not sour my life; my soul is devoted to you,
  How could bitterness harm the honour of sweetness?
• Iraq Style
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘lātun
  Meter Type: Mujtath, eightfold, concealed
• Sweetheart, come one night, lay your head to my ear,
  Beloved, spring, my heart is sorrowful and silent for your love.
• Ashur Style
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘il Fā‘ilāt Mustaf‘il Fa‘
  Meter Type: Hazaj, eightfold, final truncated and clipped
• I am hungry before the bread stall,
  Like a captive before the women’s bath.
• Buslik
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilū Fā‘ilātū Maf‘ūlātun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, sixfold, final truncated
• Seeking Jamshid’s cup out of narrow-mindedness,
  Every moment, your doubt is not based on certainty.
• Look with your eyes at every speck of dust,
  It is a world-displaying cup if you look within.
• Butterfly
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Fa‘lun
  Maf‘ūl Mafā‘īl Mafā‘īl Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, eightfold, final truncated and clipped
• Alas, that sublime figure was all display,
  And all the pomp and splendour was the sound of the drum.
• Butterfly
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Meter Type: Ramal, sixfold, truncated
• Truths are as sharp as a steel blade,
  If you have no shield, then retreat quickly.
• Butterfly
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: New or Hazaj, sixfold, truncated
• The fairy cannot conceal her radiance,
  In bondage she raises her head through the gap.
• Chavosh
• Prosodic Meter: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
  Meter Type: Hazaj, sixfold, truncated (Ruba‘i metre)
• O you upon whom I concealed all my secrets,
  Even if I often defied orders.
• I rebelled entirely for hope of forgiveness,
  In the end, I did not do everything you wished.
• Chakavak
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Meter Type: Ramal, sixfold, truncated
• When the rose has gone and the garden is ruined,
  Why seek the scent of the rose from the rosewater?
• Hadī
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Ramal, eightfold, concealed, truncated (shortened)
• The point of knowledge was one, but they introduced,
  These words among the assembly of ignorance.
• Hazin
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lātun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Ramal, eightfold, concealed, truncated (shortened)
• That very day, I gave up hope from Farhad,
  When the reins of the lovesick heart were placed in Shirin’s hand.
• Hazin
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Khafif, sixfold, truncated
• If I were ugly and unskilled as you,
  I would be free from harm and danger.
• Hazin
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: New or Hazaj, sixfold, truncated
• One should not tie their heart to things and people,
  For having a beloved is a difficult matter.
• Hazin
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Meter Type: Ramal, sixfold, truncated
• One cannot battle fate,
  Nor complain about fortune.
• Hazin
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilū Fā‘ilātū Maf‘ūlātun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, sixfold, final truncated
• My beloved was manifest; I did not know,
  She was among us; I did not know.
• I sought in hope to reach some place,
  It was division itself; I did not know.
• Hisar
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Mujtath, eightfold, concealed, truncated
• O heart, do not seek the night when morning follows it,
  When sting and sweetness are together and ups and downs.
• Hisar
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Mujtath, eightfold, concealed, truncated
• Do not despise the humble beggars of love, for these people,
  Are kings without belts and emperors without crowns.
• Khajasteh
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Meter Type: Ramal, eightfold, truncated
• The sky is fine and beautiful with these charming stars,
  The form beneath is what is above.
• If the lower form ascends the ladder of knowledge,
  It merges with its original self.
• Khajasteh
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: New or Hazaj, sixfold, truncated
• The measure of beauty is perfection,
  Give me alms, for I am poor and needy.
• Rajaz
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun
  Meter Type: Ramal, eightfold, sound
• The day of Eid is that day when no traces of oppression remain,
  Among the masses, there will be no more distress.
• Rajaz
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: New or Hazaj, sixfold, truncated
• Whoever is not familiar with crime,
  Falls to the ground like a reversed shadow.
• Rajaz
• Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, eightfold, sound
• If your hair causes no pain to a Muslim,
  Why then do you constantly wander like a scorpion in the moonlight?
• Rahāw
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Fa‘lun
  Maf‘ūl Mafā‘īl Mafā‘īl Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, eightfold, final truncated and clipped
• It is a pity that the loyal master you do not recognise,
  We remember you, yet you do not recognise us.
• Rahāw
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  Meter Type: Khafif, sixfold, truncated
• His jealousy did not leave room for jealousy,
  Inevitably, he became the essence of all things.
• Rahāw
• Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  Meter Type: Ramal, eightfold, truncated
• Debating with narrow-minded is not a teacher’s way,
  Plato’s knowledge is no match for innate ignorance.
• Zanguleh
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilū Fā‘ilātū Maf‘ūlātun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, sixfold, final truncated
• You said you would torment me,
  I wonder where that could be.
• Where you are, there is never torment,
  And where you are not, where could it be?
• Sepehr
• Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘ilū Fā‘ilātū Fa‘lun
  Maf‘ūl Mafā‘il Fa‘ūlun
  Meter Type: Hazaj, sixfold, final truncated, shortened
• If I had no beauty, colour, or scent,
  I would not be the plant of His garden.
• Salmak
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  — U — — / — U — — / — U — — / — U —
  Metre: Raml, octuple, truncated
• Example:
  Bahr qatl-am dāde khanjar bar kaf sangin-dilī
  Har kasī rahmī be-del dārad be-juz jalād-e man
• Sharar
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / U U —
  Metre: Mujtath, octuple, makhbūn maḥdhūf
• Example:
  Boro be kār-e khod ey vā‘ez, in che faryād ast
  Nasiḥat-e hameh ‘ālam be gūsh-e man bād ast
• Shahnāz
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  U — — — / U — — — / U — —
  Metre: Jadīd or Hazaj, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Khudā rā su-ye moshtāqān negāhī
  Piyāpi gar nabāshad gāh-gāhī
• Shahnāz is a charming gusheh (melodic piece) in the Afshāri mode, which descends from Nīrīz to Seh-gāh and returns to Afshārī.
• ‘Irāq
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alun
  — U — — / U U — — / U U — — / U U —
  Metre: Raml, octuple, makhbūn maḥdhūf
• Example:
  Chun ḥekāyat konī az dust, man az ghāyat-e shoq
  Bāz gūyam ke ṣabā bāz do-sad bār begū
• Qarā’ī
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / U U —
  Metre: Mujtath, octuple, makhbūn maḥdhūf
• Example:
  Furāq o vasl che bāshad, rezā-ye dust talab
  Ke ḥeyf bāshad az ū gheyru ū tamannāyī
• Qarā’ī (another example)
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun
  U — — — / U — — — / U — — — / U — — —
  Metre: Hazaj, octuple, intact
• Example:
  Janāb-e ‘eshq rā dargah basī bālātar az ‘aql ast
  Kasi ān āstānh būsad ke sar dar āstīn dārad
• Qarā’ī (another pattern)
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  — U — — / — U — — / — U —
  Metre: Raml, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Az nadārān-e kherad yek tan ādamand
  Mā-baqī andar pay-e mā o man-and
• Qarā’ī (repetition)
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  — U — — / — U — — / — U —
  Metre: Raml, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Man che gham dāram ke vīrānī būd
  Zīr-e vīrān ganj-e soltānī būd
• Qarā’ī
• Metre pattern: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
  Mustaf‘ilun Mafa‘il Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al
  — — U — — / U — U U / — U — / U — —
  Metre: Muḍāri‘, octuple, akhrab makfūf maḥdhūf
• Example:
  Tanhā na man be khāl-e labash mobtalā shodam
  Bar har ke benegari be hamīn dard mobtalāst
• Qarā’ī
• Metre pattern: Mustaf‘il Fa‘ilāt Mafa‘ilātun
  — — U U / — U — U / — — — —
  Metre: Hazaj, sextuple, akhrab
• Example:
  Del jism-e latīfī ast, zabān-e pīrhanash
  Gardad del har kherad padid az sokhanash
• Ān rā ke būd sersht o gohar-e nāpāk
  Bīrūn nashavad gohar-e pāk az dahnash
• Zarbi 6/8
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  U — — — / U — — — / U — —
  Metre: Jadīd or Hazaj, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Shenidastam ke marjān mī-forūshī
  Valī bā qīmat-e jān mī-forūshī
• Salmak (repetition)
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  — U — — / — U — — / — U —
  Metre: Raml, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Vah ke zīn ‘eshq-e nohānī sūkhtam
  Jism o jān rā dar javānī sūkhtam
• Karshameh
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘lun
  U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / — —
  Metre: Mujtath, octuple, makhbūn maḥdhūf
• Example:
  Ṣabā ze lutf begū ān ghazāl-e ra‘nā rā
  Ke sar be kūh o bīyābān to dāde-ī mā rā
• Gabri
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  U — — — / U — — — / U — —
  Metre: Jadīd or Hazaj, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Agar sad sāl bar moshkash zanī būgh
  Hāmān dūgh o hāmān dūgh o hāmān dūgh
• Golriz
• Metre pattern: Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Fa‘
  Maf‘ūl Mafā‘īl Mafā‘īl Fa‘al
  — — U — / — — U — / — — U — / —
  Metre: Hazaj, octuple, akhrab makfūf majbūb
• Example:
  ‘Ilmī ke dar ān khūn-e jigar bāyad khord
  Hifz-e adab o ketāb kī dārad sūd
• Mokhālef
• Metre pattern: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘ūlun
  U — — — / U — — — / U — —
  Metre: Jadīd or Hazaj, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Valī tā bā khodī zanhār zanhār
  ‘Ibādāt-e shari‘at rā negah dār
• Maghlūb
• Metre pattern: Fa‘ūlun Fa‘ūlun Fa‘ūlun Fa‘al
  U — — / U — — / U — — / U —
  Metre: Mutaqārib, octuple, truncated
• Example:
  Hame har che hastand az ān kam-tarand
  Ke bā hastī-ash nām-e hastī barand
• Mouyeh
• Metre pattern: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
  — U — — / — U — — / — U —
  Metre: Raml, sextuple, truncated
• Example:
  Goft Nūḥ: Ey mardamān, man, man nī’am
  Fānī az khisham, be jānān bāqī’am

Nafir

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Metre name: Ramal Mosaddas Mahdhūf

Everyone harbours a desire in their heart,
My desire is that I have no desire at all.

Nafir

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Metre name: Ramal Mosaddas Mahdhūf

People are but children, except the man of God;
No one is mature save those freed from passion.

Nafir

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Metre name: Ramal Mosaddas Mahdhūf

For years you lost at God’s game of chess;
This knot was not understood from that knot.

Nafir

Metre: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ ــU ــ / U ــU U / ــ U ــ /U ــ
Metre name: Modāre‘ Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahdhūf

Wretched is he who is ensnared by reason,
Fortunate is he who came as a blockhead, an ass.

Nīrīz

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Metre name: Ramal Mosaddas Mahdhūf

Every particle in earth and sky,
Is of its kind, like straw and ambergris.

Nīrīz

Metre: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
Pattern: ــ ــU ــ / U ــU U / ــ U ــ /U ــ
Metre name: Modāre‘ Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahdhūf

From the people of the time, I have seen so much cruelty,
Like a deer, I have fled even from my own shadow.

Nīrīz

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Mafā‘ilun Fā‘lun
Pattern: ــU ــ ــ / U ــU ــ / ــ ــ
Metre name: Khafīf Mosaddas Mahdhūf

When the promise of union nears,
The fire of passion blazes forth.

Dastgāh-e Seh-gāh

Seh-gāh is the mode of love and joy,
Bringing happiness, characterised by delicacy and refinement.

This mode is heavy, with equal lows and highs.
Its varied moods possess a special natural proportion.
Among the Persian radifs, Seh-gāh enjoys much solidity and renown.

After the introduction, it successively presents Mūyeh, Mokhālef, and Maghlūb, following with Zir and Owj, taking Hazīz and Daramad to the bass.
Seh-gāh contains exclusive gushehs (melodic motifs), which enhance its grandeur and majesty.
The following poems suit this dastgāh well.

Khāneh-ye Khodā (The House of God)

Introduction

Metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Pattern: ــ U ــ ــ /U U ــ ــ /U U ــ ــ / ــ ــ
Metre name: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhūf (Maqṣūr)

In the taverns of the Magi, I see God’s light,
And wonder what light it is and from where it comes.

Do not display your splendour to me, O Angel of Pilgrims,
For you see a house, but I see the House of God.

Mūyeh (Lament)

Who bears the pain of this tavern, O Lord,
Where the Qiblah of desire and the mihrāb of prayer reside?

(Note: The Mūyeh can be recited before or after Mokhālef.)

Mokhālef (Contrary)

I seek to untie the locks of the idol’s hair;
The thought is distant, truly I see error.

The burning heart, flowing tears, nightly moans, the dawn sigh —
All these I see through your kind gaze.

Mokhālef-e Sabk-e Golpā

No one has seen musk of Khatun or the Chinese musk-pod,
That which I see every dawn from the wind of the east.

Maghlūb (Defeated)

Friends, do not fault Hafez’s gaze games,
For I see him among the lovers of God.

Qalyan

Metre: Maf’ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilān
Pattern: Mustaf‘ilun Mafā‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al
Scansion: – – u – – / u – – u / – u – / u – –
Metre type: Present tense, octuple, ending truncated, folded, omitted

Qalyan, where can I find you, that I may breathe continuously
My soul sacrificed for the smoke of the hookah’s vapor

The tobacco friend sends to me
I shed tears as its salty drops fall

Ārzu (Desire)

Metre: Maf’ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilān
Pattern: Mustaf‘ilun Mafā‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘al
Scansion: – – u – – / u – – u / – u – / u – –
Metre type: Present tense, octuple, ending truncated, folded, omitted

Yesterday the old man wandered the city with a lamp,
For I am weary of demons, beasts, and mankind; my desire remains

They said, “What you seek cannot be found; we have searched.”
He said, “He who cannot be found, that is I, my desire.”

Kūy-e Dust (The Friend’s Alley)

Metre: Fa‘alāt Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alāt Fa‘ilātun
Pattern: u u – u / – – u – – / u u – u / – – u – –
Metre type: Ramal, octuple, problematic

Butterfly

At the friend’s alley, my life I walked with loyalty,
For the sake of the alley of the beloved, I flew with wings

If I see the book of life as worse than loyalty,
I inscribe in all the book of my life the mark of loyalty

With hope to touch the friend’s hem with my hand,
I trample the world and all therein underfoot

With the light of my heart’s eye, I turned night of separation into dawn,
With the lamp of my soul I reached the purity of wine

From the beloved, whatever I saw I added to my patience,
Neither with complaints did I open my lips nor utter words of cruelty

Do not sit heedless from the perfection of sight lest you see
What a sting from this very arrow I shot into such a sheath

Neither did I place my foot in the temple nor church,
For from the path of the heart’s Ka‘ba I went toward God

When to the alley of acquaintance, I found no better door,
I entered the door of acquaintance without passing through a thousand gates

Shur Hosseini

Prosodic metre: Mafā‘ilun Fa‘alātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘alan
Pattern: U – U – / U U – – / U – U – / U U –
Metre type: Mojtath Musamman Makhboun Mahzouf

I am a servant of aspiration who, beneath the dark sky,
Is free from all colours that can take possession.

I have taught you advice, learn and practise it well,
For this is a teaching from the elder of the path.

Worry not about the world’s grief and do not forget my counsel,
For this subtlety of love comes from the path of devotion.

Shahr Ashoub

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U – – / – U –
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Mahzouf

It is no shame to seek bounty from the noble,
Like rain from clouds, pearls from the sea, gold from mines.

Do not argue with the base, for it is very difficult
To expect bone from a dog, fat from a cat, or grain from a donkey.

Shehnaz

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U –
Metre type: Ramal Mosaddas Mahzouf

Hundreds of thousands of children were beheaded,
Until the word of God found a seer.

(Additional Shehnaz poems with similar metres follow.)

Qarāyi

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘alātun Fa‘lun
Pattern: – U – – / U U – – / U U – – / – –
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhboun Mahzouf (Maqsour)

We have come to this gate seeking feasts,
Not to recite prayers for the people of the graves.

Kureshmeh

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U –
Metre type: Ramal Mosaddas Mahzouf

Do not reveal another’s secret as long as you can,
So that your own veil remains intact.

Kucheh-Bāghi

Prosodic metre: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
Pattern: – – U – – / – – U – – / – – U – – / – –
Metre type: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfouf Majboub

Do not seek more than the portion of the heavenly table,
Do not desire the honeyed finger nor a hundred stings.

Gabri

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – U – – / – U – – / – U –
Metre type: Ramal Mosaddas Mahzouf

A voice called: “O seeker, come,”
Generosity is needed by beggars as by paupers.

Golriz

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūlun Fā‘ilāt Mafa‘īl Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – – U – – / U – – U / – U – / U – –
Metre type: Modāre‘ Musamman Akhrab Makfouf Mahzouf

Cast me into the fire but do not utter the name of sin,
For fire is not as warm as the sweat of renunciation.

Mansouri

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūlun Fā‘ilātun Mafa‘īlun Fā‘ilan
Pattern: – – U – – / U – – U / – U – / U – –
Metre type: Modāre‘ Musamman Akhrab Makfouf Mahzouf

This borrowed soul entrusted to Hafez by a friend,
One day I hope to see his face and submit to him.

Moyeh

Prosodic metre: Mustaf‘ilun Fā‘ilātun Maf‘ūlatan
Pattern: – – U U / – U – U / – – – –
Metre type: Hazaj Mosaddas Akhrab

The world is nothing but fire and war,
The aim is nothing other than disgrace and fame.

Nafeer

Prosodic metre: Fa‘ūlun Fa‘ūlun Fa‘ūlun Fa‘al
Pattern: U – – / U – – / U – – / U – –
Metre type: Mutaqārib Musamman Mahzouf

No one goes towards the treasure of Qarun,
And if he does, he will not return by the same path.

Nowab

Prosodic metre: Mustaf‘ilun Fā‘ilātun Mafā‘ilun Fa‘ilun
Pattern: – – U – – / U U – – / U – – U / – –
Metre type: Mojtath Musamman Makhboun Mahzouf

O morning bird, learn love from the moth,
For its burnt heart has no voice.

Commentary on the Dastgāh-e Mesnavī Seh-Gāh

The Mesnavī Seh-Gāh or Pahlavi (Three-step) system is an independent branch of the Seh-Gāh modal system with its own repertoire of vocalisations and poetry. It differs from the Bayat Turk Mesnavī both in charm and rhythm and is more extended in form.

The Abu Ata Mode

Abu Ata is a musical mode full of exaltation and joy, invoking the spirit of gardens, orchards, plains, and deserts. This radif (musical repertoire) enchants both sea and desert creatures, stirring a jubilant and passionate cry through the flute of the lover—playful, intoxicated, and fervent. Abu Ata demands a fully resonant and powerful voice.

This mode progresses from the daramad (introductory section) into Hijaz, blending the zir (lower register) with the sections of Kobra, Ghamangiz, Shur, and Shur-e Shiraz, before returning to the daramad. The Zarbi (rhythmic) section is the finest gusheh (melodic fragment) of this mode, possessing a distinct independence; its zir is suitably composed in the 6/8 metre and subsequently leads back to the daramad.

Interpretation of Khish (Self-Interpretation)

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / — U — — / — U — —
Metre type: Ramal Musaddas Mahdhuf (Truncated hexameter of Ramal)

You have interpreted the letter “Bikr” yourself;
Interpret yourself, do not mention the reed.

Inner Soul

Prosodic metre: Mafʿūl Fāʿilāt Mafāʿīl Fāʿilun
Mustafʿilun Mafāʿil Mustafʿilun Faʿal
— — U — — / U — U U / — U — / U — —
Metre type: Mudhāriʿ Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahdhuf (Modified octosyllabic metre)

O you within my soul, while my soul is unaware of you,
The world is full of you, yet the world is unaware of you.

Your remembrance is in my imagination, but imagination is deprived of you,
Your name is on my tongue, but the tongue is unaware of you.

The Secret of God

Prosodic metre: Mafʿūl Mafāʿilun Mafāʿīlun Faʿ
— — U / U — — U — / U — — — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quatrain metre)

When the secret of God becomes the prey of the spiritual elect,
All such talk and dispute will be annulled.

Both the Mufti of the law becomes heartbroken,
And the sage of wisdom is rendered speechless.

Sea of Forgiveness

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / — U — — / — U — —
Metre type: Ramal Musaddas Mahdhuf

Until the cloud weeps, when will the meadow smile?
Until the child weeps, when will the milk be tasted?

Until the candy-seller’s child weeps,
The sea of forgiveness will not come to a boil.

Pleasant to Watch

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿilun Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Faʿilun
U — U — / U U — — / U — — U — / — —
Metre type: Mujtath Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf (Truncated octosyllabic)

For the crime of loving you, they kill me, and what a commotion it is!
You too come to the rooftop, for you are a beautiful sight.

The Tyrant’s Kebab

Prosodic metre: Mafʿūl Mafāʿilun Mafāʿīlun Faʿ
— — U / U — — U — / U — — — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quatrain metre)

The tyrant who ate the kebab from the heart of the dervish,
When you look, he eats from his own side.

Night Burners

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / U U — — / U U — — / — —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf (Truncated octosyllabic, maqṣūr)

My nights know my condition as only I do,
What do you know of the night burners as they pass?

Fire of the Heart

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿilun Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Fāʿilun
U — U — / U U — — / U — — U — / U U —
Metre type: Mujtath Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

Within our eyes, many sights are visible,
From the burning chest of ours, many chests are in turmoil.

If you listen to the voice of the chest and heart, you would say,
Perhaps a resurrection arises from the fire of this heart.

The Corners of the Abu Ata Mode

Bakhtiari

Prosodic metre: Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Faʿ
— — U — — / — — U — / — — U — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Majbūb

When I looked at the movement of the heavens,
I saw no trace of free people.

Where there was a head, it bowed to the earth,
Where there was a donkey, it raised its head.

Chakaavak (Skylark)

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿilun Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Fāʿilun
U — U — / U U — — / U — — U — / U U —
Metre type: Mujtath Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

I cry out from the burden of my own arts,
For each causes me sorrow in a different way.

Do not take lessons and acquire arts from me,
For I have little of my own art.

Do not bear enmity with the seven heavens,
Sweet is the tale of Shirīn and the story of Farhād.

The only favour I saw in the world,
Was the cruelty of the father and the slap of the master.

Hijaz

Prosodic metre: Mustafʿil Mustafʿil Mustafʿil Faʿilun
Mafʿūl Mafāʿīl Mafāʿīl Faʿūlun
— — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahdhuf

How long will you tell tales of Alexander and Dara?
A five-day lifespan has no such legends.

Hazein (Sad)

Prosodic metre: Faʿūlun Faʿūlun Faʿūlun Faʿal
U — — / U — — / U — — / U — —
Metre type: Mutaqārib Musamman Mahdhuf

I am aware of the pain of children,
For in childhood I lost my father.

Hazein (Sad)

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / — U — — / — U — —
Metre type: Ramal Musaddas Mahdhuf

Giving wealth, rank, and abandoning name and disgrace
Is the first station on the path of love.

Hisar (Fortress)

Prosodic metre: Mafʿūl Mafāʿilun Mafāʿīlun Faʿ
— — U / U — — U — / U — — — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quatrain metre)

Why would you strike the door while holding fire?
Your moment will never be truly good.

Hisar (Fortress)

Prosodic metre: Faʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Faʿilun
U U — — / U U — — / U U — — / U U —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

If your ear is an ear and my moan a moan,
What will certainly not reach its destination is a cry.

Hisar (Fortress)

Prosodic metre: Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Faʿ
Mafʿūl Mafāʿīl Mafāʿīl Faʿal
— — U — — / — — U — / — — U — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Majbūb

In the eye of the eye, you must be an eye,
And you must be one who has given up hope in yourself.

You have no eye to see Him,
Otherwise, all is Him, you must be an eye.

Hisar (Fortress)

Prosodic metre: Muftaʿilun Mafāʿilun Muftaʿilun Mafāʿilun
— U U — / U — — U — / — U U — / U — — U —
Metre type: Rajaz Musamman Mutwā Makhbūn

Tears of hypocrisy of ascetics fell in God’s house,
A harlot threw the illegitimate child in the mosque.

Khushdasta (Fortunate)

Prosodic metre: Mafʿūl Mafāʿilun Mafāʿīlun Faʿ
— — U / U — — U — / U — — — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quatrain metre)

In battle we are like iron, in gatherings like wax,
We are blessed to friends and evil to foes.

Khushdasta (Fortunate)

Prosodic metre: Faʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Faʿilun
U U — — / U U — — / U U — — / U U —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

Those who did not consider this handful of dust,
Truly deserve justice as people of discernment.

Rājaʿa (Return)

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿilun Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Fāʿilun
U — U — / U U — — / U — — U — / U U —
Metre type: Mujtath Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

The veil on your face is also your face at all times,
You are hidden from the world because you are so visible.

Rājaʿa (Return)

Prosodic metre: Faʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Faʿilun
U U — — / U U — — / U U — — / U U —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

Though I boil like wine in the fire of my heart,
I seal my lips, drinking blood and remaining silent.

Rajaz

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / — U — — / — U — — / — U —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Mahdhuf

The custom of a lover is not to have two beloveds in one heart,
Either from the beloved or from the soul, the heart must be taken away.

Rīz (Drizzle)

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilātun Fāʿilun
— U — — / U U — — / U U — — / — —
Metre type: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf (Maqṣūr)

Her dishevelled hair is the cause of our gathering,
Since this is so, it must be made even more dishevelled.

Zanguleh (Bell)

Prosodic metre: Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Mustafʿilun Faʿ
Mafʿūl Mafāʿīl Mafāʿīl Faʿal
— — U — — / — — U — / — — U — / — —
Metre type: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Majbūb

You said do the deed and bind my hand,
You said shoot the arrow and cut my hand.

If I am a reed because of your command,
I am according to your devotion.

Shur (Passion)

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿīlun Mafāʿīlun Faʿūlun
U — — — / U — — — / U — —
Metre type: Jadīd or Hazaj Musaddas Mahdhuf

I did not know that I worship Layla,
That I worship the Layla of Layla.

Shahroshub (City Turmoil)

Prosodic metre: Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Faʿilun
— U — — / U — U — / — —
Metre type: Khafīf Musaddas Mahdhuf

What is an ascetic? To abandon bad speech,
What is love? To abandon the self.

Shahnāz

Prosodic metre: Mafāʿilun Fāʿilātun Mafāʿilun Faʿilun
U — U — / U U — — / U — — U — / — —
Metre type: Mujtath Musamman Makhbūn Mahdhuf

Neither the life of Khidr remains, nor that of Alexander,
Do not quarrel over the lowly world, O dervish.

Zarbi (Meter)

Prosodic meter: Maf’ul Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Fa’
ــ ــ U / U  ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Bahr (Meter type): Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quadrilateral meter)

Example:
Continuous, my heart speaks of your satisfaction,
Life in my body breathes for your sake.

If on my soil a plant should grow,
From every branch, the scent of your loyalty would rise.

Zarbi (Meter)

Prosodic meter: Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Fa’ lun
ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ U U / ــ ــU  U / ــ ــ
Bahr: Hazaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfuf Mahzuf

In the corner of my heart, no one has a home for love,
No one has a path into this ruined cabin.

Whoever I entrust my heart to, takes it back again,
No one can bear to keep a madman’s gaze.

How long will you tell stories of Alexander and Dara?
Five days of life do not hold so many fables.

Eshagh (The Lover)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ  Uــ
Bahr: Ramal Musaddas Mahzuf

Whoever is more awake, is more in pain,
Whoever is more aware, has a paler face.

Gabri (The Zoroastrian)

Prosodic meter: Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun
U ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ
Bahr: Hazaj Muthamman Maqbuḍ Salim (Rajaz Makhbun)

What if you cast a glance at my pale face, for God’s sake?
You are a king and a land; your soul is a kingdom and the world.

If from you there is kindness or cruelty, that is grace and generosity,
Everywhere you drink blood-red wine from the cup of lowly claimants.

You draw your bow and lie in ambush to shoot me, and I am sorrowful,
If you do so, all my pain is cured by a single glance.

What loss is there for you in kindness, if you look upon the beggar’s state?
Everyone is happy with you, O idol; whether you are cruel or faithful.

You break our cup, which is blood to our broken heart,
All my grief was from this — that God forbid you commit a wrong.

You who are the voice from his door in this time, leaving endless blame,
No step has departed from that alley; why then do you turn your gaze backward?

Maghloob (The Defeated)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ  Uــ
Bahr: Ramal Musaddas Mahzuf

This homeland is not Egypt, Iraq, or Sham,
This homeland is a city with no name.

Mansouri

Prosodic meter: Maf’ul Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Fa’
ــ ــ U / U  ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Bahr: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quadrilateral meter)

Know and do not speak until disgrace does not fall,
The beauty of a man lies in his dignity.

Mouyeh

Prosodic meter: Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Fa’ulun
U ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ
Bahr: New or Hazaj Musaddas Mahzuf

Prophet of love, religion, and God’s love,
From the highest throne to the lowest earth — love.

Mouyeh

Prosodic meter: Mustaf’il Fa’lat Fa’ lun
Maf’ul Mafaa’ilun Fa’ulun
ــ ــ U /U  ــ U ــ /U  ــ ــ
Bahr: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqbuḍ Mahzuf

The intended came from the world of Adam,
The intended came from Adam at that moment.

Mehrbani (Kindness)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Mahzuf

Everything is due to the ill-proportioned stature of our imperfect body,
Otherwise, your honour is not low upon anyone’s head.

Mehrbani

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan (alternative pattern)
U U ــ ــ /U  U ــ ــ /U  U ــ ــ / U U ــ
Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Makhbun Mahzuf

If a bad jewel breaks a golden cup,
The price of the jewel does not rise, nor does the gold diminish.

Naghoos (The Bell)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Mahzuf

Towards that presence no heart leaps with desire,
With such a rose-like face no one sleeps with a shirt.

Nahib

Prosodic meter: Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun
U ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ /U   ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ
Bahr: Hazaj Muthamman Salim

How beautifully you hunted my heart, I admire your drunken eyes,
No wild gazelle takes better prey than this.

Nahib

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ  Uــ
Bahr: Ramal Musaddas Mahzuf

Moment by moment, the world renews itself, and we,
Are heedless of renewal in eternal existence.

Na’reh (The Roar)

Prosodic meter: Mafaa’ilun Mafaa’ilun Fa’ulun
U ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ ــ /U  ــ ــ
Bahr: New or Hazaj Musaddas Mahzuf

If you tremble like straw in every wind,
If you are a mountain, straw you are not.

Naghmeh (The Melody)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Mafaa’ilun Fa’lan
ــU  ــ ــ / U ــU  ــ / ــ ــ
Bahr: Khafif Musaddas Mahzuf

Reason is blind in the street of love,
A wise man’s work is the matter of Bu Ali Sina.

Section Three: Dastgah Mahur

Mahur is a weighty and melodious mode, with a particular elegance and freshness reminiscent of gardens and orchards.

This mode progresses from Daramad (introductory melody) to Hisar (restraint), passes through Shekasteh (broken), and then returns to Daramad again. It boasts several fine gushehs (melodic pieces). Combining it with Afshari and Sehgah requires great skill.

Zirak

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ
Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Mahzuf

Daramad:
If the gardener wishes to converse with the flower for five days,
He must endure the cruelty of the thorn’s separation like the nightingale.

O heart, do not beg for the disorder of her hair,
A clever bird, when trapped, must endure.

Hisar

The worldly-wise gambler with discretion, what shall he do?
The kingly matter requires prudence and contemplation.

In the path of disbelief, reliance on piety and knowledge is essential,
The traveller, even with a hundred skills, must have trust.

Shekasteh

O cupbearer, delay not the cup’s turn, how long?
When among lovers, continuity is necessary.

Raghse Mah (Dance of the Moon)

Prosodic meter: Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’latan Fa’lan (variant)
ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / ــ ــ
Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Makhbun Maqsur (Mahzuf)

I am a lover; your love, moonbeam, has left me bewildered,
Your love has ruined my house from the agony of separation.

I died from the passion of union with you, O beautiful flower,
The fire and heat of your separation scorched my heart.

My chest weeps because of your absence; my heart grew sorrowful,
Your face, like a candle, made me weep.

Your love has made me a ruin of heart and faith,
Your distance has made me a guest of heartache.

I am in love with you and all your beauty, O dear,
Your eyes stole my heart and intensified my fire.

I devoted myself to you and distanced everyone else,
To look nakedly upon all that my heart hid.

My heart and faith have gone; I stripped myself of everything,
Although your face gave me renown in both worlds.

The entire cosmic dance stems from your dance, O moon,
I admire every particle that has laid you bare.

The witness of the eternal banquet saw your heart much,
A moment of your absence stirred a storm in my heart.

I love all as I see you,
I am sacrificed to your moon-like face that illuminated my heart.

My wounded heart, watery eyes, and pale face,
Are afflicted with such sorrow, the grief of the era.

The hardships of both worlds have been nothing to me,
All were made easy by the corner of your lips, drunk with me.

O noble beloved of mine, recognise your lover!
So they do not say the good one had a heartless sorrow.

Kam Goy (Speak Less)

Prosodic meter: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’
Maf’ul Mafaa’il Mafaa’il Fa’al
ــ ــU  ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ

Bahr: Hazaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfuf Majbub

Speak less and say nothing except what benefits yourself,
Say not what is not asked of you beforehand.

Two ears and one tongue were given to you from the beginning,
Meaning: listen twice and speak once.

Hayat Jan (Life of the Soul)

Prosodic meter: Fa’lat Fa’latan Fa’lat Fa’latan
U U ــ U / ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ U / ــ U ــ ــ

Bahr: Ramal Muthamman Mashkul

What harm is there if I die, when you are my soul’s life?
How sweet it is to give up life, if you take it from me.

O God, draw your sword of love and strike this broken heart,
For by killing you, the dead heart will find life again.

Burj-e Dey

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’ilun Faa’laatun Fa’lan
مفعول مفاعلن فعولن
ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqbuḍ Mahzuf

In my childhood, the journey was accomplished swiftly,
The cup was broken, and the wine was poured.

What more can I say about my youth?
My life at both ends has reached the sign of Capricorn.

Bravery of Love

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’ilun Faa’laatun Fa’lan
مفعول مفاعلن فعولن
ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqbuḍ Mahzuf

In childhood I entered the field,
My beloved extracted my very soul.

I became free from the bravery of love,
In the presence of my beloved, how easy it was.

Broken Repentance

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (a quatrain metre)

I broke and sealed my repentance so many times,
Repentance cries out in distress from my hands.

Yesterday I broke the cup in repentance,
Today I break repentance upon the cup.

Reply

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Fa‘lun
مفعول مفاعيل مفاعيل فعولن
ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ U U / ــ ــU  U / ــ ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahzūf

We wrote a hundred letters but you wrote no reply,
This too, not writing a reply, is itself a reply.

Day of Sorrow

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun
ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ
Metre: Rajaz Musamman Sālim

I see no one on the day of sorrow but my own shadow beside me,
Yet when I turn to it, it turns its face away from me.

Day of Resurrection

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafā‘īl Fā‘ilun
مستفعلن مفاعلُ مستفعلن فَعَل
ــ ــU  ــ / U ــU  U / ــ  U ــ /U  ــ
Metre: Mudhāri‘ Musamman Akhrab Makfūf Mahzūf

I fear that on the Day of Resurrection reins will be in hand,
The recitation of the sheikh and the cloak of the wine-drinking rogue.

It Is Beautiful

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’ilun Fā‘ilātun Maf‘ūlātun
ــ ــ U U / ــ U ــ U / ــ ــ  ــ ــ
مفعول مفاعلن مفاعيلن فع
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab

Be content with the good and bad of the age, O heart,
Do not blame or quarrel with fate, O heart.

The world is a garden whose gardener is a friend,
Its flower is beautiful; behold its beauty, O heart.

Eternal Decree

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘īlun Maf‘ūl Mafā‘īlun (Traditional)
Mustaf’il Maf‘ūlun Mustaf’il Maf‘ūlun (Modern)
ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ / ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab

The cup of wine and the heart’s blood are each given to someone,
In the circle of destiny, such is the arrangement.

In the business of rosewater and the rose, this eternal decree was made:
That this witness is of the market, and that is the veiled one.

The Servant of Your Tresses

Prosodic metre: Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun Mafā‘īlun
U ــ ــ ــ /U ــ ــ ــ /U ــ ــ ــ /U ــ ــ ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musamman Sālim

Love causes much dishonour,
If Gabriel were to fall in the alley of love, he would be humiliated.

My heart became the servant in the ring of your tresses, show compassion,
If the servant is treated with kindness, the kingdom will prosper.

Breath of Creation

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
ــ ــ U / U  ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (quatrain metre)

The presence of creation is poison even if it is but a breath,
Opium eases bitterness even if but a grain.

I am not in need of acquaintance with creation,
The pain of the self is enough for me.

Forbidden Journey

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘ilātun Fa‘lun
ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ
Metre: Ramal Musamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

The journey of love is forbidden for the delicate, forbidden,
For at every step in this path, danger awaits.

Thanks to Love

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
ــ ــ U / U  ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (quatrain metre)

You freed me from sorrow of gain and loss,
You granted me relief from the torment of the world.

O love, how can I thank you so,
I wished for such, and at last you made me such.

Seven Seas

Prosodic metre: Mustaf’ilun Fā‘ilātun Maf‘ūlātun
ــ ــ U U / ــ U ــ U / ــ ــ ــ ــ
مفعول مفاعلن مفاعيلن فع
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab

There are seven seas in this path, full of horror and destruction,
Hy Edwaryu, Iqwari, and the heavens.

Seven deserts where there is neither water nor soil,
Animalistic, intellectual, spiritual, secret, hidden and most hidden.

In the station where witness is ‘No’ and ‘Not’,
In the sight of all, there is God, God, and God.

Lover of Opposites

Prosodic metre: Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fa‘lan
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ Uــ
Metre: Ramal Musaddas Mahzūf

I am in love with both his wrath and his kindness sincerely,
How strange, I love both these opposites.

The Ears of People

Prosodic metre: Maf‘ūl Mafā‘ilun Mafā‘īlun Fa‘
ــ ــ U / U  ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Metre: Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab (quatrain metre)

In the ears of those who trade in this market,
The braying of a donkey and the melody of David are one and the same.

Chapter Three / The Modes of the Mahur System

The Modes of the Mahur System

Bidad
Metric Pattern: Mafi’ul Fa’latul Mafa’il Fa’lan
Example: “Did you see that unjust blood which the butterfly did not allow the candle to survive, preventing the night from turning into dawn?”

Pehlu
Metric Pattern: Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Fa’ulun
Example: “If you tremble like a reed in every wind, if you become a mountain, you will be like straw.”

Hesar
Metric Pattern: Mafu’l Mafa’il Mafa’il Fa’l
Example: “I am a sinful servant, where is your pleasure? In the darkness of my heart, where is your light and radiance?”

Hesar
Metric Pattern: Mafu’l Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Fa’
Example: “Like a wild lion, we are all in pursuit, always following the raging breath.”

Rajaz
Metric Pattern: Mustaf’ilu Fa’latu Mafa’ulatun
Example: “A person with a heart full of passion never leaves the school; it is a ruin, the house of ignorance.”

Salmak
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lun
Example: “The blessings of the earth are shared among the arrogant; the one who has modesty eats the bitter fruit of the heart.”

Shour
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Example: “The heart is lasting, the body perishes. The heart moves towards its lover, the body towards the earth.”

Shahrashub
Metric Pattern: Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun
Example: “If you cannot see beyond the veil, look at the particles of the world, for every particle is a mirror of fire.”

Qurayi
Metric Pattern: Mafa’ilun Fa’latun Mafa’ilun Fa’lun
Example: “The greedy will never be satisfied by the blessings of both worlds; they always have a burning desire.”

Kushte Morda
Metric Pattern: Mafi’ul Mafa’il Mafa’il Fa’l
Example: “Last night, the flower was laughing in joy at my sorrow. The whole night, it was laughing at my crying.”

Kabri
Metric Pattern: Mustaf’ilu Mafa’ilu Mustaf’ilu Fa’l
Example: “I am a mute person in a dream, and the world is completely deaf. I am helpless in speech, and people are deaf to its sound.”

Moye
Metric Pattern: Mafu’l Mafa’il Mafa’il Fa’ulun
Example: “No one in the school can claim the unity of God; the abode of the true men of God is upon the gallows.”

Naghmeh
Metric Pattern: Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Fa’lun
Example: “You have given wealth to donkeys and dignity to dogs; have we been brought into the world to witness this?”

Nahvandi
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Example: “The candle said, ‘O lover, this is the saying of a moth.’ The pain of love is common, but the pain of a stranger is sweet.”

Nahvandi
Metric Pattern: Mafi’ul Fa’latun Mafi’ul Fa’latun
Example: “My soul is without a sign, and we are drowned in its trace; my spirit is without place, and my body is the place for its presence.”

Nishabouri
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Example: “The eye of magic, the mole of the Hindu, the hair of the infidel, the face of the foreigner; O Muslim, why have you turned yourself into a land of infidels?”

The Homayun Mode

The Homayun is a very delicate and pleasing system that seeks the dawn. This scale, amidst the vast plains and greenery, is the soulful tune of both the lover and the mystic. It begins with an introduction (in Chakavak) and gradually rises through Bidad to reach the heights of Leili, Majnun, and Bakhtiyari. Through Rajah, it moves between high and low, and again calls for the introduction.

Safaye Sayeh
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Example: “The cupbearer in the chalice of existence has no pure wine; that which you see in the glass of twilight is nothing but blood.”

Chakavak
Metric Pattern:
“That which is rare in the world of loyalty and affection is the very thing we are searching for, for in the garden of existence, the cypress and the rose are not rare.”

Bidad
Metric Pattern:
“Why seek rest, when in the kingdom of love, peace cannot be found in an endless sea?”

Rah-e Ishq
Metric Pattern: Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Fa’lun
Example: “We are drunks of the tavern, mad and intoxicated, for the wine given to us since the beginning of time is meant to keep us happy till eternity.”

Janab-e Ishq
Metric Pattern: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Example: “What do you know of the sound of the harp and the lute? ‘You are my love, You are my sufficiency, O Most Loving.'”

Meter and Rhythmic Structures in Persian Poetry

The following examples present various metrical patterns and their corresponding poetic forms in Persian literature:

1. Mafa’ul Mafa’il Mafa’il Fa’al (Meter: Hozaj Musaddas Akhrab Majboob)

Meter: ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ
Verse Example:
خواهم بكنم گنه نخواهم بكنم
خواهم بكنم توبه نخواهم شكنم
ليكن چون خواهم نتوانم خواهم
خواهم نتوانم كه نخواهم چه كنم
(The desire to sin, the refusal to sin; I desire to repent but will not break my repentance. However, when I want something, I will not be able to achieve it, and in my inability, I wonder what to do.)

2. Laff (Meter: Mustafa’ul Faalat Mafa’ilatun)

Meter: ــ ــ U U / ــ U ــ U / ــ ــ ــ ــ
Verse Example:
بازار گُهر نشكند از خرمهره
از لاف شما زيان نبيند زهره
(Though the market of jewels may not break, your boastful words will not harm my soul.)

3. Qurb Haqq (Meter: Fa’alatn Fa’alatn Fa’aln)

Meter: ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ Uــ
Verse Example:
قرب حق از قيد هستى رستن است
نى به بالا و به پايين رفتن است
پس به هر عصرى وليى لازم است
آزمايش تا قيامت دايم است
(The proximity to the Divine involves shedding the bonds of existence; it is not about ascending or descending. A guide is needed in every age, as the trials will persist until the Day of Judgment.)

4. Saazi (Meter: Mustaf’al Fa’alat Mafa’ilatun)

Meter: ــ ــ U U / ــ U ــ U / ــ ــ ــ ــ
Verse Example:
گه طعمه‌ى مور، اژدهايى سازى
گه از پر پشّه‌اى همايى سازى
(Sometimes you create a monster from an ant’s prey, sometimes you shape a phoenix from a fly’s wing.)

5. Dadeh-ye Raigan (Meter: Mafa’ul Mafa’iln Mafa’iln Fa’al)

Meter: ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Verse Example:
تو هيچ بدى كه جسم و جانت دادند
بر كسب و عمل تاب و توانت دادند
(You are not in a state of evil as your body and soul have been granted; they gave you the strength and ability to work and strive.)

6. Pasand Khush-tar (Meter: Fa’ulun Fa’ulun Fa’ulun Fa’al)

Meter: U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ
Verse Example:
گر آزرده ور مبتلا مى‌پسندد
چه خوش‌تر از آن كاو به ما مى‌پسندد
(When the afflicted or troubled one finds comfort in this, what could be more delightful than that which pleases us?)

7. Tajalli Jamaal (Meter: Mafa’ul Mafa’iln Mafa’iln Fa’al)

Meter: ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Verse Example:
زان باده نخورده‌ام كه هشيار شوم
آن مست نبوده‌ام كه بيدار شوم
(I have not drunk of that wine in order to become sober, nor have I been intoxicated to become awake.)

8. Cheshm Fattaneh (Meter: Muft’uln Muft’uln Fa’aln)

Meter: ــ U U ــ / ــ U U ــ / ــ U ــ
Verse Example:
مستم و آزادم و ديوانه‌ام
بى‌خبر از خويشم و بيگانه‌ام
(I am intoxicated, free, and mad, unaware of myself, and I am a stranger to myself.)

9. Hamrang Ishq (Meter: Mafa’iln Mafa’iln Mafa’iln Mafa’iln)

Meter: U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ
Verse Example:
چنان با عشق همرنگم كه خود را عشق مى‌بينم
چنان با يار دمسازم كه خود را يار مى‌بينم
(I am so in tune with love that I see myself as love itself, and I am so aligned with my lover that I see myself as their companion.)

10. Hich (Meter: Mafa’ul Mafa’iln Mafa’iln Fa’al)

Meter: ــ ــ U / U ــ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ
Verse Example:
دانى ز جهان چه طرف بربستم، هيچ
وز حاصل ايام چه در دستم، هيچ
(Do you know what I have gained from the world? Nothing. And what do I have in my hands from the passing days? Nothing.)

These examples illustrate the diversity of Persian poetic meters and how they are used to express various emotional and philosophical concepts. The rhythmic structure plays a crucial role in enhancing the aesthetic experience of the poem, with each meter carrying its own unique sound and cadence.

Persian Poetic Meters and their Application in Various Works

1. New or Hezaj Musaddas Mahzouf

Meter: U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ
Poetic Example:
“زمین در جنب این افلاک مینا
چو خشخاشی بود بر روی دریا”
(The earth, amidst these celestial spheres, is like a poppy on the surface of the sea.)
“تو خود بنگر که از این خشخاش چندی
سزد گر بر غرور خود بخندی”
(You yourself see how much of this poppy is there,
It is fitting if you laugh at your own pride.)

2. Rīz

Meter: فَعَلاتن فَعَلاتن فَعَلاتن فَعَلن
(Fāilatun Fāilatun Fāilatun Fāaln)
Poetic Example:
“هیچ کس بی‌دامنی تر نیست لیکن پیش خلق
باز می‌پوشند و ما بر آفتاب افکنده‌ایم”
(No one is more destitute than I, yet before the people,
They cover themselves, while we are cast under the sun.)

3. Shahnaz

Meter: مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
(Mustaf’al Fā`ilātun Maf’ūlātun)
Poetic Example:
“در چرخ گهی شتاب و گاهی است درنگ
گه بر سر صلح با تو و گاه به جنگ”
(In the wheel, sometimes there is haste, sometimes there is pause,
Sometimes peace with you, and sometimes battle.)
“خوش باش دلا به رنگ این چرخ دورنگ
حیف است که دل شود ز هر حادثه تنگ”
(Be happy, O heart, with the colors of this dual world,
It is a pity if the heart becomes narrow due to any incident.)

4. Ishq (Lovers)

Meter: فَعَلاتن فَعَلاتن فَعَلاتن فَعَلن
(Fāilatun Fāilatun Fāilatun Fāaln)
Poetic Example:
“میل من اندر وصال و قصد او سوی فراق
ترک کام خود نمودم تا برآید کام دوست”
(My desire is for union, while his aim is separation,
I abandoned my own desires so that the desires of my friend may come true.)

5. Krishmeh

Meter: مفعول مفاعلن مفاعیلن فع
(Mafūl Mafaīlan Mafūlān Fā)
Poetic Example:
“ای زاهد خودپرست احوالت چیست
حاصل ز خداوندی امثالیت چیست”
(O self-righteous ascetic, what is your condition?
What is the result of divinity’s example in your being?)
“من در طلب رضای یک کس، هر دم
ای بنده‌ی صدهزار، گو حالت چیست”
(I am in search of the pleasure of one, every moment;
O servant of a hundred thousand, what is your condition?)

6. Mathnawi

Meter: فَعَلاتن فَاعِلاتن فَعَلُن
(Fāilatun Fāīlātun Fā`aln)
Poetic Example:
“بشنو از نی چون حکایت می‌کند
وز جدایی‌ها شکایت می‌کند”
(Listen to the reed as it tells its story,
And complains of separations.)
“کز نیستان تا مرا بریده‌اند
وز نفیرم مرد و زن نالیده‌اند”
(From the reed bed, they have cut me off,
And from my lament, men and women have cried.)

7. Mooye (Lament)

Meter: مستفعلن مفاعلُ مستفعلن فعَل
(Mustafiln Mafail Mustaf`iln Fāl)
Poetic Example:
“در مکتب حقایق پیش ادیب عشق
ای بی‌خبر بکوش که صاحب‌خبر شوی”
(In the school of truths, before the scholar of love,
O ignorant one, strive to become informed.)

8. Naqous (Bell)

Meter: فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن
(Fāilatun Fāilatun Fā`aln)
Poetic Example:
“هم خدا خواهی و هم دنیای دون
این خیال است و محال است و جنون”
(You desire both God and the lowly world,
This is an illusion, an impossibility, and madness.)

9. Nafīr (Trumpet)

Meter: فاعلاتن مفاعلن فعَلَن
(Fāilatun Mafailn Fā`aln)
Poetic Example:
“اسدالله در وجود آمد
در پس پرده هر چه بود آمد”
(The lion of God was manifested,
And behind the veil, all that was hidden came forth.)

10. Shushtari Dastgah (Shushtari Mode)

Shushtari is a mode that evokes melancholy and opens the heart to the grieving soul. It is well-suited for contemplative devotional music. This mode moves from a point of sadness and returns with a resolution, soothing the soul and evoking introspection.

Poetic Example:
“خوشا تو
درآمد”
(How fortunate you are,
Arrival)
“خوشا دردی که درمانش تو باشی
خوش آن مشکلی که آسانش تو باشی”
(How fortunate is the pain whose cure is you,
How fortunate is the problem whose solution is you.)

The Verses and Rhythms of Persian Poetry

Sāye-ye Bītāqat (The Shadow of Impotence)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Mafā’īlūn Mafā’īlūn Mafā’īlūn Mafā’īlūn
Meter: Hazaj Muthamman Sālim

Translation of the poem:
In a time of helplessness, only my shadow remains,
Yet it too has no endurance in the dark nights of my soul.

Man To’am (I Am You)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf’ūl Mafā’īlūn Mafā’īlūn Fa’
Meter: Hazaj Mussadas Akhrab (Quadruple Meter)

Translation of the poem:
I am with you, O beloved, in such a way,
That in my confusion, I wonder if I am you, or if you are me.
Neither I am me nor you are you,
Both I am me and you are you, and both you are me.

Qadr Kār (The Value of Work)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf’ūl Fā’īlāt Mafā’īl Fā’lan
Meter: Mudāri’ Muthamman Akhrab Makkūf Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
In a factory where the value of work is unknown,
Whoever leaves work is considered more skilled.

Menant Namard (The Ungrateful’s Gratitude)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā’īlātun Fā’īlātun Fā’īlātun Fā’lan
Meter: Raml Muthamman Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
It is no disgrace to carry the burden of others,
But it is a difficult task to bear the ingratitude of the ungrateful.
It is not hard to make the rugged mountain smooth,
But it is hard to smooth the harsh words of the unjust.

Ghair Kajā? (Where Else?)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fī’latun Fā’īlātun Fā’īlātun Fā’lan
Meter: Raml Muthamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
The Kaaba and the monastery, both are you,
Where is the monastery? Where else can it be?
There is no difference between anyone but the one whom you count.

Huzūr-e Del (The Presence of the Heart)
Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Mafā’īlūn Fā’īlātun Mafā’īlūn Fā’lan
Meter: Majtas Muthamman Makhbūn Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
The presence of the heart cannot be found in silk attire,
For after the silk thread burns, a lamp cannot be made.

Mahu Sanam (The Vanishing Idol)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ālātun Fa‘ālātun Fa‘alun
Meter: Raml Muthamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Maqsūr)

Translation of the poem:
O idol, O idol, from the creatures of this world,
Who is this idol that the entire universe is captivated by his face?

Shikār-e Majeh (The Hunt of the Eyelash)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fa‘ālātun Fa‘ālātun Fa‘alun
Meter: Raml Muthamman Makhbūn Mahzūf (Maqsūr)

Translation of the poem:
O Lord, how brave are the Turkish youths in blood,
For with the arrow of an eyelash, they find their prey in every moment.

Zindān-e Tū (Your Prison)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Meter: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
The body is your prison for the soul,
Your garden and kingdom are all the domain of Satan.

Diyār-e Dūst (The Land of the Beloved)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafa‘īl Fā‘ilan
Meter: Muḍāri‘ Muthamman Akhrab Makhfūf Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
Whether the promise is of hell or paradise, do not grieve,
For they will never remove you from the land of your beloved.

Not a hair will stir on our head except by our choice,
And that choice is in the hands of the one who possesses it.

Ma‘shūq-jooyā (The Seeker of the Beloved)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Meter: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
No lover remains ununited, seeking union,
For the beloved, too, seeks him in return.

No clapping hand reaches the door,
If one hand is yours, the other is empty.

The thirsty groans, “O sweet water,
Water too groans, ‘Where is the one who thirsts?'”

Barg o Sāz-e Dīn (The Leaf and the Instrument of Religion)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Muft‘ilun Muft‘ilun Fā‘ilan
Meter: Sari‘ Musaddas Maṭwī Makshūf

Translation of the poem:
They adorn your religion with decoration,
But they are more concerned with the outer adornment than the essence.

So much has been bound in this leaf and instrument,
That when you come, you will not recognize them anymore.

Musāfir (The Traveler)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn Fa‘ūlūn
Meter: Jadīd or Hazzaj Musaddas Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
When I packed my belongings and left this earth,
Everyone said I was familiar with them.

Yet no one knew the traveler,
What he said, to whom, or where he came from.

Bishkan Bishkan (Break, Break)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn
Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Sālim

Translation of the poem:
The goblet broke, the heart broke, and the wine cup broke too.
O God, what is this breaking in our house tonight?

Nakhwāham (I Will Not)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makshūf Majbūb

Translation of the poem:
I do not want this garment, for it is bound by the needle.
I do not want this vow, for it is bound by fate.

The one who dies from a puff of air,
Let him go; for what is tied to the wind, is tied to nothing.

Nādan Dūst (The Foolish Friend)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Meter: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
Friendship with wise people is good,
But a wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.

A wise enemy lifts you up,
While a foolish friend strikes you down.

Kām-e Wasl (The Desire of Union)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘ūl Maf‘īlūn Maf‘ūl Maf‘īlūn (Traditional meter)
Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Akhrab

Translation of the poem:
I said, “One day, I will reach the desire of union,”
He replied, “Look well, perhaps you have already reached.”

Ishq Poshīda (Hidden Love)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilātun Fā‘ilan
Meter: Raml Muthamman Mahzūf

Translation of the poem:
Love is hidden, and no one has ever seen it manifest,
How long will these lovers keep boasting of their futile claims?

Istedād-e Sa‘ādat (The Potential for Happiness)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn Maf‘īlūn
Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Sālim

Translation of the poem:
Each person finds something according to their own potential,
You must work to obtain potential so that you may gain happiness.

Mehr-e Tū (Your Love)

Rhythmic Pattern (Arūz): Maf‘ūl Mafa‘īlūn Mafa‘īlūn Fa‘
Meter: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quatrain meter)

Translation of the poem:
It is impossible for my heart to be detached from you,
Or to become acquainted with someone else.

Whoever passes beyond your love has no desire,
For once someone passes from your lane, where can they go?

Zābel

Metre: Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘alun
U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ

Rhyme: Raml, Eighth Makhboun Mahzouf

“It would be good if the touchstone of experience were brought into play,
So that the dark-faced one becomes transparent, showing what deceit lies within.”

“The critique of a mystic is not just from an unblemished and pure standpoint;
For many a cloak may well be deserving of the fire.”

Zābel

Metre: Maf‘ūl, Mafā‘ilun, Mafā‘īlun, Fa‘alun
–– ــ U / U –ـ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ

Rhyme: Hazzaj, Eighth, Aghrab (Quatrain Meter)

“First, send salutations to the Medina of Mustafa,
Second, send salutations to the lion of God in Najaf.
In Karbala, curse the cursed Shimmer,
In Tus, send your salutations to the stranger among strangers.”

Zābel

Metre: Mafā‘īlun, Mafā‘īlun, Mafā‘īlun, Mafā‘īlun
U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ

Rhyme: Hazzaj, Eighth, Sound

“Do not be deceived by the ascetic’s discipline, for the monk’s turban may be deceiving.
For in a dome, the sound echoes without substance.”

Zābel

Metre: Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘alun
–– U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / –ـ ــ

Rhyme: Raml, Eighth, Makhboun Mahzouf (Monophthongized)

“Without discipline, one cannot become famous in the world.
When the moon grows lean, it draws attention.”

Zangoleh

Metre: Maf‘ūl, Fa‘ālāt, Mafā‘īl, Fa‘alun
Mustaf‘ilun, Mafā‘ilū, Mustaf‘ilun, Fa‘al

Rhyme: Modari‘, Eighth Makhboun, Kafūf Mahzouf

“I, in the eyes of the world, appear as a beautiful sight,
But due to my inner impurity, my shame lies before them.”
A peacock, praised for its outward appearance,
Hides in shame its ugly feet.”

Salmak

Metre: Mustaf‘il, Maf‘ūlan, Mustaf‘il, Maf‘ūlan
–– ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ / ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ

Rhyme: Hazzaj, Eighth, Aghrab

“The one who walks with every foot and grasps with every hand,
By our eyes and tongue, you are the one who sees and speaks.”

Shur

Metre: Maf‘ūl, Fa‘ālātun, Maf‘ūl, Fa‘ālātun
Mustaf‘ilun, Fa‘‘ūlan, Mustaf‘ilun, Fa‘‘ūlan
–– ــ U / U –ـ U ــ / U ــ U / ــ ــ

Rhyme: Modari‘, Eighth, Aghrab

“I will not desist from seeking until my desire is fulfilled.
Either my soul reaches the beloved, or it leaves the body.”

Shahnaz

Metre: Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘alun
–– U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / –ـ ــ

Rhyme: Raml, Eighth, Makhboun Mahzouf (Monophthongized)

“True desires cannot be attained through mere wishes,
On this path, much blood from the heart must be shed.”

Shahra-shub

Metre: Maf‘ūl, Mafā‘ilun, Mafā‘īlun, Fa‘alun
–– ــ U / U –ـ U ــ / U ــ ــ ــ / ــ

Rhyme: Hazzaj, Aghrab (Quatrain Meter)

“Though you may memorise a thousand manuscripts,
What use is it if you possess a disbeliever’s soul?
When you bow your head to the earth for prayer,
Place it where your own soul lies.”

Ghayb

Metre: Mustaf‘il, Fa‘ālātun, Maf‘ūlātn
–– ــ U U / –ـ U ــ U / –ـ ــ / –ـ ــ

Rhyme: Hazzaj, Eighth, Aghrab

“Oh, you with a heart that is full of doubt, purify your heart
And let it go from all except the beloved alone.”

Zarbi

Metre: Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘ālātun, Fa‘alun
–– U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / –ـ ــ

Rhyme: Raml, Eighth, Makhboun Mahzouf (Monophthongized)

“Strange is the theft of a kiss; it is a theft with great profit,
For if it is taken back, it is returned doubly.”

Kershameh

Metre: Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘ālatun, Fa‘alun
–– U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ

Rhyme: Raml, Makhboun Mahzouf

“The sword, the knife, the spear, and the chain
Lie in the iron, just as a flock lies in the desert.”

Kindness

Give me the glad tidings, O solitude, unveiling the musk,
For from the desert of Khotan, the fragrant doe has arrived.

The cry of the burning ones has brought forth a tear,
A cry that is the sole companion of the poor lover has arrived.

Broken

The bird of the heart, once again, is enamoured by the bow of the eyebrow;
O dove, be wary, for the hawk has arrived.

O cupbearer, pour the wine and do not worry about friend or foe,
For in the end, the desires of the heart will be fulfilled, and this has come to pass.

The Foundation of Love

Meter: Mafa’ulun Fa’latun Maf’ulun F’lan
Pattern: U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / U U —
Ocean: Muktath Thamman Makhboun Mahdhouf

Introduction

In these times, a friend free of flaws
Is like pure wine and the ship of ghazal.

Choose your path carefully, for the way to serenity is narrow,
Take the cup, for life is precious and without comparison.

Kindness

I am not weary from inactivity in this world,
For even scholars grow weary of knowledge without action.

To the eye of reason, in this turbulent path,
The world and its affairs are unstable and without purpose.

Broken

My heart had great hope for union with your face,
But death, in its way, robs the life of all.

The fates of the ill-fated, by their very destiny,
Cannot be cleansed, and this is the way it is.

Take the lock of a moon-faced one and do not speak of it,
For fortune and misfortune are influenced by Venus and Saturn.

Every structure you see is subject to flaws,
Except the structure of love, which is free from flaws.

The Cry of the Lover

Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun F’lan
Pattern: — U — — / — U — — / — U —
Ocean: Raml Mosa’add Makfoof

One night, Majnun, in the secluded place of secrets,
Spoke in whispers with his own God.

“Why, O God, have you made me mad?
For the sake of a single Layla, you have made my heart bleed!”

O God, am I lesser than an idol-worshipper?
You have made me a lover; help me, for I cry out!

Reckless Enemy

Meter: Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Mustaf’il Fa’ Lun
Pattern: — — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — —
Ocean: Hazzaj Thamman Akhrab Makhboun Mahdhouf

I, adorned with love, see no desire in my heart
But your love alone is the true harvest within my soul.

I am a lover, and fear and danger do not concern me;
What danger exists for a lover, save from “the Truth”?

I fear no foe, for I am my own enemy,
What harm can come from “the Truth”?

Everything my heart and eyes have seen, has been of you;
No one but you shines in my eyes.

My heart, bound by your love, has gone beyond itself,
I am glad of this calamity, which comes upon me again and again.

The World is a Star

Meter: Maf’ailun Maf’ailun Fa’ulun
Pattern: U — — — / U — — — / U — —
Ocean: Jaded or Raml Mosa’add Mahdhouf

You think the world is anything other than this?
There is no earth or sky besides what you see.

I have heard that each star is a world of its own,
And each of them has its own separate earth and sky.

The Scent of Love

Meter: Maf’ailun Maf’ailun Fa’ulun
Pattern: U — — — / U — — — / U — —
Ocean: Jaded or Raml Mosa’add Mahdhouf

I have heard that Majnun, overwhelmed by thoughts of Layla,
Tore his shirt and rushed towards her tomb.

He saw a child fallen on the road,
And the child’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

He asked the child for the tomb of Layla,
And the child laughed, saying:

“O Majnun, if you were in love,
Would you not seek me out with this request?”

Go, search through this desert,
Pick up every grain of dust and smell it.

Wherever you find the scent of love,
Know that Layla’s tomb is surely there.

The Concerned Eye

Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’ Lun
Pattern: — U — — / U U — — / U — — / — —
Ocean: Raml Thamman Makhboun Mahdhouf (Makhsour)

The skull of Farhad collapsed from his head,
Yet his eye still lingers anxiously on the path to Shirin.

The Glimpse of Beauty

Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Pattern: — U — — / — U — — / — U —
Ocean: Raml Mosa’add Mahdhouf

A beautiful bud bloomed in the garden,
The mystic saw it with the eye of insight and passed by.

When a free poet arrived at the garden,
He evaluated the beauty of the bud with his soul and left.

After that, both came, heartless,
Indifferent to the thoughts of the flower, they plucked it and left.

The Story of the Reed

Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
Pattern: — U — — / — U — — / — U —
Ocean: Raml Mosa’add Mahdhouf

Listen to the reed as it tells a tale,
A tale of separation and longing.

From the reed bed, they severed me,
And from my lament, both men and women have wept.

I have lamented in every gathering,
With those who are ill at heart, and those who are joyous.

My heart, torn by separation,
I shall again speak of the pain of longing.

The Corners of the Bayat-e-Tork Mode

Bakhtiari
Metre: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lun
(— U — / U U — / U — / — —)
Bah’r: Raml Muthamman Makhboun Mahzoof (Maqsoor)

“It does not come true by mere desire, nor is it attained through longing. Many a drop of blood must be shed on this path.”

Buslik
Metre: Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Fa’ulun
( U — — / U — — / U — )
Bah’r: Jadeed or Huzaj Musaddas Mahzoof

“The house is empty of strangers, drinking only for you, for none but you is the beloved of the world.”

Chakawk
Metre: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
( — U — — / — U — — / — U — )
Bah’r: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof

“I desire to tell the story of the pain of separation, until I express the details of the agony of longing.”

Chahar-Mazrab
Metre: Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun
( U — — — / U — — / U — — / U — — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Muthamman Salim

“Live with both good and bad in such a way that after your death, an ‘Arfi would be washed in Zamzam and a Hindu would be burnt.”

Hazin
Metre: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’
( — — U — / — — U — / — — U — / — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Majboob

“Although my youth passed in pursuit of education, my heart wandered in the path of books and imagination. I will approach the presence of God in shame, for my life was spent in delusions and falsehoods.”

Khajasteh
Metre: Maf’ul Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Fa’
( — — U / U — U — / U — — / — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Ruba’i meter)

“What is said in the beginning should remain unsaid, for everything we speak is other than that.”

Zanguleh
Metre: Mustaf’al Mustaf’al Mustaf’al Fa’lun
( Mafa’ul Mafā’il Mafā’il Fa’ulun )
( — — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“It is not permissible to avoid death for two days, for the day that fate is decreed, there is no escape, and on the day that fate is not yet written, death is not permitted.”

Sepehr
Metre: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
( — U — — / — U — — / — U — )
Bah’r: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof

“How long will you desire a shirt for your body? Let go of the body, so that you no longer desire a shirt.”

Salmak
Metre: Maf’ul Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Fa’
( — — U / U — U — / U — — / — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Ruba’i meter)

“In the slaughterhouse of love, only the good are killed. The vile and those with ugly hearts are not killed. If you are a true lover, do not fear being killed, for anyone who is not killed is dead.”

Iraq
Metre: Mustaf’ilun Mafā’ilu Mustaf’ilun Fa’al
( — — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“The heart is not a pigeon that, once it flies, returns; it does not sit in the corner of a roof after flying.”

Nihib
Metre: Mustaf’al Mustaf’al Mustaf’al Fa’lun
( — — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — — )
Bah’r: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“It does not matter if this house is empty of all possessions; though I am trapped, I am free, and I am free. Love and loyalty are rare, the goods of the wise. Though my hands are empty, I am content.”

Nareh
Metre: Mafā’ilun Mafā’ilun Fa’ulun
( U — — / U — — / U — )
Bah’r: Jadeed or Huzaj Musaddas Mahzoof

“I heard that you are selling coral, but you are selling it at the price of your soul.”

Nafir
Metre: Maf’ul Fa’lat Mafā’il Fa’lan
( Mustaf’ilun Mafā’ilu Mustaf’ilun Fa’al )
( — — U / — — U U / — — U — / — — )
Bah’r: Mudāri’ Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“In the doctor’s book of wisdom, there is no chapter on love. O heart, learn to bear the pain, and do not ask for the name of the cure.”

Karma’s Recompense

Prosodic Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
(— U — — / — U — — / — U — — / — U —)
Rhythm: Raml Muthamman Mahzoof
“The marketplace of the recompense of deeds is hot. If man were perceptive, each day would be the Day of Judgment.”

Fate’s Bond

Prosodic Meter: Mustaf’ilu Fa’latu Fa’lan
Maf’ul Mafa’ilun Fa’ulun
(— — U / U — U — / U — — )
Rhythm: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqsoor Mahzoof
“Rise from your own fate’s bond, be caught in others’ fate’s bond.”

The Solitude’s Journey

Prosodic Meter: Maf’ul Fa’latu Mafā’il Fa’lan
Mustaf’ilun Mafa’ilu Mustaf’ilun Fa’l
(— — U / U — U / U — / U —)
Rhythm: Mudhār’ Muthamman Akhrab Mahzoof
“We, the night travelers, who journey in solitude, will look upon the crown of kings with contempt.”

Unity

Prosodic Meter: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’l
(— — U / — — U — / — — U —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Mahzoof Majboob
“In our creed, the rosary and the girdle are one; the idol temple and the Ka’bah, both are one.
If, like certainty, you are covered in armor, know that in this garden, both the rose and the thorn are one.”

Enemy Friend

Prosodic Meter: Maf’ul Mafā’ilun Mafa’ilun Fa’l
(— — U / U — U — / U — — / —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quadratic Meter)
“When my condition is bad in the lane of a true friend, my enemy will tell me to strip off my skin.
When my ruthless enemy is sent by the friend, I would be disloyal if I didn’t accept the enemy’s love.”

Most Alert

Prosodic Meter: Maf’ul Mafa’ilun Mafā’ilun Fa’l
(— — U / U — U — / U — — / —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quadratic Meter)
“The one most alert among the world’s creatures is the poorest, the most silent, and the most inactive.
In the garden, the gardener said, the most fruitful tree is the one with the least fruit.”

Wail

Prosodic Meter: Mustaf’ilu Fa’latu Fa’lan
Maf’ul Mafa’ilun Fa’ulun
(— — U / U — U — / U — / —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqsoor Mahzoof
“If everything is you, then what is this world?
If I am not anything, then what is this cry?
Both everything and nothing is you; whatever exists beyond you, what is it?”

Reconstruction

Prosodic Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
(— U — — / — U — — / — U —)
Rhythm: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof
“Every old building that is renovated does not destroy its ancient parts; it transforms them into something renewed.”

The Honour of Contentment

Prosodic Meter: Maf’ul Fa’latu Mafā’il Fa’lan
Mustaf’ilun Mafa’ilu Mustaf’ilun Fa’l
(— — U / U — U / U — / U —)
Rhythm: Mudhār’ Muthamman Akhrab Mahzoof
“We do not bring the honour of poverty and contentment to show; tell the king that sustenance is ordained for every soul.”

For Oneself

Prosodic Meter: Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun
(U — — — / U — — / U — — / U — —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Muthamman Salim
“Many boast of loyalty to their beloved, but they seek to possess them for themselves, rather than themselves being possessed for the other’s sake.”

Fountain of Grace

Prosodic Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
(— U — — / — U — — / — U —)
Rhythm: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof
“Crying is the remedy for every pain that has no cure; the tearful eye is the fountain of God’s grace.”

Self and Fortune’s Sting

Prosodic Meter: Mafa’ilun Mafa’ilun Fa’ulun
(U — — / U — — / U — / —)
Rhythm: Jadeed or Huzaj Musaddas Mahzoof
“When fortune comes to a servant, all strangers turn to kin.
When the days of fortune’s return arrive, even the door and wall will strike you with their sting.”

Balance of Scales

Prosodic Meter: Fa’latun Fa’latun Fa’lan
(— U — — / — U — — / — U —)
Rhythm: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof
“One corrects the scales, ensuring balance, while another misadjusts it by lowering.”

Chapter Three: The Corners of the Dastgah-e-Dashti Mode

Buslik

Prosodic Meter: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’l
Maf’ul Mafa’ilu Mafa’il Fa’l
(— — U / — — U — / — — U — / —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Mahzoof Majboob
“In you, all that is apparent and hidden is nothing; all certainties and doubts are null.
No trace of your essence can be shown, for where you exist, all signs are meaningless.”

The Moth

Prosodic Meter: Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’l
Maf’ul Mafa’ilu Mafa’il Fa’l
(— — U / — — U — / — — U — / —)
Rhythm: Huzaj Muthamman Akhrab Mahzoof Majboob
“The essence of life is divine, and the world is the body. The angels are the forces of this body.”

The Moth

Prosodic Meter: Mafa’ilun Fa’latun Mafa’ilun Fa’lun
(U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / U U —)
Rhythm: Mujtasth Muthamman Mahzoof
“The beauty of the beloved has no veil, yet the dust of the road shows the way if you seek with your eyes.”

Shahnaaz

Prosodic Weight: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ

Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Majboob

“When the signs of both worlds were not present,
There were no foreign marks upon the tablet of existence.
My beloved and I were one and the same,
In the corner of solitude where no one dwelled.”

Ashaq
Prosodic Weight: Mafa‘ilun Fa‘latun Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ Lun
U ــ U ــ / U U ــ ــ / U ــ U ــ / ــ ــ

Meter: Mujtasth Muthamman Makfoof Mahzoof

“The giver who bestowed upon the flower its fragrance and upon the clay its soul,
To everyone, whatever was due, he gave with wisdom.”

Ghamangiz
Prosodic Weight: Mafa‘ilun Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ulun
U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“Why do you not come to my side when I drink?
Why do you not stay with me when I am in need of a friend?
You who are no remedy for the wounds of my heart,
Why must you salt my sorrowful wounds?”

Ghayb
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ

Meter: Raml Muthamman Mahzoof

“I am resigned to death; it does not come to me,
A bad fortune that, even from death, must be drawn.”

Kershmah
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ

Meter: Raml Mussadas Mahzoof

“One must ride a horse that can bear the burden of Rustam,
For strength, as much as it exists, comes from the body itself.”

Kershmah
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ

Meter: Raml Mussadas Mahzoof

“The one who burns your garden gives you grapes,
Amidst grief, he will offer you a face of comfort.”

Kershmah
Prosodic Weight: Mafa‘ilun Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ulun
U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“You are everything, and without you, there is nothing,
Why should the self ask for forgiveness from itself?”

Gabrī
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ Lun
ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / ــ ــ

Meter: Raml Mussadas Makhboon Maqsour

“A lamenting sigh resembles a file,
For if it does not cut itself, it sharpens the one who holds it.”

Gabrī
Prosodic Weight: Maf‘ulun Fa‘ilat Mafa‘il Fa‘ilun
ــ ــ U ــ / U ــ U U / ــ U ــ / U ــ

Meter: Mudara‘ Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“What regret we have for those friends who have gone,
Are we not those who have chosen a place to stay?”

Maghlub
Prosodic Weight: Mafa‘ilun Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ulun
U ــ ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“My heart, anxious from the words of ‘Qalu Balla,’
My sin, troubled by the rain, is more persistent.”

Maghlub
Prosodic Weight: Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ilatun Mafa‘ilun Fa‘ Lun
U ــ U ــ / U U ــ ــ / U ــ U ــ / ــ ــ

Meter: Mujtasth Muthamman Makfoof Mahzoof

“She has no veil nor mask, the beloved of my heart,
You yourself are your own veil, O Hafiz, rise from the midst of it.”

Mansouri
Prosodic Weight: Maf‘ulun Mafa‘ilun Maf‘ulun Mafa‘ilun (Traditional Prosody)
Mustaf‘il Mafa‘ilun Mustaf‘il Mafa‘ilun (Modern Prosody)
ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ / ــ ــ U U / ــ ــ ــ

Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Akhrab

“O hidden in all worlds, and apparent in all,
Both the pain of the lover and the cure for the afflicted are you.”

Mansouri
Prosodic Weight: Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Mustaf‘ilun Fa‘
ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ ــ U ــ / ــ

Meter: Hazzaj Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Majboob

“No one can see besides you, for there is no other than you,
Because you are the essence of all that exists.”

Mansouri
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ ــ / ــ U ــ

Meter: Raml Mussadas Mahzoof

“This world is a mountain, and our actions are the call,
Only what comes forth from it echoes back.”

Mouyeh
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / ــ ــ

Meter: Raml Muthamman Makhboon Mahzoof (Maqsoor)

“The one who constantly wishes for our burning,
Would have come and watched from a distance.”

Mouyeh
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ulun Fa‘ulun Fa‘ulun Fa‘al
U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ ــ / U ــ

Meter: Mutaqarib Muthamman Mahzoof

“All of the world’s body is a lesson,
It is either before or after it, wonder and regret.”

Mouyeh
Prosodic Weight: Muft‘ilun Mafa‘ilun Muft‘ilun Mafa‘ilun
ــ U U ــ / U ــ U ــ / ــ U U ــ / U ــ U ــ

Meter: Rajaz Muthamman Makhboon

“Until the lawful face arrives, I shall remain unlawful,
Do not speak of the day as if it is already night.”

Mouyeh
Prosodic Weight: Maf‘ul Fa‘ilat Mafa‘il Fa‘ilun
Mustaf‘ilun Mafa‘il Mafa‘il Fa‘al
ــ ــ U ــ / U ــ U U / ــ U ــ / U ــ

Meter: Mudara‘ Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“Let my lips taste wine, my hair in disarray, my eyes intoxicated,
How many places shall I hide this broken heart?”

Mehrabani
Prosodic Weight: Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilatun Fa‘ilun
ــ U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / U U ــ ــ / ــ ــ

Meter: Raml Muthamman Makhboon Mahzoof (Maqsoor)

“If you reason this matter, it will be clear,
For each stream, when it arises, turns muddy at the source.”

Naqous
Prosodic Weight: Maf‘ul Fa‘ilat Mafa‘il Fa‘ilun
Mustaf‘ilun Mafa‘il Mustaf‘il Fa‘al
ــ ــ U ــ / U ــ U U / ــ U ــ / U ــ

Meter: Mudara‘ Muthamman Akhrab Makfoof Mahzoof

“It is only love that shows itself in both worlds,

Not always in form, but its movement in the heart and soul.” Naavandi (Navaandi)

Metric Pattern:
مفاعلُن فَعَلاتن مفاعلن فَع لُن
(U — U — / U U — — / U — U — / — —)

Meter: Mujtath Mathman Makhboon Mahzoof

“As much as a beam of light falls through a small opening in the house, although the entire world is filled with the light of the sun.”

Niriz (Niriz)

Metric Pattern:
فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن
— U — — / — U — — / — U — — / — U —

Meter: Raml Mathman Mahzoof

“I, whose paradise is achieved today, why should I believe the promises of the ascetic for tomorrow?”

Heyhat (Heyhat)

Metric Pattern:
مفعول فاعلات مفاعيل فاعلن
مستفعلن مفاعلُ مستفعلن فَعَل
— — U — / U — U U / — U — / U —

Meter: Mudarra’ Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

“When you extend your hand of greed towards the destitute, you have built a bridge to cross at the cost of your own honour.”

Dastgah-e Dashtestani (Dashtestani Mode)

Bi-To (Without You)

Metric Pattern:
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فَعُولُن
U — — — / U — — — / U — —

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“The night I was with you, I remember that night. The night I was without you, oh the sorrow of that night.”

Viraneh-ye Ishq (The Ruin of Love)

Metric Pattern:
مستفعل مستفعل مستفعل فَع لُن (Modern Versification)
مفعول مفاعيل مفاعيل فعولن (Traditional Versification)
— — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — —

Meter: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

“I burn and I build, but I have no voice! In the kingdom of my heart, I have no home to live in.”

Ghamze-ye Shokh (The Flirtatious Wink)

Metric Pattern:
مستفعل مستفعل مستفعل فَع
مفعول مفاعيل مفاعيل فَعَل
— — U — / — — U — / — — U — / —

Meter: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Majboob

“That idol, whose complexion rivals the beauty of flowers and jasmines, through her flirtatious glances, causes the turmoil of men and women.”

Faryad-e Bi-Waqfeh (The Unceasing Scream)

Metric Pattern:
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فَعُولُن
U — — — / U — — — / U — —

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“I cried out in agony, my heart turned to smoke. What did I gain from the world when it went away?”

Darya-ye Talatam (The Turbulent Sea)

Metric Pattern:
مستفعل مستفعل مستفعل فَع لُن
— — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — —

Meter: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

“My youthful spirit became filled with sorrow, and my youth became imbued with sadness and grief.”

Shab-e Raaz (The Night of Secrets)

Metric Pattern:
مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن فَع
مفعول مفاعيل مفاعيل فَعَل
— — U — / — — U — / — — U — / —

Meter: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Majboob

“Rise, for the lovers seek to speak their secrets at night. Wherever there is a door, it is closed by the night, except for the one who opens it for the beloved.”

Mehrabani (Kindness)

Metric Pattern:
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فَعُولُن
U — — — / U — — — / U — —

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“How sweet is it to be without kindness, to have no burden, yet kindness itself can be a source of sorrow.”

Gooshe-ye Daramad (The Corner of the Introduction)

Metric Pattern:
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فَعُولُن
U — — — / U — — — / U — —

Meter: Jadeed or Hazzaj Mussadas Mahzoof

“You, who have not read the sacred books, who have not walked in the tavern’s path, how can you know your own profit and loss?”

Bousalik (Bousalik)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
— — U U / — U — U / — — — —

Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab

Poetry:
O heart, do not begin a conversation with anyone,
Do not reveal your inner secret to anyone.

Do not speak with the ignorant,
Do not open your lips when there is no willing ear to hear.

Bousalik (Bousalik)

Meter:
مفعول فاعلات مفاعيل فاعلن
مستفعلن مفاعلُ مستفعلن فَعَل
— — U — / U — U U / — U — / U —

Rhyme Scheme: Mudarra’ Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

Poetry:
My pain is hidden, better than that of the pretentious physicians,
Perhaps from the treasures of the unseen, they shall provide a cure.

Chahar-Mazrab (Fourfold)

Meter:
مستفعل مستفعل مستفعل فَع لُن
مفعول مفاعيل مفاعيل فعولن
— — U U / — — U U / — — U U / — —

Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

Poetry:
In the corner, with a book, and a companion or two,
The number should not exceed four.

Wine, music, food, and companions,
The cupbearer should not be anyone other than the lover.

If this fortune reaches Ibn Yamin,
He will not care for anyone else in this world.

Hissar (Fortress)

Meter:
مفعول مفاعلن مفاعيلن فع
— — U / U — U — / U — — — / —

Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quartet Meter)

Poetry:
O Lord, how delightful it is to laugh without speech,
To be without the burden of mankind’s gaze.

Sit and travel, for it is a most noble act,
Without effort, you may circle the entire world.

Hissar (Fortress)

Meter:
فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن
— U — — / — U — — / — U —
Rhyme Scheme: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof

Poetry:
The moon sheds light, and the dog barks,
Each person behaves according to their nature.

Khajasteh (Blessed)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ فع لن
مفعول مفاعلن فعولن
— — U / U — U — / U — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqbooz Mahzoof

Poetry:
I am mad and my heart is pure,
From the hands of the moon, my heart is torn.

O drunken lover, give me your hand,
I went on a journey where the city is dust.

Sepehr (Heaven)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
— — U U / — U — U / — — — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab

Poetry:
From the house of the body, leave, O heart, and be the soul,
Escape from the city of the soul, and seek the beloved.

Pass like lightning over the mountains and plains of possibility,
Then, wandering around the lover’s street, remain lost.

Kershameh (Coquetry)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
— — U U / — U — U / — — — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab

Poetry:
The beard devoid of wisdom and the hand void of generosity,
The beard becomes like a broom, and the hand like a paddle.

Nahr (Roar)

Meter:
مفعول مفاعلن مفاعيلن فع
— — U / U — U — / U — — — / —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quartet Meter)

Poetry:
The one who gave me the crown of kingship,
Has given us all the tools of disarray.

He clothed himself and saw the fault in others,
Those without faults were given the garments of nakedness.

Naghmeh (Tune)

Meter:
مستفعلن مفاعلُ مستفعلن فَعَل
— — U — / U — U U / — U — / U —
Rhyme Scheme: Mudarra’ Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Mahzoof

Poetry:
Chivalry is abolished and loyalty is lost,
And both are left as legends, like the phoenix and alchemy.

Nafir (Horn)

Meter:
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن مفاعیلن مفاعیلن
U — — — / U — — — / U — — — / U — — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Mathman Salim

Poetry:
I want you, I want only you, I do not want anyone else,
If you wish, let us move to mercy, open the gates, and free us from calamity.

Nawab (Sovereigns)

Meter:
مفعول مفاعلن مفاعیلن فع
— — U / U — U — / U — — — / —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab (Quartet Meter)

Poetry:
I sat in my home, heart-wounded,
And bowed my head due to my sins.

A voice came, saying, “Do not grieve, O poor one,
You do your duty, and we do ours.”

Dastgah-e Dughah (Twofold Mode)

Hijab-e Rah (The Veil of the Path)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
— — U U / — U — U / — — — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab

Poetry:
I and my desire were veils upon the path,
When one is gone, what am I but a shadow?

Negar-e Shahr (The Beauty of the City)

Meter:
فاعلاتن فَعَلاتن فَعَلاتن فَع لُن
— U — — / U U — — / U U — — / — —
Rhyme Scheme: Raml Mathman Makhoob Mahzoof

Poetry:
In the city, there is no beauty that can capture our hearts,
If by destiny, my lover comes, my heart shall be taken away.

Hifz-e Maratib (Preservation of Levels)

Meter:
مستفعلُ فاعلاتُ مفعولاتن
— — U U / — U — U / — — — —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Musaddas Akhrab

Poetry:
Every level of existence has its own rule,
If you do not preserve the levels, you will live in vain.

To Man (You and I)

Meter:
مستفعلن مستفعلن مستفعلن فَع
— — U — / — — U — / — — U — / —
Rhyme Scheme: Hazzaj Mathman Akhreb Makfoof Majboob

Poetry:
You are me and I am you,
Both soul and body, and neither body nor soul.

Gosheh-ha-ye Dastgah-e Dughah (The Corners of the Twofold Mode)

Parvaneh (Moth)

Meter:
فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن
— U — — / — U — — / — U —
Rhyme Scheme: Raml Musaddas Mahzoof

Poetry:
If God wishes to help us,
Let our desires lean towards supplication.

Chahar-Mazrab (Fourfold)

Meter:
فعلات فاعلاتن فَعَلات فاعلاتن
U U — U / — U — — / U U — U / — U — —
Rhyme Scheme: Raml Mathman Mashkool

Poetry:
What should I fear from death, when you are the one who kills me,
From my ruin, why should I fear, when you have given me fate?

This section of Persian poetry extensively explores various metrical patterns and classical poetic forms used in traditional Persian poetry. The following presents an analysis of different ‘Arūżī (metrical) structures and the respective Bahrs (meters) in classical Persian poetic composition.

1. Gulrīz
   Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘iln
   (–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U––)
   Meter Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “There is no inclination of the right, except for the inclination of my love;
   My only existence is the red love of the One.”
2. Manṣūrī
   Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘iln
   (–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U––)
   Meter Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “If he opens the door of grandeur,
   Even Gabriel will remain in awe forever.”
3. Mīglī
   Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘iln
   (–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U––)
   Meter Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “A slight attention to creation is enough to revive it;
   If He expresses a whim, all forms will crumble.”
4. Nīrīz
   Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘iln
   (–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U––)
   Meter Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “Whether you drink from the stream or from the wine cup,
   Even the wine cup’s help comes from the stream.”
5. Nafīr
   Meter: Mafā‘īlūn Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘ūlūn
   (U –– –– / U –– –– / U –– ––)
   Meter Type: Jadīd or Hazzāj Musaddas Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “Whether I speak your name or not,
   The meaning of all my words is you.”
6. Nawāb
   Meter: Fa‘lātn Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘ln
   (U U –– / U –– U –– / U U ––)
   Meter Type: Khafīf Makhbūn Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “You are of such great worth in both worlds,
   What can I do when you do not know your own worth?”

Chapter Three: Dastgāh-e-Nawā (The Mode of Nawā)

Dastgāh (Mode)

This is where Bayāt Rājah, ‘Ishāq (the lovers), Shikasta (the broken), and Bīdād (oppression) merge into the primary mode of Nawā.

1. Malk-e-Jahān (King of the World)
   Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fa‘lātn Fa‘lātn Fa‘aln
   (–– U –– / U U –– / U U –– / U U ––)
   Meter Type: Raml Muthamman Makhbūn Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “The world does not have enough to be envious of,
   Nor to sorrow over its existence and non-existence.”
2. Mubṭil al-Kalām (The Disruptor of Speech)
   Meter: Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Mustaf‘il Fa‘ln
   (–– –– U U / –– –– U U / –– –– U U)
   Meter Type: Hazzāj Muthamman Akhrab Makhfūf Mahzūf
   Poem Example:
   “O one whose mouth is indivisible,
   A length with no width lies within you.”

This segment continues to list several other meters and provides the respective Bahrs for each, including terms like Hazzāj, Khafīf, and Mustaf‘il. The examples of poems associated with each metrical pattern explore both philosophical and emotional themes.

The diversity of ‘Arūżī patterns in Persian poetry allows for a nuanced exploration of rhythm and sound, making each poem not only a piece of literary art but also a rich musical expression. The study of Dastgāh-e-Nawā represents a convergence of the poetic and musical traditions, underscoring the importance of meter in the art of Persian verse.

Rajas
Prosodic Meter: Fa‘latan Fa‘latan Fa‘latan Fa‘lun
(–– U –– / U U –– / U U –– / U U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
Do not ask about the face of the sun from the bat,
For in this mirror, even the experts are bewildered.

The wise are the point of the compass of existence, but
Love knows that within this circle, they are lost.

Rahāw
Prosodic Meter: Fa‘latan Fa‘latan Fa‘latan Fa‘lun
(–– U –– / U U –– / U U –– / U U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
No one knew where the beloved’s abode is,
But we hear the sound of the bell approaching.

Zanguleh
Prosodic Meter: Mafa‘īlūn Mafa‘īlūn Mafa‘īlūn Mafa‘īlūn
(U –– –– / U –– –– / U –– –– / U –– ––)
Verse Type: Hazzāj Musaddas Sālim

Poem Example:
Come, sell this deceptive robe, O ascetic,
For there is no true virtue in the ascetic’s false piety.

Shīrāz
Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘latan Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘lun
(U –– U –– / U U –– / U –– U –– / U U ––)
Verse Type: Mujtath Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
A thousand times I wish to speak with musk and rose,
Yet still, mentioning your name is the height of impoliteness.

Ghamangīz
Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fā‘iln
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U –– / –– U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
Serving with sincerity is to do the work of the divine,
Alas! Where is the land of devotion in the land of servitude?

Whoever thinks of themselves as a man of God,
Yet in the dead of night, where is their heart-wrenching cry?

Qurā’ī
Prosodic Meter: Mafa‘īlūn Mafa‘īlūn Fa‘ūlūn
(U –– –– / U –– –– / U –– ––)
Verse Type: Jadīd or Hazzāj Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
The purpose of knowledge and wisdom is in action,
Not in study, debate, or eloquent speech.

Qurā’ī
Prosodic Meter: Muftalīn Muftalīn Fa‘aln
(–– U U –– / –– U U –– / –– U ––)
Verse Type: Sari‘ Musaddas Matwī Makhshūf

Poem Example:
Do not circle the fire like a salamander,
For courage must precede, then comes the battle.

Kharshma
Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fa‘aln
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
No one can know the essence and attributes of perfection,
Except through its effects and examples.

So if you say, “I know,” it is not far off,
And if you say, “I do not know,” it is no force.

Gabrī
Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘iln Mustaf‘iln Mustaf‘iln Fa‘al
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U –– / U ––)
Verse Type: Hazzāj Musaddas Akhrab Makhfūf Majbūb

Poem Example:
The neighbor, companion, and friend are all He,
In the beggar’s cloak or the king’s royal garment, it is all He.

In the assembly, difference and hidden things collect,
By God, it is all Him, then by God, all of it is Him.

Mathnawī
Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fa‘aln
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U –– / –– U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
How many devils, disguised as humans, exist?
So be cautious, for not every hand should be trusted.

How many desert giants appear,
Offering a path, yet leading to a pitfall.

Mansūrī
Prosodic Meter: Fā‘ilātn Fā‘ilātn Fa‘aln
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U –– / –– U ––)
Verse Type: Raml Musaddas Mahzūf

Poem Example:
The love of Layla makes Qays mad,
Such is its beauty, and what else can it do?

Mawīyah
Prosodic Meter: Maf‘ūl Fā‘ilāt Mafa‘īl Fā‘iln
(–– U –– / U –– U U / –– U –– / U ––)
Verse Type: Muḍāri‘ Musaddas Akhrab Makhfūf Mahzūf

Poem Example:
Thousands of scattered atoms rush in the sunlight,
Unaware of the fact that the sun itself is a mystery.

Mawīyah
Prosodic Meter: Maf‘ūl Fa‘ilātn Maf‘ūl Fa‘ilātn
(–– U –– / U –– –– / –– U –– / U –– ––)
Verse Type: Muḍāri‘ Musaddas Akhrab

Poem Example:
I said, “One day I will reach you, my love,”
She replied, “Look carefully, perhaps you are already there.”

Nāqūs
Prosodic Meter: Mustaf‘iln Mustaf‘iln Mustaf‘iln Fa‘al
(–– U –– / –– U –– / –– U –– / U ––)
Verse Type: Hazzāj Musaddas Akhrab Makhfūf Majbūb

Poem Example:
The moth first places its soul in the palm of the hand,
Then seeks to embrace the flame.

Naghmah
Prosodic Meter: Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘latan Mafā‘īlūn Fa‘lun
(U –– U –– / U U –– / U –– U –– / U U ––)
Verse Type: Mujtath Musaddas Makhbūn Mahzūf

Poem Example:
The veil on your face is still your face in every state,
Hidden from the world, yet most visible to all.

Chapter Three: Combining the Modes

Combining is the skill of a singer in using various forms and variations in their voice. A professional musician pays special attention to this and strives to achieve mastery. Combining involves two main aspects: one in which the singer transitions between different modes and sections, showing their ability to play with melodies and themes, and the other where two or more singers challenge each other, demonstrating their skill in transitioning correctly into different modes and sections.

The concept of Maqām (Musical Modes) is rooted in the intricate combination of different pitches, rhythms, and emotional tones, with its structure based on intuition, nature, and mathematical principles. The challenge for modern musicians lies in understanding not only the musical but also the philosophical and emotional significance behind each mode, which transcends mere technical proficiency.

The Index of Works of His Eminence Ayatollah Nokoan (May His Shadow Endure)

The index of works of His Eminence Ayatollah Nokoan (May His Shadow Endure) encompasses a wide-ranging collection of his scholarly, jurisprudential, philosophical, social, and theological contributions. These works reflect the vast breadth of his research and academic activity in various fields. Below is a selection of his most significant works:

1. The Fire of the Beloved
2. The Fire of Wrath
3. The Fire of Will
4. The Adornment of the Absolute
5. The Intellectual Freedom of Seminary Scholars and the Tyranny of the Oppressors
6. Freedom in Bondage
7. The Contentment of a Pure Life
8. The Contentment of the Playful Soul
9. Social Maladies
10. The Sanctuary of Purity
11. The Water Jug
12. The Creation of Man and Materialism
13. Education in Iranian Traditional Music
14. The Voice of Nokoan
15. The Sigh
16. The Verses of Jurisprudence and Quranic Jurisprudence
17. The Verse by Verse Clarity
18. The Method of Rational Thinking
19. The Method of Justice
20. The Cloud and Rain
21. The Deceptive Devil
22. Sacred Ijtihad
23. Medical Rulings
24. Rulings on Gambling
25. Rulings on Observing Women
26. Contemporary Jurisprudence
27. What Do the Akhbari Say?
28. What Do the Akhbari and Usuli Say?
29. The Star of the Heart
30. The Means of Revelation
31. Short Interpretation of the Quranic Verses and Chapters for Divination
32. Islam: A Forever Living Identity
33. Principles and Foundations of Religious Propagation
34. What Do the Usuli Say?
35. The Fallen Locks
36. The Economics of Religious Seminaries and the Salaries of Religious Students
37. Healthy Economics, Diseased Economics
38. The Jurisprudential Commentaries
39. Commentary on the Forbidden Profits
40. An Introduction to the Explanation of the Principles of Monotheism
41. The Simple Body and Its Divisions
42. The Nine Jurisprudential Treatises
43. The Seven Theological Treatises
44. Music and Dance
45. The Modern Index of Jurisprudence
46. The Modern Index of Shiite Jurisprudence
47. Jurisprudential Principles
48. Models of Religious Thought
49. The Sunboki Debates in Jurisprudential Arts
50. The Handhold (2 Volumes)
51. The Guardianship and Government
52. The Right Imam: Fatimah 3, The Imam of Love: Husayn 9
53. Human Beings and the World of Life
54. The Companion of the Houris
55. The Islamic Revolution: Challenges and Proposals
56. The Islamic Revolution and the Republic of Muslims
57. The Cultural Revolution
58. The Finger of Charm
59. The Inner Knowledge
60. The Essentials of Religious Studies and the Meaning of Religion
61. The Immediacy of Knowledge of God
62. The Spring of Renewal
63. A Leaf from the Pathology of the Islamic Revolution
64. The Banquet of Glances
65. The Divine Glad Tidings
66. The Intrepid Pursuer
67. The Heights of Shiite Jurisprudence (9 Volumes)
68. The Heights of Knowledge
69. The Blind Monkey
70. The Spring of Supplication
71. The Paradise of Shamran
72. The Soulless and Frenzied Heart
73. A New Research on the Rulings of Dance
74. The Refuge of Annihilation
75. Five Jurisprudential Essays
76. Behavioural Counsels
77. The Cloak’s Snout
78. The Prophet of Love: Husayn 7
79. The Religious Propagation
80. Adornment Theology
81. The True Leaders of Islam
82. The Analytical History of Music in Islam
83. Eternally Living History
84. The Pulse of Faith and Infidelity
85. The Manifestation of Grace
86. The Liberation of the Liberated (3 Volumes)
87. The Infallibility and Authority of the Quran
88. Political Strategies
89. The Translator of Guidance
90. The Deceptive Fabrications
91. The Second Nine: Interaction in Digital and Soft Spaces
92. The Interpretation of Dreams
93. The Interpretation of Small Surahs
94. The Exegesis of Guidance (4 Volumes)
95. The Spectacle of Existence
96. The Divine Likeness
97. The Wish for Union
98. The Only Essence (Fragments)
99. The Sword of Destiny
100. The Magic of the Veil
101. The Magic of the Breath
102. The Comprehensive Book of Jurisprudence
103. The Sociology of Religious Scholars
104. The Cup of Ecstasy
105. The Study of Zoology
106. The Attraction of the Gaze
107. The Majesty of the Devotees
108. The Beauty of the Divine Appearance
109. The Gentleman of the Particle
110. Demonology
111. The Water War
112. War and Colour
113. The Gallant Men
114. The Flight of Imagination
115. The Chaotic World
116. The Framework of Spiritual Progress
117. The New Framework of Shiite Jurisprudence
118. The Reasons for and the Nature of the Islamic Revolution
119. – The Eye of Hope
     – The Perspective of Religious Scholars
     – The Gaze
     – The Spring of Life
     – The Springs of Kawthar
     – The Spring of Grace
     – The Spring of Ruby
     – How to Live, How to Die
     – The Faces of Love
     – The Face of Love
     – The Complex Incident
     – Marginal Notes on the Rules and Benefits
     – Hajj: Abrahamic or Institutional
     – Spiritual Chambers
     – The Heat of the Houris
     – The Sacred Dwelling
     – The Battle of Words
     – Presence: Present and Absent
     – The Presence of Beloveds
     – The Presence of Beauty
     – New Foundations of Rights (2 Volumes)
     – The Reality of the Law in the Jurisprudence of the Covenant (2 Volumes)
     – The Story of Love
     – The Wisdom of Philosophy
     – Sweetness
     – The Carrier of Firewood
     – The Hour of the Houris
     – Seminary: Challenges and Proposals
     – The Confusion of Essence
     – Memory: A Mark on the Face of the Mind
     – Denial of God and the Principles of Atheism
     – Theism and Human Nature
     – The Knowledge of God
     – The God I Worship
     – The Dismal Noise
     – The Qualities of Health and Happiness
     – The Railway of the West
     – The Eternal Punishment of Hellfire
     – The Arch of the Brow
     – The Five Political Messages
     – The Five Sacred Moments
     – The Smile of Newsha
     – The Worthless Pig
     – Sleep, Night, and Awakening
     – The Blood of the Heart (Rubaiyat)
     – White Blood
     – The Tent of Eternity
     – The Green Tent of the Emergence
     – A Story of Disarray in the Veil of Religiousness
     – The Trap of Stubbornness
     – The Hem of Time
     – The Science of Istikhara (5 Volumes)
     – The Literary Culture and the Science of Etymology
     – Knowledge Acquisition and the Violence of the Mind
     – Sufficient Knowledge
     – The Knowledge of Interpretation and Explanation
     – The Knowledge of Remembrance
     – The Knowledge of Spiritual Sufism
     – The Knowledge of Seeking Science
     – The Circle of Existence
     – An Introduction to the Science of Istikhara with the Holy Quran
     – An Introduction to the Knowledge of the Quran
     – An Introduction to the Science of Usul, Rijal, and Diraya
     – The Suffering and Social Problems
     – The Pain of Separation
     – The Tool of Tradition (Translation of Al-Misbah)
     – The Grave of Death
     – The Beloved of the Heart
     – The Heart of the Broken
     – The Heart of the Drunkards
     – The Heartfelt Comfort
     – The Breath of the Heart
     – The World of Jinn and the Deception of Humans
     – The World of Colour
     – The Solitude of Power
     – The Noble State
     – The Saving State
     – Two Meetings of Love
     – The Land Without a Name
     – The Land of Cycles
     – The Vision of the End
     – The Divan of Sheida (Doublets)
     – The Divan of Love and Knowledge (4 Volumes)
     – The Divan of the Beloved
     – The Divan of Wilayah
     – The House of Villainy
     – The Wolfish Demon
     – The Scorned and Humiliated
     – The Secret and the Grace (Masnavi)
     – Rants and Driving
     – Strategic Policies of the Islamic System
     – The Face
     – The Face Without a Mark
     – The Face of Existence
     – The Treatise of Clarification of Issues (2 Volumes)
     – The Dance of Heaven
     – The Dance of Autumn
     – The Dance of the Sword
     – The Dance of Sweetness
     – The Dance of Grace
     – The Psychology of Tyranny
     – The Psychology of Arrogance
     – The Psychology of Fear
     – The Psychology of Ambition
     – The Psychology of Anger
     – The Psychology of Women
     – The Psychology of Sadism
     – The Psychology of Polytheism
     – The Psychology of Nervous Weakness
     – The Psychology of Weakness of the Soul
     – The Psychology of Greed
     – The Psychology of Oppression
     – The Psychology of Love
     – The Psychology of Intelligence
     – The Psychology of Science
     – The Psychology of Willpower
     – The Psychology of Infidelity
     – The Psychology of Genius
     – The Psychology of Imagination
     – The Psychology of Frenzied Soul
     – The Narrative of a Tolerant Economy
     – Spirituality and Leadership
     – The Soul of the World (Rubaiyat)
     – The Method of Interpretation from the Perspective of the Holy Quran
     – The Methodology of the Infallible Leaders and Revolutionary Movements
     – The Glare of Worldliness and Worldly Life
     – The Bloom of Time
     – The Bloom of the Flower
     – Shiite Leaders in the Era of Occultation
     – The Silent Vision
     – The Dreamlike Vision
     – The Body Language
     – The Strum of the Chikawk (2 Volumes)
     – The Strum of the Instrument
     – The Clarity of Mysticism
     – The Disheveled Lock
     – Woman: A Paradise of Beauty and Education
     – The Chain of Equality and the Series of Tyranny
     – Life, Love, or Law
     – Alive in the Emergence
     – Woman: The Perpetual Victim of History (4 Volumes)
     – Woman and Religious Freedom
     – Woman: The Goddess of Love
     – Woman and Life
     – The Beautiful Unseen
     – The Beauty of You
     – Aesthetics
     – The Construction of Poetry
     – Simple in the Colour of God
     – The Goblet of Hura
     – The Shallow-Headed Dragon
     – The Star Without a Mark
     – The Prostration of the Form
     – The Mirage of Mysticism or the Dismayed Breath
     – The Tall Cypress
     – The Hymn of the Lovers
     – The Patriarchy of Men or Women
     – The Grief Sufism
     – The Surah of the Houris
     – The Burn and Construction (Qasa’id)
     – The Pilgrimage of Earth
     – The Wanderings of Thought
     – The Red Path (3 Volumes)
     – The Journey of Love / Memoirs (3 Volumes)
     – The Picture of the Seeker
     – The Horn of the Devil
     – The Night of Exile
     – The Night of Iran (3 Volumes)
     – The Witness of Solitude
     – The Witness of the Lover
     – The Night, Solitude, and the Lightning of Silence
     – The Poison of Grief
     – The Poison of Deception
     – The Emerging Wolf
     – The Wonders of Health
     – The Collective Candle
     – The Candle of Life
     – The Jesting of Alast
     – The Fervour of Sheida
     – The Poison of Rebellion
     – The City of Political Customs
     – The Sheida of Existence
     – The Method of Enforcing Limits
     – The Landlord
     – The New Dawn
     – The Script of Love
     – The Seminary’s Written Page
     – The Purity of Youth
     – The Purity of the Heart
     – The Purity of Spirit
     – The Necessity of Understanding the Sacred Position
     – The Betraying Tyrant
     – The Drum of Tumult
     – The Tamed Nature
     – The Prey of Greed
     – The Rebellion of Desire
     – The Semantics of Seeking and Commitment
     – The Rise of Tomorrow
     – The Pure Tawba
     – The Vessel of Emergence
     – The Pure Emergence
     – The Study of the Appearance of God’s Grace
     – The Mysticism of Love
     – The Qur’an and Economic Grounds
     – The Prophecy of Exile
     **- The Bond ond of the Beloved
     – The God of Intimacy
     – The Ambrosial Beginnings
     – The Whale’s Smell
     – The Paradox of Unity
     – The Magical Chain of Distraction
     – The Verses of the Prophets
     – The Beauty of the Wholeness
     – The Apocalyptic Vision
     – The Fate of Existence
     – The Dancing Flame
     – The Last Destiny