The Works of the Ancestors
The Works of the Ancestors
The achievements of past humanity can be categorised under three main headings, each of which can be considered somewhat ambiguous:
First – the Holy Qur’an, this complete divine book, which, in both historical and non-historical contexts, conveys truths about past peoples.
Second – the trustworthy narrations that have been transmitted to us from the Immaculate Ones and the rightful saints of Islam and Shi’ism (peace be upon them), which are preserved in their full form.
Third – trustworthy events and occurrences which, after careful research and examination, have been deemed significant and whose authenticity has been confirmed.
Research into Historical Deception
It is imperative for scholarly researchers and analysts of human history to go beyond historical recovery and focus specifically on the field of “historical analysis and deception”. They should strive to recover all past intellectual and spiritual resources.
A specific academic discipline should be established, called “Historical Deception Analysis”, and it should be of great importance at all academic and social levels. This should encompass not only the distortions within the sacred religion of Islam, caused by enemies of the faith or ignorant individuals and groups who have infiltrated religious practices, but also the broader historical context concerning humanity and past civilizations.
There is a need for scholars, both religious and academic, to form this discipline within universities and academic institutions at various levels, in order to properly address historical facts and identify the falsehoods related to religion and society. This will ensure a reform in historical analysis and a process of cleansing religious texts and practices, just as it would be valuable for all intellectual, scientific, and cultural communities to focus on such an initiative and restore this discipline in all fields.
Shi’a History and the Caliphs
“And a herald proclaimed between them, ‘God’s curse be upon the wrongdoers, those who turn others away from the path of God and seek to make it crooked, while they are disbelievers in the Hereafter.'” (Qur’an, Al-A’raf 7:44)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spoke extensively about the legitimacy of Shi’ism, and this can be found in the narrations of both Shi’a and Sunni sources. He frequently introduced Imam Ali (peace be upon him) as the rightful Imam and leader in many instances. Jabir reports that he was with the Prophet (peace be upon him) when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) appeared from a distance, and the Prophet said, “By God, he and his followers will be successful on the Day of Judgement.”
The noble verse, “Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds are the best of creatures” (Qur’an, Al-Bayyina 98:7), was revealed concerning the Shi’a. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not explicitly mention the occasion of the revelation of this verse due to the presence of many opponents and apparent disbelievers among the Muslims.
The Shi’a, or the followers of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), stood against the majority consensus and the ruling powers. On one hand, they presented the true Islam through the leadership of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and on the other hand, they prevented the collapse of Islam by opposing the corrupt interpretations of the majority. The beliefs of Shi’a stem from Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who, on several occasions, opposed the un-Islamic practices of the rulers like the lavish palaces and the indulgent lifestyle of those in power, such as Muawiya.
The minority with Imam Ali (peace be upon him) believed that manipulating the religion was wrong, and they declared, “Whoever does not judge by what God has revealed, they are indeed disbelievers” (Qur’an, Al-Ma’idah 5:44). They opposed the alterations made by the Caliphs, such as the prohibition on writing hadiths, the changing of rituals, and the unequal distribution of wealth, among others. The reign of the first three caliphs lasted for twenty-five years, and the first caliph gained power through a falsely claimed majority, the second through the will of the first, and the third through a fabricated council. After them, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) came to power through a democratic process and the people’s need for his leadership.
During the rule of the first three caliphs, class distinctions became stark, which eventually led to a rebellion against Caliph Uthman. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) opposed the alterations made by the caliphs and tried to restore the practices of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Talha and Zubair, alongside Aisha, waged the Battle of the Camel, while Muawiya led the Battle of Siffin. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was dedicated to preserving the Prophet’s practices and training distinguished followers. After Imam Ali (peace be upon him), Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) briefly became caliph, but was later deceived by Muawiya, who declared his intention to rule rather than to engage in religious disputes over prayer or fasting. He appointed his son Yazid as his successor, and anyone who spoke about the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) would not be safe from harm.
This period of governance saw severe repression, and the Umayyad dynasty, which ended in the year 100 AH, was followed by a similar line of oppressive rule by the Abbasid dynasty. Shi’ism remained suppressed until the second century AH, but the events of Karbala in the year 61 AH marked a decisive point in the history of Shi’ism.
Under the reigns of the Abbasid caliphs, there was some tolerance towards the Shi’a under Caliph Ma’mun, who appointed Imam Ali al-Ridha (peace be upon him) as his heir apparent. However, his successor, the caliph al-Mutawakkil, exhibited severe hostility towards Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and even desecrated the site of Karbala until the early 4th century AH, when the Abbasid caliphate ended and was replaced by the Buyid dynasty, who were sympathetic to the Shi’a cause.
The Government of Crimea
The Government of Crimea
In its introduction, the Government of Crimea clearly and directly outlines how the government of the righteous Crimea operates; a government that embodies the ideal state of divine guidance:
“My beloved is all pure and beautiful,
Generous, captivating, joyful, and radiant,
The whole world has drowned in its purity,
His heart is devoted to His servants.”
“Even if a servant commits evil, He bestows goodness,
The eternal realm, absorbed in witnessing Him,
I ask what hell might be like:
I think it is a paradise full of patience.”
“My beloved God, though strong,
Has no oppression, He is gentle and wins hearts.”
The following verse explicitly expresses the essence of the government of righteousness, which is based on “justice” and “generosity,” while shunning oppression and arrogance:
“I am in pursuit of justice and kindness,
Fleeing from pride, injustice, and arrogance.”
The righteous government has power, but without tyranny or coercion. It holds power with kindness:
“The condition of strength is kindness,
Otherwise, power is full of wretchedness.”
It does not witness its own oppression,
Its debts grow severe.
True power is derived from a harmonious combination of virtues, love, gentleness, and the natural, quiet influence over hearts—this is the divine guardianship, not force or compulsion. He, as the unique, irreplaceable lover, is so captivating that all fall in love with Him, offering their lives and becoming devoted to Him:
“My dear, the unmatchable Rubab,
I am intoxicated by His love every moment.”
The most significant characteristic of the righteous government is that it has access to truths and is not contaminated by superstition, ornamentation, or unscientific ideas. Instead, it bases its governance on knowledge and operates within the framework of sound science, esteeming wisdom:
“The paradise of ‘truth’ is not a coffeehouse,
And when is hell filled with thorns?”
“Common language is often corrupted,
The language of ‘truth’ is wise, joyful, and eloquent.”
The first stanza of the righteous government speaks of “justice,” the same slogan which has been used by the soul of humanity for oppression, begging, deceit, and a justification for exploiting the lives of weak and ignorant humans—the very humans who aim for divine closeness and yet walk blindly into the slaughterhouse of materialistic Satanic interests.
“When has justice ever existed in the human soul?
It flees from Adam, turning into an animal.”
“Speaking of purity and piety,
Yet inwardly, it is like a mad dog, hidden.”
In the wicked state, the lives of groups of weak individuals are given to the sword, and the destitute and miserable are devoured by the predators and wolves of oppression:
“Our world has become a slaughterhouse,
The one who walks toward the battlefield dies.”
Where does another commander die?
He is slain at the hands of the weak.
“Leave the matter, oh good one!
What happens to the wolf of the desert?”
The children of the weak are also witnesses to this crime:
“The children of these weak people,
Have been killed by their fathers in the depths of the field.”
“When a father is slain, he has gone,
See, poor one, he was human.”
Groups of people are lost in the tangles of politicians, unaware of where these disasters have originated:
“Man is lost in the labyrinth of politics,
Who is oppressed? This is a riddle!”
The politicians of the wicked state are madmen whose insanity is apparent:
“There are many types of madness,
Hundreds of varieties of it are visible.”
“Earthly madness and other heavenly,
Individual and collective madness, it is everywhere.”
So much senseless killing is happening,
So many lives are being taken away.”
Madness stirs humans into turmoil,
A spectacle devoid of reason or discussion.”
Justice is placing everything in its proper measure. Keeping measure is possible only for the wise, who have the capacity for justice and act with sound reasoning and appropriate behavior. Therefore, justice requires wisdom:
“This human cannot bear justice,
Though justice itself is mercy.”
“It will give up your life, with wind and fire,
Endurance, knowledge, and wisdom are required.”
The wisdom required for justice is a divine gift. The wisdom of justice leads to the fulfillment of potentialities. Philosophy is not superstition, fantasy, imitation of titles, mere pretense, or the dogged pursuit of things by force or appearance. It is the foundation of mysteries, rooted in reason; it is insight and rational vision. Philosophy is a beginningless and endless creation; it negates ‘occurrence.’ Its appearance is not causal; it is concurrent, not a matter of past or future. It is the sanctity of relativity.
Time in philosophy describes the physical manifestation of matter. Determination is a hidden mercy. The world is the heart of undifferentiated particles. Movement is the enthusiasm of phenomena. The dance of love is in determination. Love is the face of truth and the attraction of particles; it is the soul’s direction and the essence of existence.
Philosophy is the presence of both the manifest and the hidden. Philosophy is pure reason, the guidance of intellect, and the divine guidance of life. Otherwise, it is mere delusion and doubt. Philosophy is the knowledge of the center of fear, the psyche that trembles with anxiety; it is the disease that, from this fear, strikes at the heart of human violence. Philosophy requires security, and truth requires freedom.
We live in the era of the foolish and the ignorant. The fundamental characteristic of these groups is their entanglement in carnal desires and the accumulation of sensual pleasures; they remain trapped in the prison of the self, never advancing to the heart, let alone comprehending wisdom. Achieving justice for such beings who live by delusional science and carnal power, without wisdom or love, is extremely difficult:
“Our age, filled with the foolish and ignorant,
Saturated with unrestrained desire.”
In the era of the foolish, the righteous government does not accept everything that is labeled as “knowledge,” especially in the domain of human sciences. In contrast, the wicked government is mired in backwardness, which it disguises under the progress of industry, pretending to be the advancement of civilization:
“Why argue with yourself, what is your complaint?
Let backwardness fade with time.”
This backwardness injects a virus into religion, causing it to be reduced to a mere opiate for the masses, to be filled with novelty, reform, and innovation:
“The old world clashes with the new,
It falls apart, hard and overwhelming.”
“Religion is vilified, science is called parasitic,
Bad words are used about the other.”
If this problem persists,
Religion will become a debt to science.”
“Renaissance enters religion,
It erases all traces at once.”
The remnants of history and religious thought are overshadowed,
The people’s hearts no longer favor them.”
Sciences are engaged in a war against religion, filled with ornamentations and superstitions. These sciences have been cut off from the essence and truth of the world, from the divine essence which is the source of all emergence:
“The ignorance of humanity is vast,
It has no connection to truth, even a speck.”
This human knowledge is scarce,
So many truths have been spoken, yet few remain.”
But it is hollow inside, without foundation,
It is mere chatter, regurgitating thoughts.”
Superstitions have taken over science,
And ignorance reigns supreme.”
The modern human has lost touch with the inner essence of things. The root and origin of everything—its greatness, strength, weakness, and fragility—are in its essence and can only be understood through it. The value of any government and its legitimacy depends on the essence of its rulers, not on the services they provide:
“Greatness in humans lies in soul and strength,
Without a soul, it is rootless.”
“True power comes from closeness to the Divine,
And the difference lies in what is hidden.”
“The root of every strength is foundational,
Without a root, it is hollow.”
The schools of the wicked government are devoid of love, devotion, and divine truths. They are engaged only with illusions and devoid of any real substance:
“Schools are full of words and arguments,
They are far from the realities of time.”
“Schools are empty, not knowing the essence of the lawgiver’s intent or the words of purity,
For they lack the spiritual help of divine grace.”
Religion has become a superficial practice,
Not understanding anything beyond the mere form.”
The truth is not understood by the weak,
Who can understand such meanings easily?”
Unless by the grace of God,
Their hearts open to the divine mercy.”
The righteous government desires to elevate and honour everyone, while the wicked government degrades and belittles all. It does not want anyone to be great or dignified. This wicked government is one where the misguided find solace in empty, self-righteous praise:
“Who has made humanity so degraded?
Fallen from purity to the marketplace!”
It has written humiliation on every door and wall,
While a mountain of destruction looms above.”
“Culture has perished under the burden,
As thorns fill the hearts of the indifferent.”
The wicked government, more than any other, oppresses and diminishes women. The book references a poem by Forough Farrokhzad, who is referred to as “The Defeat of Victory.” Farrokhzad once said: “I no longer think of the end, for this love is beautiful.” This poetic expression is a metaphor for love. Farrokhzad is presented as a symbol of femininity. Women surpass men in love, and their closeness is greater:
“Woman is the face of the truth’s beauty,
To these ungrateful men, I am skeptical.”
“God made woman a perfect being,
She is that boundless kindness and love.”
“From woman, the face of a beautiful flower,
She is the crimson rose of my garden.”
“Men have become the cause of every strife,
Although she has always been their shelter.”
Vilification, degradation, and humiliation weave a net of oppression and violence, affecting the wicked government from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy, creating hatred and conflict amongst the rulers, and between them and the people. The wicked government is a government of hatred, which stifles the spring of love and celebrates the autumn of alienation:
“The nature of every being is tyranny,
Why has man become so evasive?”
“The human heart is filled with enmity,
Always in pursuit of the soul.”
The wicked government disrespects nature and its path, clinging to superficialities. It uses weapons, information, and propaganda as tools of power, believing that these are wisdom and strategy, not realizing that the true guiding force of governance lies in the divine wisdom of the righteous:
“The world is drenched in blood,
The great ones of the world are killers and oppressors.”
“They pride themselves on their weapons,
Their actions have gone beyond the scope of righteousness.”
The wicked government, when it touches religion, strips it of its essence and turns it into a mere repetition, devoid of meaning:
“When religion forgets its roots,
It becomes a hollow shell.”
He struck the human soul with the rod of auction; from the auction of life, the world was in ruins.
The government of noble grace fosters love. Love brings joy, vitality, ecstasy, and intoxication, with no room for laziness or weariness.
It is I, and my beloved, the one who has captured my heart, I will not press anything but a kiss, intoxicated and passionate, upon your lips.
This divine state nurtures faith, the world, goodness, kindness, love, and loyalty. It brings prominence to great individuals in every discipline, and through it, countless tales of famous lovers like Khosrow and Shirin are written:
The world has seen great men, chivalrous, strong, pure, and radiant.
Countless tales of Leila and Majnun have been witnessed—great souls, noble in body and spirit.
The wicked government, like hatred, sows discontent and unrest, leaving no room for happiness. It leaves people dissatisfied, always striving for more, never content.
I became a lover, free of any expectations; may the two worlds belong to you, oh divine one!
In the world of noble grace, where selfishness and ego have no place, there is no harm, no strife, only the flourishing of happiness and harmony:
How blissful it is when there is no harm, every moment bringing goodness upon the earth.
The dust upon the face of the weak will be cleansed, the path will be free from thorns, both ugly and beautiful.
No suffering will fall upon the poor; you will turn the weak into the strong.
Let the poor be free, pass by them with compassion, show kindness to those in need.
In the evil regime, society is split into two extremes: one group of heartless, aggressive individuals, and another of ignorant, deceived, and fearful people, living in the cocoon of “habit,” even their worship being done out of mere routine:
Yet, there are many foolish and fearful people, each trapped by their habits.
Lies, deception, hypocrisy, and deceit abound, blurring the line between truth and falsehood.
Worse than these are the reckless individuals, who are secretly full of malice.
The evil regime does not just turn worship into habit; it makes corruption, crime, and sin routine and commonplace:
Corruption and immorality have become habits; no one remains patient in this world.
The root of all evil and destruction is greed. Greed leads the soul to habitual crime and makes pleasure in sin addictive:
Greed plunges mankind into hatred, long before they realize regret.
It manifests as cruelty, and desires lead one to repeat their sinful ways, binding them in an endless cycle.
All types of cruelty and sin are such that after a while, it becomes impossible to leave them behind, for the pleasure of sin overwhelms, leaving one bewildered and addicted.
Greed and evil breed more greed, as sins grow into deep-rooted habits.
In the wicked government, the selfishness and profit-driven agendas cast a shadow upon the people, replacing pure love with desire. It breaks the foundation of loyalty, destroys families, and makes betrayal, corruption, and vice commonplace:
Do not speak of shame and dignity; come and strike the bell for the end of it all.
The wicked government is a regime devoid of love, and a government that does not recognize love becomes savage and bloodthirsty:
If you shed blood for all, you will become a bloodthirsty killer. Come, be filled with love and intoxication, not cruelty.
The wicked government severs itself from the core, and traps the people in appearances, binding them to habits and the mundane, filling their hearts with lust, ego, and materialism. Even worship turns into a selfish pursuit, a form of commerce, leaving it hollow and soulless:
You cannot find tranquility in comfort, my friend, for that will only tempt you with desire.
One who is distant from Him remains in a state of heedlessness; what is the value of worship that comes from such routine?
Worship has become a mere habit, devoid of true spirit, for true worship is felt with the heart, not simply an outward show.
The model of the noble government is the government of the Almighty; it is powerful, pure, and just:
You are the pure, powerful government, the omnipotent one, the soul of the world.
The noble government embodies unity, without selfishness or greed, seeking only the love of the Divine:
My way was one of unity; in secret, I sought to abandon desire.
In love for the Divine, let go of ego, and go towards the truth that lies hidden.
The wicked government seeks to control and enslave all, while the noble government celebrates freedom. It has a doctrine of liberty and does not tolerate oppression:
The free man is like a lion, standing firm against his enemies, a protector of the people, ready to lay down his life for them.
The free man, a man of heart, lives a life of true freedom, a hero in his soul.
In the evil regime, those who are useless rise to the top, adorning the gathering and the pulpit, while the righteous and the worthy are cast aside, abandoned and forgotten:
Our time is one of superficiality, where despair reigns in the hearts of the helpless.
The spread of atheism, corruption, and turmoil has made the gathering of the virtuous a rare thing.
In the wicked regime, those who rise to power are the products of corruption, their lineage tainted by the influence of evil:
Oppression has many roots in the human soul, and the oppressor comes from a tainted lineage.
They dominate through force, wealth, and deceit, ensnaring others in their webs of illusion.
The wicked government robs everything of health and harmony, targeting the righteous, turning the wise and virtuous into targets of slander, and eradicating compassion:
In this regime, the truth is unheard, and the righteous are silenced, their voices lost in a marketplace of corruption.
In the wicked regime, there is no listening ear for the voice of truth, and every truth is sent to the gallows.
In the reign of such a government, wisdom is the ability to endure and watch for the opportunity to act in alignment with divine will.
Hawra’ Ansiyeh
Hawra’ Ansiyeh is my essence, my beloved. My beloved is an infinite existence with infinite faces, faces that embody all love and all Hawra’. Every atom and every manifestation is Hawra’. Creation is the dance of the Divine, appearing in the form of Hawra’. The appearance of the manifest is the result of the Divine presence, the delight of individuation and the feeling of personhood. The beauty of the face of existence is the presence of Hawra’. The infinite colours of Hawra’s light are the eyes of purity, beholding the heavens of truth. Every particle of creation is the abode of the beautiful divine essence of the Divine. The phenomena of existence are the gentle caresses of Hawra, the heat immersed in prayer. The legions of Hawra’s affection appear in the body of purity, showing the grace of the beloved, manifest in sincere tenderness.
The swift steps of the Hawra are worthy of love, intoxicated by the fervent market of graceful dance and the unparalleled passion that stirs the fame of her beauty. The faces of purity and the celestial beauties of the playful, laughing fairies are everywhere. The passion of Hawra’s love is the essence of the wandering existence. But in this sacred abode of the Divine, my “mother” was the most loving, the purest of lovers, and the truest form of Hawra Ansiyeh. I was always rejuvenated and enlightened by her love and affection. My mother was the most beautiful manifestation of the Divine’s loving support, and her celestial grace was a profound source of inspiration for me. She was the dearest of my loves, and in her honour, I named the second volume of my collected works “Hawra’ Ansiyeh” to preserve her sacred legacy.
The love I have for my mother is unmatched by any other. When I speak of women as “goddesses of love,” my mother is the complete and eloquent embodiment of this lofty expression.
My father was a noble and selfless man, without any name or title, and my mother was a nameless star living in a foreign land. I am a child of namelessness.
My mother, throughout her life, was my refuge. She was my singular and unparalleled lover. In the same way, I am unmatched in my love for her. My mother was simple and without colour in her love; I too, within my heart, carry the hue of my mother’s love and affection. I often recall the sweet tune with which my mother recited the Holy Book, and her gentle voice resonates within me. She was the goddess of beauty, the spirit of the moon’s journey.
My father, who held a deep love for the truth, was the very soul of my being. My mother was my spirit, and my father was the dream of my inner world. I am a child of love and grace.
My father, embodying the living faith of the Holy Divine, carried the colours of guardianship. My mother, however, practised worship not by custom, but through deep affection, and her voice was the praise of the Divine. I am the child of pure faith in the Divine and the celestial verses of the Holy Book.
My father would hold mourning gatherings for the martyrdom of Imam Hussain every month, and my mother was the embodiment of the love of the Divine’s Holy Lady, Fatimah al-Zahra. I am the child of the red love of Karbala and the mourning of the House of Prophet Muhammad.
After my mother’s passing, one day I sat in a garden full of tall cypress trees. I remembered my mother, for her name was “Sarb-eh-Sakineh” (The Cypress of Sakineh). In that garden, I composed these verses:
Here were thousands of beautiful cypresses,
My inheritance from my mother now revealed.
For my mother’s love, I sat here,
In the high place of poetry and verse.
My mother and I, together with “the Divine,” are one,
A complete joy for me, both worlds’ delight.
You left, and now I am alone,
In the cypress grove, my heart mourns.
In the first volume of the book The Journey of Love, I referred to my mother as “a nameless star.” This same title is inscribed on her gravestone. My mother was a nameless goddess in the world of love, spirituality, mysticism, and the poetry of divine beauty:
Where are you, my beloved mother?
You are the sun and the moon of my heart.
Father, the sun, and you, the moon of my soul,
In the love of both, I am complete.
Both of us, who are three in this world,
Are the Divine’s manifestation, as we always have been.
I lost my father at the age of eleven, a man with unparalleled strength in unity, and my mother, the best of women, became both my mother and father from that moment on. She fulfilled the role of both:
In my youth, I lost my father,
And my father was no more, left me alone.
Until I fell from the heights of the sky,
My father whispered, “You are my orphaned son!”
My father is gone, never to be seen again,
But my mother became my father in my eyes.
My mother was the unique pearl of existence,
The heavenly spirit and the finest of my art.
My mother is the song of love and purity,
My father, the garden of the revelation’s influence.
In my book Hawra’ Ansiyeh, I have spoken of the exalted status of “woman,” especially my mother.
My father was the sun, and my mother the moon of the universe,
What a pure and noble pair they were.
In this collection, I have also honoured the holy being of the “Hawra” alongside my wife, and have expressed my gratitude for her in this way:
My wife is the pure light of both worlds,
In faith and piety, she is of the righteous.
She is the perfect human being beside me,
A complete human in her every meaning.
A woman is the pride of existence,
She is the grace of love and the garden of this world.
Bride of the Heart
“Bride of the Heart” is the third title in the collection “Collected Works of Nekoo’s Divan”. At the beginning of the introduction to this Divan, the concept of “heart” is discussed — the very essence from which “poetry” emerges. It is an unsettled heart, one filled with exuberance, passion, purity, reflection, and fearlessness, caught in the love of the “pure existence”. It is a delicate and beautiful heart, one full of ambition, capable of invoking countless praises, and, in a most expressive title, it is the “bride of the face of Truth”. This heart carries the essence of nature, its coquettishness and allure symbolising the “voice of the heart” — the subtle, tender poetry of an impassioned soul that reveals itself through language. This poetry reveals the pain, longing, union, separation, and all the emotional states of a lover, drawing them from concealment to manifestation. A “healthy heart”, devoid of lethargy, cowardice, weakness, dryness, and extremes, and one that possesses self-assurance, strength, willpower, and devotion, can produce fine poetry.
In my poetry, however, I speak of my own heart — the heart that, in the most solitary state, has received special attention from “Almighty God”, a heart that God has shaped and crafted, as He desires. This is a heart that has completely abandoned its selfhood and, by God’s will, has set its eyes solely on His commands, doing only what He wants. This beautiful experience is expressed in the ghazal “New Earth” as follows:
“When I saw the essence, I fell from myself
Free from actions and the names of many.”
The love of the Truth became within me without me,
My soul, my beloved, became embedded in my nature.”
Whatever entered my heart, He said: “Do not speak!”
I said: “Yes, O ghazal, may honour be abundant!”
My ghazals are the result of this experience. Eyes, locks of hair, the heart, the beloved, the companion, and the alluring figure all point towards divine truths and matters of the Lord. They do not reference imaginary concerns, as many poets do, creating poetry based on such fantasies, which, the further they are from truth, the more poetic they become for them.
In these mystical and passionate ghazals, I have brought forth elevated truths from the advanced mysticism and divine purity of a “beloved”. In them, I have revealed substantiated realities, illuminated by the sun, which are rooted in the depths of direct perception and vision.
The love that the Almighty has bestowed upon me is without doubt or condition, meaning I love the Lord in every form and in every state. This beloved, who resides in the heart of every particle, with all His faces of affection and wrath, is the one I desire:
“I follow Him without doubt or condition,
My soul was seized and I became free.”
A heart can be without doubt or condition only when it is free from all desires. The slightest desire is the destructive beast of love. Yes, pure, desireless love transforms the human heart to a state where it is entirely devoted to the Lord, bestowing upon it health and happiness:
“This head and body became fragments of love,
Until my soul fell, and the heart said: ‘God’.”
Pure love makes the human heart at peace with the Lord and all phenomena, granting it protection, purity, and self-discipline:
“Until I fell into this worldly trap,
My heart bowed in worship, and I said: ‘God, peace!'”
The pure lover’s heart is nourished by the pure love of the Truth, and no impurity enters it:
“God became my dearest, and strengthened my heart,
I departed from the tumult of every end and cup.”
Such a heart, free from all impurity, is entirely submissive to the Truth, and does only what the Truth desires. This submission is achieved through the trials of love, particularly the trials of the divine essence:
“Raw, wet, and new with the blood of my heart,
He set me on fire, until my heart became utterly submissive.”
To be submissive requires great courage and being at the command of the Lord requires unparalleled bravery.
“If calamity strikes me from earth and sky,
I will not flinch, for He Himself had given it.”
The pure heart derives its courage from the constant presence of the Lord, from its annihilation in Him, and the eternity it finds in Him. This continuous presence, which pulls the heart into a whirl of intoxication, excitement, and bliss:
“Who am I, and what is this soul and heart?
God Himself resides in my heart in full stature.”
Such a heart, purified by the light of the Almighty, becomes a home for the Lover, only for the Lord’s sake, and is immersed in His essence. It is free from all desire for reward or cause, being completely absorbed in the divine:
“My heart is devoted to the Truth without reward,
Free from the turmoil of all causes and reasons.”
True love requires both a pure heart and fearlessness, and this can only be attained through the union with the essence of the Truth. This is the purest and most selfless love, free from doubt and conditions, founded on complete sincerity and purity, visible across the expanse of existence:
“I have become united with Nekoo in His pure essence,
For the love of the Truth is my soul’s truest form.”
This purity bestows the lover with singularity and uniqueness, placing them as the closest companion to the Truth in the midst of the most intense separation of the material world:
“I am the loneliest of the lonely in this world,
I have been the companion of the cupbearer of intoxicating wine.”
This union of bliss and vision, in its unique delight, is attainable only through “destruction” and “annihilation”, hence “destruction” and the loss of one’s self is one of the foundational truths of divine mysticism.
“He made me a ruin and I went to Him,
I fell into His essence and saw that it was the harp.”
No one can reach the abode of the Lord except one who has laid aside their selfhood and all the pomp and power of worldly existence.
“Your gain lies in abandoning your selfish desires,
It was love and purity that stole your treasure.”
The path that demands the utmost sacrifice and should be followed with a heart given entirely to the beloved is one of surrender. There is no holding back, no attachment, only a complete immersion into the divine:
“I shall give my head for Your sake; this is no trouble,
Take my soul and heart; they are now my only possession.”
“My wealth and poverty are You; there is nothing in my heart but You,
I am lost in You, lost in You, lost in Your beauty.”
Though this destruction and annihilation bear no shame, they signify true honour, freedom, and the ultimate peace:
“I became at ease from the turmoil of existence,
When I realised the infinite honour of the Truth.”
Pure love is the attribute of the essence of the Almighty, in whose essence He is both the lover of His own being and expresses His love in every particle of creation. This love is the source of vitality and beauty in existence, presenting the divine as the ultimate and timeless beauty:
“Love exists in every particle,
Every particle of love carries the essence of the divine.”
The vitality of existence is the manifestation of our love, and our love is the most beautiful form of this divine manifestation.
In the divine mysticism, the face of the Lord is the inspiration for every manifestation, those that long for Him, and He in turn longs for them. This dynamic casts each of them into a sweet, joyful, pure, and playful dance, eternally engaging in His praise:
“The face of existence is all a tumult of Him,
He has become the face of praise in all.”
I have witnessed that alluring figure,
Who, by the Truth, has praised both worlds.”
All phenomena are the beauty of the Friend, full of grace and perfection, reflecting the entire stature of the divine, with their appearance being a glimpse of the eternal beauty of the infinite grace of the Almighty.
“I love every particle of the beauty of the Friend,
For He is the incomparable and ever-graceful essence.”
In the divine mysticism, every single particle of creation is a lover, and all are captivated by the embrace of the beloved’s beauty, who is always in a state of unity, peace, and love. Existence is the purest form of this love, and it is in constant motion, bringing peace and bliss.
Each poem in this book of “Bride of the Heart” paints the purity and divine love of the beloved. Through these poems, I have presented the highest truths of love and devotion, which transcend all worldly limitations.
ove, Knowledge, and Worship: The Path to Divine Vision
Love, knowledge, and worship ultimately lead to the sight of the Beloved:
Man sees the Truth with the inner eye, with this seeing eye of the soul.
It is only through love that life is filled; life, in the presence of health and happiness, flourishes. Life without this love becomes degraded, its dignity lost:
I wish to sit at Your threshold,
I will not waste my life on lowly pursuits.
Love imparts another crucial quality to the lover: freedom. Love brings no servitude, nor does it bring enslavement; instead, it brings nobility, drawing the lover solely to the act of loving:
I adore His presence, oh how sweet,
I am a servant, but a free servant indeed.
My freedom is from that captivating one,
I am at ease, though simple in His presence.
Love stirs the heart of the lover, making them move with great energy, like a bird newly released, in frantic motion:
They see nothing but their beloved’s love,
Like a startled bird, they twist and turn.
What a pain divine love is,
A heart in constant turmoil and agitation.
The lover’s heart is alive through this union, with a deep, innate desire for the Almighty:
What should one do if they fall from your rooftop?
My heart is alive with You, and my devotion is to You.
The beloved is so close that all phenomena, even the faces of the corporeal world, appear as the manifestation of the true lover, whose very soul is the essence of existence:
The soul itself is Your manifestation,
You are the beloved of the soul and the soul of the beloved.
The beauty of the Divine became manifest in the material realm,
Otherwise, this desolate land would be in ruin.
It is this soul that is the essence of every manifestation, even the joy of each manifestation is a reflection of the same beloved:
I am joyous from Your manifestation,
For Your joy is salvation for me.
Yet the one who gives form to this visible love is the human being:
Human beings are the narrative of existence,
Life is but a guest at the door of the Divine.
This same human being has a luminous season and is not confined to their earthly nature but has transcended it:
The perfect human is the face of the Divine,
Carrying the essence of the Qur’an in their soul.
The Divine’s beauty and majesty have manifested within them,
Their qualities and conduct mirror the pure ones of mysticism.
A human is not merely a body and form, nor a wretched creature of despair:
Humanity, with its luminous aspect, gains the Divine breath:
This breath became the very essence of human spirit,
This breath gave life to Adam.
The same soul that God breathed into them,
Becomes another name, this very breath.
The ghazals of “Heavy Breath” and “Pure Life” recognize human life as being nourished by this very breath, a breath that brings divine essence:
The breath of Adam is the very soul of revelation,
It flows through the soul of humanity, giving life.
The true wealth of humanity is in this breath,
It is the breath of Divine revelation in every moment.
A beloved who is distant in time and place yearns to meet those who are so absorbed in love and intoxicated by it:
Love and intoxication have filled the human soul,
The human soul is the very face of the beloved.
Among those lovers, I had one close by. “My mother,” as I mentioned earlier, was herself a star, unseen in her closeness to the unseen:
My mother was my companion at all times,
With her, the world itself was my world.
She was earthly yet beyond earth,
Her orbit circled around the Divine throne.
She carried within her the mark of the unseen,
But was detached from any earthly domain or place.
However, today’s world has not transcended the realm of “insignificant beings” and “common folk,” and thus, it falls short of becoming true “humans,” leading to grievances and complaints in this realm of exile:
If the world had been better and humans wiser and purer,
Would it not have improved, why is there such affliction?
The dominance of these “insignificant beings” has led to the creation of a focus on the superficial in jurisprudence and other sciences, creating a world that, though it has the potential to be led by the perfect human, has instead become a plaything of decay, trapped in the cycles of time and degradation:
There is a focus on the superficial,
The thought of becoming true is fleeting at times.
Why is humanity so driven by appearance?
What good and evil is there in the path they follow?
Those who focus on the superficial, leaving the beloved’s true closeness aside, create a reality of superficiality and distortion that even they themselves are unable to escape from, leading to confusion and falsehood:
The superficial path lies in the works,
They often seek to become the truth.
How can the world become a meaningful space for true beings? It requires science and power, for the weak, under the guillotine of superficial industries, become victims of waste:
The beauty of humanity is its strength!
The glory of your soul is the same strength.
The weak are merely dead in this world,
While the strong possess dominion over earth and space.
This is the secret to victory, oh soul,
For without this knowledge and power, how could there be any refuge?
The weak, when powerless, become agents of unrest and ruin for themselves and others. They become mere playthings for the selfish and deceived of the world, and their lives are directed towards confusion and degradation.
“The Best Gazelle”
The fourth volume of the “Complete Divan of Neko” highlights the beauties of creation. “The Best Gazelle” is a metaphorical expression used by the Almighty, which exists in every particle, even within the very words themselves:
“The soul of the world, the soul of a particle, your soul,
You are hidden from me, in the heart or in speech.”
Every particle of creation possesses a remarkable splendor, as if it reflects a dreamlike vision. In the heart of each particle, the Best Gazelle and the Houris of Mount Toor manifest, and all are content with themselves. The heart of each particle is a beautiful houri, with a form befitting the apocalypse, an image glowing with the light of the moon, an houri with alluring beauty, an innocent charm, the sweetness of tenderness, a joyous laughter, passionate kisses, intoxicating happiness, playful wit, a lively feast, the exuberance of purity, the grace of love, and a soul intertwined with the beloved. This beauty is spectacular, combining both external beauty and inner majesty, hidden in each. The divine traits of the highest gods, impervious to corruption, express dignity and uniqueness, embodying the best gazelle, the essence of poetry, wine, and the goblet. The Best Gazelle is the very particle of creation. The Best Gazelle is none other than me, with the heart I possess.
“What is the face of the nightingale, and what of my pure gaze,
The nightingale and the rose have their beauty, but the soul is better.”
A pure heart was the essence of love, serenity, and the eagerness of the soul,
A pure gaze would maintain the chastity of innocence, far from harm.
My heart, too, is the best gazelle, as I have expressed in the ghazal “The Vessel of Appearance” from this collection:
“My heart has become my manifestation, and it has grown like the world,
I have nothing besides my heart; there is no sign of me except in it.”
This body, what was it? A mere form for my heart!
My heart has always been the sole witness to the solitude of my soul.
In my heart, there was both the beloved and the lover, and I was happy with it.
In my heart, I have seen my beloved in secret.
In his embrace, my heart became a joyous feast,
The whole banquet of my beloved has been contained in my heart.
His heart has been the sole witness to my loneliness,
Always my heart was concerned with my beloved.
I am worried that my beloved will depart with the thread of separation,
For the union of hearts brought me both completion and the passing of time.
Within my heart, his presence was ever near,
In my heart, the two worlds were united, heart and beloved side by side.
Neko, with heart and beloved, is the vessel of presence,
Belief, knowledge, and certainty are unveiled and clear.
My heart is the path of God’s love. My heart is the very essence of the Almighty’s love:
“My path is You, and You are the sole creator,
I have become captive to You, O Beloved, enamoured by Your heart.”
Just as every phenomenon is a beautiful gazelle, intoxicated and noble, representing the essence of love:
“In my heart, there was no enemy or foe,
Everything I see in this world is a manifestation of the Beloved.”
Phenomena that exist in the infinite world, journeying in love:
“Thousands of worlds and beings were lost in the hand of existence,
From this world and the hereafter to countless cycles of oblivion.”
The endless creation is a mountain of eternal light, and a love-filled realm of the Divine, without determination and limit. In each place, there is an infinite unity:
“The entirety of existence, removed from every determination,
Neko! No longer did the apparent world exist, for the soul was deeply intertwined.”
Every particle is of the highest nobility. “The nobility of the particle” is the noble heart of the contented one. The heart of every particle yearns for the love of the beloved’s brow and the intoxication of their gaze. Every particle is a story of love. Every particle is a celebration of joy, kindness, and the beauty of existence. Every particle is the warmth of the divine’s proximity. Every particle is a song of the journey of annihilation and eternal life. Every particle is a soul, a sea of consciousness, and the rush of life. The heart of each particle sings the serene truth of the manifest God. Every moment, particle by particle, is within the care of the infinite God, with the constant reminder that “He is in every state.” Every particle is a guest of the generous Creator. Every particle is an ancient friend of the God of the heavens and the lineage of Prophet Taha. The nobility of every particle is effective in its divine connection with the cosmos. The perception of every particle is one of good and virtue. Every particle is an essence of love, a tune in the harmonious dance of life’s eternal cycle.
Pure Dance
Volume Five:
Pure Dance
Dance is a harmonious and rhythmic movement, accompanied by regular and coordinated turns and folds, stemming from “the ecstasy of love” and “joy.” The greatest talent for dance resides in “women,” who inherently possess its nature.
When movement is harmonious and systematic, it transforms into “dance.” All phenomena in the mundane world are in motion, and every phenomenon has its own order within its movement. Therefore, no phenomenon exists without “dance,” nor will it fail to become enamoured with another. To attain it, it will exert a great deal of effort and attempt to move in harmony and rhythm. The origin of dance is the love of existence and its phenomena. Existence, in its entirety, is in a state of love and dance. Everyone dances out of love for someone, and love itself is the dance that compels all things to move — from the earth to the heavens, from the celestial realm to the material world, from the Divine Presence to creation; all are filled with love and their hearts are devoted to it.
All phenomena emerge with “contraction” and captivity, and with “expansion” and liberation, they begin their movement. The desire for freedom can be observed even in the smallest known unit — the atom. The atoms are in constant motion at high speeds, and the gravitational force produced by this motion causes them to rotate around one another. This rotation provides a structure for the atoms’ freedom. Movement, in the pursuit of its own liberation — when harmonious and systematic — transforms into “dance.” Dance is for freedom and for “becoming oneself.” Movement, in the quest for hidden perfection, is dance. The woman, who excels in dance, seeks to display the rotation and graceful beauty of her form. Dance is an effort for one’s own liberation and to showcase what one possesses. No phenomenon fails to be enamoured with its own perfection; because all phenomena are in motion, and their motion is harmonious. There is no stasis in existence. Therefore, there is nothing or no one that does not have a dance for its liberation and will not desire it. However, each one, in its own dance, reveals something that aligns with its nature. Thus, the dance of each phenomenon revolves around its own nature and the perfections it possesses. Such a dance is the “pure dance,” and the purest dance is that of the heart purified by love, which finds its resonance in the cosmic dance:
“Purity of the heart, the purity of the universe,
This world has become young through the soul of humanity.”
The pure heart witnesses the pure dance in every phenomenon, regardless of its name, through the pure love it holds:
“All words are His names,
All descriptions have become His titles.”
One must have a heart and, with that heart, witness the graceful, beautiful, and tumultuous dance of the beloved, which is present in all that is good, and join the dance of existence and creation:
“Who knows what is within the heart?
It is God’s tear in the weeping eye.”
The Blossoming of Creation
The world of creation is indeed beautiful, and all beauty is in its highest form here.
From the very first bloom, everything emanates from the Divine, and every particle of the universe is adorned and graceful.
The beauty and majesty of the Divine are intertwined; the rose and the thorn are inseparable. What can one say of this unity?
Such beauty has penetrated the universe that my soul is entirely engrossed, overwhelmed in its beauty.
What can I say of the lips, face, and ears? My heart is captivated by the splendour of that countenance.
I see a flower from His pure realm that captivates my heart, and I am enchanted until eternity.
I have no words, for I behold His face: a swift gazelle in the meadow of dreams.
His intoxicated eyes have ruined me, and my heart has become a mad tempest.
I lost my senses from the snare of His hair; I no longer see anything but Him, my precious.
I have seen His pure beauty and moon-like form countless times, yet I, the poor one, can do nothing but follow.
I see only that alluring houri, and I am left helpless, though I stand alone.
If I could but hold the hand of that moon, I would never let it go, for it is too enticing.
His love has become the madness of my sweet soul, although reason still stands in the moon’s beauty.
To the one who slays the hearts of the beloved, may it bring you joy, for the art of love-slaying is a cherished tradition.
The Lover’s Confession
Whoever you see in love, they have been initiated into the secret, their place is securely within my heart.
I speak of love, hope, passion, and intoxication within me; see for yourself the fullness of my being.
The witness to my infatuation has been that beauty; if one were to ask, I would say it is the essence of humanity.
Lovers are drawn to the gatherings of joy and celebration; the devoted lover is solitary in his inner sanctum, like Adam.
My heart has grown accustomed to the ways of love, and within me, the sea is never enough; there is always more.
This heart is free from the world and all that it holds; free from the pain of this world and the sorrow it brings.
In peace, my heart has emerged from the trials of life; it falls humbly and is free from all fear.
My soul, united with the essence of love, finds its peace in the presence of the beloved and the divine embrace.
The Hypocrite without a Face
The hypocrite is faceless, wandering to and fro; he has neither appearance nor inner truth.
His heart is filled with empty thoughts, never aligned with a single direction, neither in heart nor eye.
He never remains in one place, always shifting, his inner turmoil as fleeting as the brow’s motion.
He does not possess true essence; he has drifted far from the truth and bears no beautiful or kind face.
If you wish for strength in your heart, become pure and free, like the gazelle.
The good is strong and simple, for humanity’s strength lies in integrity and inner resolve.
The Barzakh without Hypocrisy
The Barzakh is a realm far from earthly signs, a state beyond the senses of this world.
Since my childhood, I have often perceived it; a space that carries its own mysteries and meanings.
I have seen it in familiar faces, and it is better to witness this truth than to seek refuge in the world.
In the realms of both worlds, there is joy to be found, for the soul knows what is hidden from others.
The journey of this world and the Barzakh are intertwined; the nourishment of the soul comes from the heavens.
The witness to the secrets is abundant, for they find themselves in the realm of peace.
The Barzakh and the world we know are connected, separated only by the unseen.
Suffering and ease coexist there, far from any hypocrisy; here, appearance and reality are one.
Pass beyond the unknown words, and seek the hidden meaning, for it is not in the external but in the essence.
I am dead
I am dead in the land of the forsaken, though I move, my soul has departed.
Free from vain hopes and wasted time, I have entered the Barzakh, leaving no mark.
The heart has departed to a realm beyond the body, yet both remain one, in a single world.
The Barzakh is a realm full of consciousness, offering its wisdom for the good and the wicked alike.
All the righteous are free and at peace, while the wicked endure an eternal punishment.
At the moment of death, the soul ascends, while those who do not follow the truth remain visible in this world.
The living are hidden in the Barzakh, and none can understand that they have left their earthly form.
Appearance and essence are united in the body and soul; the soul is present in both worlds, transcending the material.
Do not be concerned with the outward meaning, but instead seek the true measure, for only then will the mystery be revealed.
The Secret of Faith
The secret of the Divine is in the hearts of the righteous; those who are aware of the secret of God are the people of their time.
Do not grieve over others, for perhaps your good lies in their absence; your good is in the presence of the rarest of gems.
Do not pass judgment on the people of this world; your true fortune lies in simplicity, for that is the key to peace.
The beauty of life is found in the heart’s quiet solitude, not in outward abundance; the essence of both worlds is found in hidden remembrance.
Live in love and intoxication, for the unity of the Divine rests within your heart, and that is the true essence of the soul.
True prosperity comes from the Divine, and the remembrance of the secret is the joy of the soul.
I have seen you, and within my heart, you reside; the fire of separation burns within me, for it is evident to all.
You have made me a lover, slaying me amidst enemies; the cruelty of the foe brings sweetness to my heart.
My strength has been taken by the hand of the enemy, yet if you are pleased, why should I grieve over my heart’s suffering?
I have become free of the trials of life, and so may you be joyful, for in both worlds, my heart dances in autumn’s grace.
Hidden Treasure
The ghazal Zaban Baz Farda (The Unspoken Language of Tomorrow) is addressed to one who possesses a pure heart, one who is not trapped by narrowness, whose excessive and self-centered desires have not turned their passion, emotion, and love into cold stone in a dry desert. This is why the ghazal begins with an exhortation to purify the heart. Someone who can cleanse their heart gains the ability to dedicate it solely to the throne of the sovereignty of the Truth, and one who has the companionship of the Divine in their heart does not recognize anyone but the Truth and has no fear of any other being. Therefore, they become a seeker of the Truth and courageous:
“Purify your heart and vision and do not fear anyone but the ‘Truth,’ my beloved, Speak less, do not deceive yourself with verbosity, be fearless.”
However, this fearlessness only holds true if it does not lead to excessive talk. What kills the heart and distances a person from the Divine presence, turning their heart into a refuse heap, or at least into a storehouse of waste, is excessive speech and the compulsion to talk about everything. Speaking less allows the heart to find solitude and relaxation, enabling it to cleanse itself from delusions and unclear vision. This creates the ability to perceive clearly and increase one’s understanding and spiritual influence. A person with a pure heart, although they may be aware of many truths and possess numerous beautiful and sweet words drawn from the depths of their being, knows that such wisdom and gifts are not for everyone. A wise person gets used to speaking less and makes this a habit, because they prefer the companionship of the Truth over speaking with others, and at the very least, they do not expose their hidden treasures unnecessarily to others, avoiding the lurking danger of thieves and envious individuals:
“Conceal your thoughts and free yourself from all but the Divine, for while ‘sweet words’ are not evil, the wise are those who speak little.”
The close ones of the Divine, those who have been granted closeness to the Divine essence, hold the keys to the unseen and the sources of the descent of grace. From any time or place, they can observe the past and the future, and all perfection in existence and its phenomena are clear to them in the heart of every particle. The scene of phenomena is like the mirrored hall of Zuleikha, where a glance toward one phenomenon does not distract them from another. They live in a state of “not being distracted by one affair from another”:
“My loss in this era is that I say, In every matter, to every person, the language of tomorrow is open.”
The beloved ones also understand the social phenomena well. From their experience, they know that virtues have more enemies than vices, and good people are more often confronted by obstacles than bad ones; because evil is plentiful, and those who do wrong always have others who share in it, so they are accompanied in their wrongdoings. But those who are virtuous are fewer in number, and even if they possess some sweetness in their virtues, the evil ones, out of envy and hostility toward goodness, will seek to undermine them. Therefore, it is not just that someone hides their bad actions, but rather, they must hide their virtues as well, so as not to be harmed by the wrongdoers.
Virtuous individuals must, according to reason and wisdom, protect their virtues just as the wicked protect their vices and not display them to the public. This can be considered a form of taqiya in perfection, which is supported by religious understanding, as stated:
“My dear, if you wish to pass through this time, Be hidden in your soul and secrets, from the sight of every discerning and non-discerning.”
The circumstances of society color many individuals, and one cannot deny the influence of the environment and people on the individual. Therefore, it is essential to be cautious when determining one’s environment and companionship. If a person wishes to be with anyone, go anywhere, adapt to everything, and allows no prohibitions or exclusions in their existence, it means that they do not have a stable and healthy way or method of life. Such a person is inevitably affected by every interaction, whether consciously or unconsciously, and thus cannot have a firm and clear personality. This individual cannot have a stable environment, society, people, or friends. Just as they mingle with everyone, they will be without anyone, unable to have a companion, ally, or a fixed principle, goal, or religion. Someone who is with everyone is with no one, and someone who changes according to every situation lacks a permanent color or identity and does not find a clear stance. This contrasts with someone who defines their path, friend, and goal and knows who they are, and everyone else knows who they are, what they say, and what their goals are. Such people, although they may be limited and not be with everyone, are not without those who support them. They can trust them, align with them, and escape their loneliness.
One must also recognize that the people of the world, those who recognize no higher purpose than the world itself, can play games with themselves and others, using various political and social tricks. In contrast, the true believer can only bind themselves to their own beliefs and thoughts, and any form of deception or hypocrisy diminishes their spiritual worth. Those who can consider themselves true believers are those who base their beliefs on faith, remaining completely free from worldly games and duplicity, with the prophets and divine saints at the head of this way of thinking.
In this era, one must consider closeness to the Truth and choose a virtuous method, one that is worth pursuing and following. The path chosen should be clear, supported by reasoning, and free from ornamentation and overall deviation. Of course, the truth-seeker during the absence of the infallible leader can, by practical wisdom, be free to protect themselves from wrongdoing and accept virtue. However, they must remember that they will inevitably be “alone” and should not complain about this solitude or distress.
This approach, aside from its individual nature, requires the necessary awareness and knowledge. Only one who has seen all paths and is aware of them can walk this way, possessing the ability to discern truth from falsehood in all matters. Such a person cannot be an ordinary person; they must be a wise and capable philosopher, able to make accurate judgments between right and wrong. It is clear that such a person cannot commit themselves to a particular group or faction. They must be careful not to lead a group themselves or allow others to form a group in their name, for such groups may engage in unworthy actions in the present or future, using their name to spread a deviating path.
It can be said that if, during the period of absence and in our chaotic world, a capable philosopher and mystic appears who follows this belief, they would not become involved in any group or faction, nor would they bring such a group into the public arena. Instead, they would spend their earthly life in apparent seclusion, while inwardly traversing the profound spiritual journey, maintaining their inner peace and ensuring that no worldly distractions take them away from their ultimate goal. The true philosopher and believer can distance themselves from the desires of others, make peace with everyone, and reject evil, remaining bound solely to the Truth, justice, eternity, and the expanded reality of existence.
Of course, such a person would not have a straightforward or forceful manner of speech. Rather, they would combine their words with layers of subtlety and hint, as otherwise, they may face irreparable harm. However, they should not fall into ambiguity and vagueness in speech:
“Your essence is precious if you are of the path, All the secrets, the good hidden within it.”
Gold, power, and deceit play a crucial role in the societies that have lagged behind. Even if knowledge and thought manage to show their faces or appear in some form, it is always under the shadow of these three forces. Yet, these displays are often of worldly and devilish value, rather than motivations based on true human purposes:
“The world is full of power, deception, gold, and adornments, Where is knowledge and virtue, in the time we live?”
Those who have true insight, knowledge, or understanding are often involved in dark and unfortunate events, and they may even be pushed aside and marginalized, though after death, they become the light of society, their coffin the object of sorrow and mourning.
Those who understand a little more, rarely escape becoming entangled with the ignorant and the unwise, and the ignorant always attempt to guide such people, seeking to make them follow their whims, often succeeding through noise, threats, or deception. As a result, in backward societies, ordinary understanding and knowledge never achieve a prominent role, while gold and power dominate and operate in the most effective way. The situation is different for those who possess divine understanding and the complete awareness of the saints and loved ones of God.
Speech and law have multiplied, and the words of the Truth are abundant. But action is scarce both inside and outside, and the culture and law of our time have become corrupted. There has always been a lack of purity, and the allure of the outside world has always been deceptive.
Thus, in backward societies, those who wield power, using rhetoric, promises, threats, and appeals to emotions, have caused disarray among mankind. They have managed to deceive the simple and naive into supporting their selfish desires and causing harm, even under the guise of slogans like victory, progress, and national or religious protection.
On the Benevolence of His Presence in Both Worlds: The Significance of the Truth in the Essence of the Wise Mind
The beloved, in their proximity to the divine, becomes absorbed in a collective love. One who embodies the collective aspect of love possesses the ability to show kindness even to those who harbor animosity or act as enemies. Such a being is content with everything. True love cannot be pure unless it takes on a collective form. A pure love, one that is not collective, is not possible. The collective aspect of love embodies the realization of all the divine attributes and leads one to the fullness of divine names. The love that is accompanied by the presence of the Divine is:
“The heart, unaware of the apparent and the hidden, becomes captivated by the face of the world, for the true essence of reality is always within me.”
A person who has a collective ambition and position is aware of the nature of every atom and heart, and knows the unique path and natural course of each individual. Through their connection with the divine, the presence of the Divine in their heart, and the divine closeness granted to them, they are always deeply aware of the essence of all phenomena. Their heart, whether filled with sorrow or joy, first experiences it deeply:
“The heart has become well in the world through the hidden face, for this hidden face of love reaches my heart.”
Divine Authority:
One whom God has directly guided and favoured through His mercy is a “beloved” in the truest sense. Beloveds are those who possess profound knowledge of the divine and are the true guides of the path. They are those who, through supplication, can even alter God’s unchangeable decrees in the world of the sensible, a realm susceptible to change and transformation.
The knowledge of the beloveds pertains to the essence of the Divine, while the knowledge of the lovers, who are another group of learned individuals, concerns the divine attributes but does not encompass the essence itself. The lovers seek knowledge of God through the Prophet and the Imam, while the beloveds see the Prophet and Imam through the lens of God.
The difference between the beloveds and the lovers lies not only in the awareness of their identity but also in their respective spiritual stations. These two groups, in their spiritual journey, also differ in their practices and conduct. The beloveds are those who have direct access to the essence of God and are able to experience His unmanifest presence. They are privy to the mysteries of the Divine, and for those who harbor pure love for the Divine, their greatest joy and pain is witnessing the Divine’s veiled honour. The Divine is present in every phenomenon, and He is the guest of every occurrence, although the host may not be worthy of hosting. Nonetheless, no heart is untouched by His presence, even if the host fails to learn from His presence or develops the love necessary to welcome Him:
“The heart, seeing the pain of the beloved, feels immense sorrow, yet the beloved is a dignified presence, beyond reproach.”
Such individuals are immersed in the face of the Divine to the point that they are unaffected by the noise and disturbances of the world:
“I am detached from the turmoil of the world, for my beloved is right in front of me.”
They are not concerned with worldly gain and have no desire other than to be close to the Divine. Their longing for the Divine is so great that they find affinity with all creation:
“My heart is filled with the longing for the Beloved; my entire nature is like His, filled with divine love.”
This similarity is a reflection of unity, where duality ceases to exist, and there is no distinction between the two. It seems as if the Divine, who is omnipresent, has made them simple and humble:
“I do not know who I am, nor who the Beloved is, but in truth, the Divine is my very essence.”
This unity is true, and it brings joy to the soul, breaking all barriers and dissolving all distinctions, leaving only “the One”:
“The essence of my soul has become refined through love, for He is within me, as my essence and being.”
The Rebellion of Desire:
The mysticism of the beloved is built on purity, simplicity, kindness, and love. The lives of the Imams, full of affection and sincerity, serve as the perfect embodiment of love and divine proximity. This knowledge of the beloved elevates contemporary societies, but when honesty, justice, and love are absent from these societies and people behave deceitfully, the beloved becomes disheartened and disturbed by it:
“Purity and simplicity are absent in our actions, and loyalty and affection are nowhere to be found in our conduct.”
In today’s world, where greed and ego dominate, people no longer care about the harm caused by bad actions. Instead, they design plans and strategies to perpetuate them, and they even enshrine them as laws:
“Our world has become a game of deceit, and wrongdoing and deviance are no longer considered shameful.”
Today’s world lacks true “heart” and human civilization, and instead, the ego and desires have locked humanity in a cage, transforming it into a modern and civilised forest of suffering:
“Our world is like a jungle, but one stained with blood; civilization, at best, is a facade.”
In this modern jungle, the powerful and wealthy control everything. They speak beautifully but only to further their own selfish interests, while causing harm to others:
“Our goods are power and wealth, but faith is absent in our words.”
In the law of the jungle, there is no room for religion. If anyone speaks of faith, it is merely a disguise for their desires and ambitions, twisted into something far from the truth:
“Religion has disappeared, and faith has become the prey of demons, where nothing but deception is present in our thoughts.”
This behaviour deeply distresses the beloveds when politicians, who are disconnected from the Divine, speak of the Beloved’s name and use it to deceive people and further their own worldly agendas:
“The false god-speakers are abundant, but true devotion is nowhere to be found in this marketplace of deception.”
In this deceptive market, where trickery is the norm, one must distance themselves from the false religion promoted by political manipulators and from the materialistic world ruled by the wealthy and powerful. Neither of these represents the true path of faith, which should be filled with love, compassion, and sincerity. A glance at the media, controlled by economic cartels and various ideological forces, is a testament to this reality:
“I have left the world and its faith behind, for nothing but ugliness can be found in its works.”
One should not be simple or gullible, nor be deceived by the superficial appearance of the self, nor should one readily trust oneself or others:
Alas for today’s negligence and tomorrow’s opportunity,
Which brings to my mind, let whatever happens, happen.
The external world (nasut) has no permanence, and every phenomenon must pass through this realm and enter the domain of the hereafter. It is true that the world itself has its own reality and is eternal, but the beings of this world only sojourn briefly in this abode and must move to another house at the dawn of death. It is crucial that one perceives the world as a temporary station, a fleeting moment, a bridal chamber that is not permanent, as the bride is not eternal, and it is only in this moment that one may fight their battle, which will shape their eternal form. One cannot and should not become attached to a bride who is not eternal and lacks essence, but rather must see it merely as a tool of battle in the banquet of the world and look at it with an instrumental perspective, preparing oneself for the other worlds that lie ahead, and ultimately for the final world. All the suffering, life and death, obligations, and the superficial beauty of this fleeting bride are for the manifestation of human essence. Whatever comes, goes; whatever is built, is destroyed, and whatever is raised up, collapses—whether it is the work of human hands or the natural creation of God—and what remains is human knowledge, intention, and actions. It is hoped that no one becomes regretful or ashamed of themselves:
The bride of this worldly chamber does not hold good,
For she hastens to wed a hundred suitors in a moment.
The Pure Manifestation
“Freedom” is a privilege of the Divine. The Divine freedom has no bounds. There are no red lines in the land of the Divine, a land that is the essence of health. Purity flows there so harmoniously that no guest feels a sense of division or alienation from the host, and the host does not draw a red line for the guest:
From my chest, all restraints and bonds have departed,
The heart has cast away the illusion of duality.
The sign of “freedom” should be sought from the Lord of the free, the beloved of the Divine, and it is only in this domain that the heart finds joy and reaches its destination in ease:
I have fallen from your high tower into this world,
Since the moment my heart became pleased with Your essence.
Desire and joy belong only to the Divine essence, and the human soul, deprived, suffering, sorrowful, and weary in the realm of the world, finds relief and sweetness only from the waters of this clear and sweet spring:
From the spring of your union, my taste has become sweet,
Your desire is better than sugar, milk, honey, and candy.
Wisdom is with the saints of the Divine. Wisdom means bringing every phenomenon to its particular good. The saints, beloved like the hidden ones, work in the realm of both the outward and inward. They possess wisdom in which certainty is embedded; a wisdom that is only truth and correctness, and every inappropriate advice in its presence is ignorance and deviation, offering no plan or proposal in the form of advice:
My heart has been filled with wisdom,
When has the voice of others or their advice spoken to it?
The beloved saint works according to wisdom and sees all actions of the Divine as firm and is content with them. Indeed, the saint has nothing but the action of the Divine—both in their hands and in their eyes—and in “contentment,” there is a complete absence of any sense of self:
Although my life may slip away in Your path,
I am always content and pleased with You.
The lasting connection with the Divine is only the privilege of the nearest and dearest, and only they have received the “line of safety” and are free from any defilement or impurity:
If I sever my connection from the other,
With Your essence, I have every moment in kinship and bond.
They are unique, perceiving the Divine as the only true face of existence, not merely a relative essence:
Has there ever been a rival to Your noble face?
Who is there like You in the world?
Their eternal bond with the Divine is one that seeks a specific connection and special grace:
Do not cast me away from Your door full of joy and tumult,
For I long for Your union and will cry out once more.
The desire that holds a divine bond with itself is fulfilled by the Divine’s will, and it is through the Divine’s will that it is actualised, free from any human greed:
I have freed myself from all others, O my kin,
I am liberated from desire and the people of desire.
The beloved saint is content with the desires of the beloved and harmonises with them. This harmony is not without its pain—a pain that shatters the form of the one who harmonises, but does not silence the melody of harmony; even though a melody may be played upon it, it does not match the various keys:
My instrument broke under Your scorching breath in this separation,
Even though a hundred melodies are played upon this string.
The knowledge of the beloved requires greater pain and suffering, which nourishes their heart and harmonises with the divine melody; while others seek to play the divine melody to their own desires, making it align with themselves. The beloved is so pure and simple that they have no desires; the Divine is fully embodied within them, and the Divine is their measure and standard; wherever they go, the Divine follows:
A hundred melodies have given their lives for You;
For You seek the fire, while others seek the instrument.
The prey of greed
The mysticism of the beloved sees all phenomena as possessing beauty and goodness, and the system of creation is seen as the “best” system—not only in the general domain but also in the specific structure of individual things. This mysticism regards the evils of the world as appearances, not illusions or fantasies, and acknowledges them as having their effect; but this very evil, in its essence, contains an abundance of goodness and grace, having taken on the appearance of evil. This is why, from the perspective of this mysticism, all phenomena are good and safe, though perceiving and reaching this may not be easy:
The primordial secret caused the creation of the world,
From Your grace, the world is in safety and peace.
Although the painful difficulties of the world diminish human endurance, each has its appearance and manifestation. The sun may burn many faces, drawing a thirsty soul into its desert, and a thief may empty the desolate dwelling in the cover of night; the oppression and cruelty of governments may entrap countless innocent souls, and some of its beautiful faces may be stained with sin. But even this world is the best system and contains the attributes of beauty, both collectively and individually, with foundations that, from eternity, have necessitated the totality of each phenomenon, and, with the particular manifestation of each appearance, follow its causality.
It is essential to note that the universal totality of the primordial realm is manifested in the free will of the phenomenon, which is given the quality of the worldly realm. This causes some individuals to become eternally miserable in their current manifestation, while others attain eternal bliss. The eternal deprivation of the miserable, although leading them into a state of descent and implying their deficiency, is not a deficiency itself; rather, it is beauty. The wisdom of free will in the manifestation of actions in the world necessitates such a painful reality. The deprived are, in fact, the embodiment of the best system, and the concept of ruin and evil cannot apply to them. For, though humanity is the crown of creation, through deviation, it can unravel the fabric of its own existence and, at times, lead itself into eternal deprivation. Consequently, the beauty of the system and the grace of the Divine will manifest itself as the reward for such deeds.
The Fallen Locks
The beloved saints of God are free from their own selves, and only the presence of the Truth and Reality resides in them. In the station of annihilation of the self, they experience states of intoxication and drunkenness. This state of intoxication brings them clarity and peaceful sobriety. With the ability they possess, they do not reject any of the manifestations or attributes that arise in these states. The perfect saints, in these stations, are the epitome of secrecy and concealment, appearing in the most ordinary manner, as if they are simply “eating food and walking in the markets” [Quran, 25:7]. They appear as entirely normal and unaffected, with no trace of pride or otherworldliness showing. In this state, the very moment they conceive a thought in their hearts, it materialises, becoming a reality before them.
Annihilation and dissolution in the Beloved cause them to lose all sense of distinction. The state of annihilation brings with it a stupor, a sort of unconsciousness, and a kind of intoxication. The intoxication of dissolution comes from the intoxication of love. Love that becomes intoxicated reveals itself through shame and the lover’s willingness to accept the beloved’s whims in every corner of the world. One who becomes intoxicated by annihilation, loses his sense of self and, forever immersed in a state of purity, attains perpetual union. Like a moth lost in the flame of the candle, he is consumed by the remembrance of the Beloved, and nothing remains of him but the constant manifestation of the Divine Truth. However, in complete obscurity, though the self has been dissolved, the effects of individuality may still be visible. The following verse hints at these states:
“Intoxication, stupor, a face in dissolution, and two lips in obscurity of existence,
After that, the secret and concealment, the vision of us becomes simple.”
A heart that is filled with such vision and purity becomes unsettled, a city in turmoil, exhausted and worn out, burning with a passion for which no remedy is found other than the union with the Beloved. The peace of such a heart is only achieved through union, a union so wondrous that even the Beloved is drawn into it. The one who has attained union no longer remains a separate self. The forgetfulness of the one who has merged into this union leads to a wandering in the domain of the Divine Essence, from where the silent music of love flows and draws the lover into its spell:
“In the arms of the Beloved, my eyes closed,
Until that face stole my heart and my sight.”
A heart that is filled with the purity of the Divine Truth no longer sees existence for itself but perceives all things through the beauty and goodness of the Divine. Every praise and adoration is seen as solely due to Him:
“I said to my Beloved, ‘How wonderful you are for both worlds,
May your form and your face always receive blessings.'”
The union of a heart that is a meadow of purity intoxicates and drives the heart to madness. The madness of this intoxication transforms the lover into an ardent devotee, and the madness it brings leads the lover into disgrace, making him a fool in every place, forsaking his heart and his faith, as the following verse illustrates:
“I am intoxicated and carried by the winds of madness,
I laid down both my heart and my faith in your embrace to rest.”
When the heart has been illuminated by purity and light, it becomes so intoxicated that it no longer hesitates to take from the lips of the Beloved. The Beloved, though asking for everything, receives abundance in return. The lover takes the Beloved into his arms, and their name becomes famous throughout the world, and their presence fills every heart:
“All this intoxication of the heart has passed from the lips of that cup,
Your sweet name has cast its shadow upon the face of the earth.”
The Measure of the Secret of Fate
The ghazal “The Secret of the Measure” unveils the knowledge of the dimensions and the mysteries of measure. The secret of the measure is one of the divine gifts and favours bestowed by the Divine upon His beloved servants. It is an inner knowledge, not an external or formal one.
Those who attain this knowledge feel its effects only after reaching the state of Inbisaat (Expansion), which is a transitional stage and a moral station. In this state, the seeker develops the virtues of forgiveness and covering the faults of others. The secret of the measure is a middle knowledge, known to the intermediates of the saints, but the awareness it brings surpasses what most people know.
Someone who understands the secret of the measure sees all the attributes and actions of people and understands why God has given one person one form of perfection and another person a different one. Why one person is endowed with beauty and another with ugliness; why one is ignorant and another is wise; why one person has wealth and another lacks it. The answers to these questions are found through the knowledge of the secret of the measure. A person who understands this secret is never in regret for what they do not have; they see the world as it is, with no frustration or complaint.
The one who knows the secret of the measure sees that all actions of the world are precisely ordered. They understand that whatever happens, happens according to divine wisdom, and so they accept and reconcile with the various fates that befall different people, seeing them as they truly are without pride or prejudice. Such a person does not judge the actions of others but attributes them to divine wisdom, offering excuses where necessary and recognizing the virtues even in apparent flaws.
In this view, someone who observes the wrongdoings of others and condemns them is misguided. The true believer always excuses others and tries to understand their actions in the light of divine wisdom. If they cannot find an explanation, they admit their own ignorance. The seeker who attains the station of Inbisaat becomes imbued with divine love for all, seeing everyone’s virtues, listening to their words, and recognising their potential.
In this state, they no longer see people as small or insignificant but perceive them as great and noble. Such a person serves others and offers their own happiness and joy to the people around them, accepting their own pain and sorrow in silence, as expressed by the following poet:
“Either endure like the earth, O sage,
Or place all that you have learned under the soil.”
The one who can bear the shortcomings of others with patience and compassion possesses futuwah (noble courage), and by embodying it, they reach the essence of purity and truth. Such a person has truly transcended the ego, having shed its attributes and embraced the purity of the Divine, attaining the state of Inbisaat.
The realm of distortion and deficiency is embodied in symbols of righteousness and correctness, scattering the dust of corruption that even the wise of the age are deceived by their satanic and crafty faces:
You will not see the people in distress and despair, for the wise of the time have either gone deaf or are blind.
Their time is dominated by oppression, cruelty, and silencing all cries. The oppressors are those who are entangled in their own complexes and regrets, and internally lack nobility, grandeur, and personal worth. The oppressed and deprived, in their hopelessness, curse and lament the tyrants, their flatterers, and sycophants; tyrants who crush any helpless soul with no power:
Woe to us after the truth, what will happen to us? In the land of truth, the mighty tyrant stirs up turmoil.
They disguise themselves as the righteous, playing with the honor and dignity of the people, worse than strangers:
A stranger would not come, for a fellow is worse than that, raising a cry against the faith with drum and trumpet.
In these times, one must await salvation; an awaiting that is long and painful. The soul’s deep agony, born of suffering, is soothed by the hope of a brilliant light that sometimes reveals itself in the absence of the savior to guide the people and assist the afflicted. This light will overwhelm the oppressors and destroy the tyrants:
O Lord, send the savior of the faith, the new flower of Zahra, so that the righteous may flourish according to the command.
The twilight
The twilight is the struggle between the light of dawn and the darkness of night. Both the day and the night pass, and so does the moment of twilight. What passes is transient, and grieving over it only weakens the foundation; however, what remains is the accounting of what has been gained and the table of deeds. The passage of time, next to a stream, becomes clearer in one’s mind, drawing the heart toward it:
I said, by the flowing water, with my own existence, woe to a moment of yours, for the account of it shall come before you!
The world neither remains for the good, nor do the good remain in it; just as the world neither remains for the ugly nor do the wicked stay in it. Both the beauty and ugliness of the world pass. Neither the sweetness of joy endures nor the sorrow of grief remains:
Every moment that passes from you, from the world and the soul, you become transient and do not see your own life!
The world, with all its vastness, is small, and even smaller is the heart that becomes fixated on this transient phenomenon and attaches to it. The pleasure of the world is not real pleasure; just as its problem is not truly a problem, because both are fleeting. The world has two faces: one of demise and one of persistence. The face of demise is its unstable reality, and the face of persistence is the stable identity that phenomena, by their own choice, manifest within. In the struggle between the twilight of demise and persistence, one must value the present moment, not grieve over the past nor fear the future; the present moment, for which there is no hope:
Yesterday is gone and you are unaware of tomorrow, today is not even here, there is no hope for a moment of it.
The sweetness, the goodness, and the pleasures of the world, if derived from its transient nature, pass away and the sting of separation, longing, and regret tarnish the sweetness of today. The world-bound individual, who has no concern today, will face a bitter tomorrow where excessive desires and cravings will take away the pleasure of their possessions. The greatest pain for the world-bound is not enjoying what they have and still suffering to obtain what they don’t have. The world of the worldly is a deadly mirage, whose pursuit only makes one weaker and thirstier. The world is perishable and fleeting, and its impermanence dominates the entire material realm. The intoxication of the world-bound is accompanied by deprivation and loss; a deprivation that eventually brings them to the drunkenness of their transient intoxication.
However, the world also has a permanent face, and that is the identity of each phenomenon within the material realm. This identity, if it embodies love and purity, is accompanied by spiritual pleasures; spirituality, sanctity, and a kingdom that regards the world as a passage and a place of transition. A transition where no oppression or harm is caused to oneself or others, and where blessings are not tarnished but used in the purity of the heart and the cleanliness of love:
O heart, drink the cup of purity, moment by moment in love, so that the sting of pain and sorrow may not settle in the heart.
The purity of the soul is the spiritual strength of the friends of God, and they are always intoxicated and joyous from it, never despairing or bitter-hearted. They see everything positively, thinking of everything in green, and their mental image is one of the passionate love they hold in their hearts:
My tears are wine, and my heart and soul, the goblet, my sighs are the string, and my wounded chest, full of thorns.
One must value the fleeting moments of life and spend them with purity and affection. Moments that feel like all moments, though they are but fleeting; for at any time, a moment may be the final one, and its end, perhaps the beginning of understanding life. A moment in the world can bring a person from the peak to the abyss. These moments are insignificant in quantity but immense in quality. One must prepare for this fleeting nightmare of quantity and the unfulfilling giant by adding qualitative meaning, seeing the end and truth within it, thus giving color and substance of goodness and righteousness to all one’s pleasures and deeds:
Cheerfully move towards joy and festivity, chest open to joy, so that you may once again free yourself from the bonds of religion and faith.
One must accompany the truth and see the truth within the face of the world, and engage in a world that is mixed with the truth. The cold and heat of the world, along with its victories and defeats, must be measured against the “truth”:
The garden, the song, the drum, the harp, the lover’s locks! The wheel of the cup, the dance, and the gaze on the disheveled face.
One must surrender to God Almighty and remain hopeful. One must not consider hardship and sorrow as permanent fixtures in the house of the heart; rather, one must say: whatever is not, does not matter, and being with all the faces of truth is sufficient, for dying in the presence of truth is the marriage bed of success and the palace of happiness and hope:
Delight is in the moment that you constantly gather the tresses in your hands, as you do in a thousand veils of lovers, the more, the better!
Being worldly makes one so selfish that they think they are the representative, guardian, and caretaker of everyone. It is as if all the phenomena of existence are their subjects and slaves. Vanity and obsession with appearance, with clothing and hair, are signs of this worldliness. But the treachery of this worldly face lies in the fact that it suddenly reveals its other side, transforming all the grandeur and glory it had built into a dream and illusion. It is as if this treacherous world has never had an owner or lover:
Who are we and the fleeting power of this world, free from the people of appearance, the horse, and all that is?
The world mercilessly attacks the worldly, casting them out and humiliating them, as if the worldly has been an enemy of the world, not a supporter. The long-time lover of the world becomes a prisoner to its storm and turmoil, just as a leaf is carried away by a flood, fire, wind, or rain, with vengeance. Its nature is so treacherous and reckless that even with the world’s lovers, it does not make peace. With its beautiful appearance, it sinks its long, dark teeth into their bodies, like a virus or a deadly disease, attacking the worldly and infiltrating all parts of them. Yet, this transient time does not give the worldly a second chance to fight back, leaving them to a never-ending deprivation, one that is immutable and irreversible:
Seek the good from Him at every moment, for the fleeting world of twilight brings you harm.
On the Verse We Refer to:
The poem we mentioned goes as follows:
My crime was this: that I said with every breath,
The secrets of the Truth belong to me, I fear not,
Even if I walk toward the gallows in the name of Truth!
I reveal the secrets of the apparent and the hidden,
The Truth is one, concealed in the speech of Truth.
All the particles of existence are the faces of His manifestation,
I cast my heart into the sea, and say: I am the repetition of Truth.
All the world is Truth; behold! The Truth is divinity at work,
Open your eyes to the face of existence, seeking the vision of Truth.
Be compassionate to all of God’s creatures, if you are wise!
Let go of cruelty, and do not harm the Truth for God’s sake.
Show purity in your heart and become an invisible entity for the Beloved,
Let go of delusions and instill in your heart the notion of Truth.
I drank from myself, sat with Truth in serenity,
In my intoxication, I became a madman, a sick person for the Truth.
I severed my heart from myself and entrusted it to the Beloved,
I departed from my own being, becoming the lover and the beloved of Truth.
Praise be to those two eyes, intoxicated with the divine love of the mystic,
He placed desire in my heart, and my soul awoke to the Truth.
Who can truly claim to be in the bonds of faith, and who in the bonds of disbelief?
Everything is Truth; I am far from denial of Truth.
On the State of Existence:
The world has two faces: one is worldly and one is divine. The divine face of the world is the greatest name of the Divine and the manifestation of Divine will, as well as a manifestation of His actions: “Exalted in His nearness and near in His exaltation.” This face indicates the grandeur of the world. However, what most people are preoccupied with is the worldly, mortal face, which is fleeting. The following verse advises against becoming distracted by it:
Leave aside worldly matters, for they are futile, O wise one!
What is worthy of you is to become perfect.
The world, like a game of football or a wrestling match, can change the course of fate in an instant, bringing victory to defeat. What matters is the ability to play until the last minute and finish the game. The world is a “flavour,” and taste is a limited and transient matter. Neither joy is a permanent blessing, nor sorrow a lasting misfortune. What is crucial is that one does not end in hell or despair but ultimately finds happiness, success, and salvation. Nature and the worldly cycle are such that both good and bad, sweet and bitter coexist. Even the slightest negligence can turn a sweet event into a bitter one. One must not take the worldly life lightly; even a moment’s carelessness can lead to misfortune. Every action must be done in its proper time, and procrastination, as well as delaying action, will only change the course of fate without yielding anything:
In the eternal gathering of the soul, one must become detached,
Only then will peace be found for the heart, when one becomes united with the Divine.
The world is the bridal chamber of union with the Divine, if the heart seeks Him and wishes to unite with Him, transcending self and all attachments:
My heart pursues the Beloved, I gave it away in hope,
For there was nothing in my heart but Him, that it may become the ultimate goal.
Excessive talk, especially when driven by vanity, is a trap of self-obsession and a descent into self-deception. This causes the heart to die, while remembrance of the Divine revives the soul. Through the remembrance and contemplation of the Divine, one can attain knowledge and closeness to Him, particularly since God created man for Himself: (And I have fashioned you for Myself):
Do not speak in vain of yourself, for the heart will not be renewed,
Renew the heart with the Divine, for only He is worthy of you.
The beloveds of the Divine have His presence with them. In their essence, they hold the remembrance of God and, through this remembrance, possess the truth of the remembrance:
Go beyond yourself, and turn your heart toward the truth,
Gaze upon the Divine and be at peace, if you are a true mystic and follower of the way.
The Quest for Freedom:
I have come for love, and will go in pursuit of it,
For I was born free from the love of the Beloved.
I am far from everything that exists,
For in Your love, I have fallen from both worlds.
My lesson is Your lesson, my school is freedom,
My guide! My saviour! My master is You!
Your love has made me like the one who is intoxicated with truth,
How correct is this? I am one of those from the city of the intoxicated.
The Divine is free, and He loves freedom. His freedom knows no limits or boundaries. His freedom is absolute, absolute in its absoluteness. The existence and reality of the Divine is encompassed within His freedom, for He is free. All things that resemble Him in freedom are the most liberated. Freedom, in rights, is also sacred. However, it should be noted that “freedom” is distinct from “liberation” and recklessness. The source of rights is existence and manifestation. Nothing, not even religion or belief, can remove this foundational right from anything. There is no conflict between freedom and religion, unless religion ceases to be true or human understanding in the process of truth discovery errs. Freedom is a right derived from existence and manifestation; however, this right also has limits. Absolute freedom is not a right abstracted from existence or manifestation, but rather, freedom and the description of “choice” are inherent in existence and the phenomena within it, and they can produce both sweet and bitter outcomes, sometimes leading individuals down paths with no return. But it is this misuse of choice that is mistaken for freedom. Nonetheless, those who act with freedom, without losing themselves in recklessness, find happiness and ultimate success.
The Wrath of Divine Justice:
The poem of divine meeting is an exclusive report of the visit and vision of the Divine. It is the heart that can achieve the visit and sight of the Divine, provided it is pure of other attachments:
I gave my heart a letter of love from my Beloved,
But it suddenly took away my patience and peace of mind.
The Divine, ever-present in every phenomenon, opens His arms for special grace:
I went to behold the face of the moon-faced One,
I saw that He, in His beauty, sat beside me.
The embrace of the Divine is the union with His new graces. This grace is like a mirror, reflecting the unity of the lover and the beloved, where the lover’s devotion to the Divine in a face-to-face meeting transcends all identity and names, revealing a presence before time and name:
I intended to pick the flower of Your face,
But found You embracing me, as if I were the mirror.
This vision makes the mystic dance, revealing both the wrath and beauty of the Divine. The mystic endures the majesty and beauty of the Divine, seeing them with serenity and wisdom:
I asked, “What would it be if You gave me a kiss?”
He said, “Strike me, and it shattered my heart.”
This sight is the dance of the soul, intoxicated by the wine of vision, tasting the ecstasy of witnessing the Divine in His full form. The pleasure comes from this clarity, which is the manifestation of the Divine in the heart:
My heart was lost, taken from me, broken,
By the darkness of Your gaze, You shattered my broken heart.
The ecstasy of this vision, free from all rancour, negativity, and sorrow, becomes complete with acceptance of the Divine’s will, and the soul is captivated by the Divine:
My heart became enslaved to the appearance of Your form,
When Your face became the home of my heart.
This clarity, through the Divine’s abundant grace, grows even purer, leading to joy that is untouchable by worldly desires. In this moment of union with the Divine, the mystic experiences the ultimate fulfillment:
Throughout my life, You have been my guide,
O mirror, You are my all.
This blissful vision so overwhelms the mystic that they yearn for the wine of further divine encounters:
We, the alive ones, in search of the Beloved’s lips,
Sakhi, give me the wine of purity, for I shall not leave You alone.
The mystic, full of love for the Divine, seeks the inward embrace of the Divine, desiring union with the essence beyond names and forms:
Take us beyond the form to the source of Your Being,
Until the heart no longer longs for this world of duality.
This bliss is one of unity, where the lover and the beloved, beyond body and form, become one:
I see You within my heart,
You are the ocean, and I, like the bubble, am a reflection of You.
In this unity, the self disappears, merging fully with the Divine, creating an inseparable union of spirit and essence.
The Clamor of Love
The understanding of the connection between lover and beloved, and the journey toward unity, takes various forms. This union, at its peak, leads to “unity” which is only achieved through love for the Divine. Other forms of love are only preliminary, whereas love for the Divine is unique and all-encompassing.
The concept of nasut (the earthly realm) is seen by the mystics as something beloved in truth, though it is limited and transient in nature. Nasut carries the appearance and outward form that also contains an inner reality. The saints, who possess an inner essence, do not achieve full manifestation of this essence except during the era of the final revelation. The nature of nasut is that it focuses on action and activity, and those who are worldly have dominance within it, although those with inner knowledge may, at times, hold external power as well. The material world is considered the great name of God, much like a sovereign who rules over his land, and obedience to this sovereignty is a given. All of nasut lies under the rule of the world, and it is nasut that governs the world. God’s saints also hold power over the outward aspects of the world, though it is rare for one of God’s saints to rule over the entirety of its visible manifestations. Reality always seems more faint in the world than in other realms, and it is in the earthly realm where the external forms shape the face of existence.
In this world, it is the ego (the nafs) that rules. As the verse states: “Verily, the ego commands evil” (Inna al-nafs la-ammara bi al-su’). It seems that in this world, the divine essence is in exile, for just as the adornments of the world are colorless in the afterlife, in the intermediary realm (Barzakh), and in the past worlds, it is only in this world where these outward appearances take form. The rule of the world remains in the hands of those who follow the ego and its passions, such as lust, wealth, formal knowledge, and authority.
The saints of God may hold spiritual power, but in many cases, they are outwardly defeated by the world’s materialistic powers. This world is the domain of Satan as well, though his power diminishes in the afterlife and in other realms. The saints, however, possess spiritual and hidden power, even though they often outwardly appear to be defeated, yet their dignity remains. The world, governed by ego, passion, wealth, and other worldly temptations, constantly sends its followers to battle against the saints of God. The world’s empire is vast, but its dominion ends here, for the followers of the world are ultimately weak in the next life.
The saints of God also endure the hardships of separation, as it is through the pain of this separation that their souls are drawn closer to the divine. Though the trials of the world may cause them anguish, their true connection with the beloved remains intact and unshaken. The true lovers of God possess a divine wisdom that allows them to guide others toward the essence of the divine with minimal effort, immersing them in love and spiritual intoxication. Such an intoxication dulls the pain of worldly struggles and makes the soul yearn for union with the beloved, even as it experiences the sharpness of worldly trials.
The saints know the depth of their union with God, for they are initiated into the divine mysteries directly, bypassing the need for conventional knowledge or teachers. They experience a form of divine recognition that allows them to perceive God’s presence in all things. For the true saints, all worldly concerns fade into oblivion as they find themselves lost in the divine essence. They experience a continual unveiling of divine truths, guided only by love and the purity of their connection to God.
In essence, the path of the true lover of God is one of total self-effacement and complete devotion, transcending even the need for outward form and description. Their union with God is beyond names and forms, as they become immersed in the divine essence itself. Thus, the journey of these beloveds is one of continual self-sacrifice, where they renounce the ego to embrace the pure and unmediated presence of the divine.
The beloveds, in their relationship with God, seek nothing but the divine essence, abandoning all worldly attachments. Through their unbroken devotion, they become a manifestation of divine love, transcending the material and returning to their true source, where they exist in eternal union with the divine.
This eternal love and the pursuit of divine knowledge form the core of their existence, and they exist to serve as instruments of God’s will in the world, though they remain above the limitations of the world. Their knowledge and spiritual wisdom are not acquired through conventional means, but are instead a divine gift that reveals itself naturally through their purity of heart and devotion. The saints, with their open hearts and direct connection to the divine, continue to guide humanity toward the truth, showing us that the ultimate purpose of existence is to merge with the divine, leaving behind all worldly distractions.
This mystical journey involves not only the quest for knowledge but also the surrender of the self to God, as the beloveds of God live in a constant state of love, intoxicated by the divine presence, and dedicated entirely to the will of God, unshaken by the hardships of the world.
The Fourth Volume of “Love and Knowledge”
The fourth volume of the Divan titled Love and Knowledge speaks of the encounter with the Beloved. It describes the dream of the unattainable vision that, from the unity of existence, the intoxicated beauty brings forth an uproar with a kiss and the tangible connection with a beautiful and playful lover, a sweet-dancing, mischievous, and cheerful figure who stirs chaos in a land devoid of lovers. This turmoil emerges from the very heart of the pure essence, causing the heart and sight to wander in the barren desert of the world, plundering the divine realm, and then, in the end, it surrenders the soul to the sword of dawn in the vision of a face which, in the night, is the heroic figure of every place—a face that is a “drunk without a mark,” a symbol of joy and beauty.
This face is the garden of the heart, the flower of every particle. Every phenomenon stems from Him; He is the essence of beauty in every event. He is the eternal flame, and in the spectacle of His kiss, the flower garden and the heat of the kiss upon the body of the dark-eyed maiden is found. He is the witness and the visible of the world, the very flame of existence.
The “drunk without a mark” is the unveiled face, the body that is openly seen. The cry of freedom is His. The face with no trace, no sign, is His. The existence of every moment is His. The shape and form of every particle is His. His appearance brings comfort to every phenomenon. His hidden passion is the essence of nature. The path and the pathless are He, and He is within them. He is the world, the possessor of peace, strength, and clarity. He is the life-force, the heart of every living thing.
The Precursor
The human realm is but a “moment” and a fleeting present; everything beyond it is either past or future, and neither is part of the present. We must cherish and value this very moment, for it is fleeting and will soon be lost, like the yellow autumn leaves carried away by the wind:
The moment is a treasure, my friend, cast aside the world!
There is no time left, behold the flames of autumn and fall.
The mind and thought are restricted by preconceived notions, unable to transcend the logical structures established for them. This is why they neither comprehend the infinite past nor the eternal future. The past and future should be discovered by the heart, not the limited intellect:
Leave aside the tale of the past and the talk of the eternal!
Be free, for your mind cannot grasp them.
“Now” is the very essence of the world, the present, and the past is sorrow, while the future is full of fear, as both are tainted with imagination and speculation:
Seek the essence of the present and cast aside the fear of the future,
for the world passes by; purify your heart and soul.
In pursuit of this moment, one must remain pure and free of conflicts, leaving no trace of negativity, as even the slightest dissatisfaction with any phenomenon is injustice to the Creator and harm to oneself:
Forget injustice and refrain from impurity,
an impure soul brings harm to no one but itself.
A wicked tyrant today faces a dark future in the afterlife, where the consequences of his actions will overwhelm him. It is crucial to recognize that the world is not limited to the physical realm, and the afterlife is merely a continuation of the same, where every truth is realized, and every wrongdoer is punished:
The day of the oppressor is worse than the night of the weak,
the time when they become guests in the hellfire.
Happiness and success belong to those who have not wronged anyone in this world, for wrongdoing is a great sin and a grave injustice, breaking the heart of the Divine and the Beloved. The best is to have never allowed even a tyrant to share your belief, to have recognized their deceit from the start, and to have distanced yourself from them:
Happy is he who has never become a tyrant in this world,
nor given his trust to injustice at any time!
The Covenant
The beloved saints possess the ability to wait for God in love, watching Him, and when they find Him within their own hearts, they embrace Him tightly, just as God, in His turn, watches His beloveds, ready to bestow a special favour upon them at the perfect moment:
You came into my heart, and all else left.
My body was abandoned, and my heart became captive to You, O Beloved.
The beloved ones, entering a realm beyond names and forms, have no support in their worldly selves and nothing to announce. They simply remain silent and motionless:
When I saw your face in my heart,
I departed from myself, and no longer had a name.
The world of the beloved saints is such that nothing compares to its purity and beauty, and no other purity could replace it:
You are the intoxicated moon of my heart,
I am immersed in You, for You are my true guest.
They engage in communion and embrace with the Divine, sharing in intimate moments:
I am mad, intoxicated, and crazy,
O Divine Beloved, I made a pact with You, and my promise remains unbroken.
The beloved ones, on their ascendant journey, pass through all realms of the afterlife, transcending fixed entities, names, and attributes. They reach the ultimate essence and enter into the heart of the Divine:
Though I have traversed the whole world,
my path ends at Your doorstep, O Beloved.
The hearts of the beloved saints are the chambers of God’s descent. If one wishes to reach the Divine heart, they must first attain the hearts of these beloved saints, for these hearts are the true seat of the Divine:
You are the heart of my existence,
You are the only love in my heart, O hidden Beloved.
The saints first see and hold the Divine, acknowledging Him as worthy of worship, love, and adoration. Their hearts, fully devoted to Him, are the dwelling places of God Himself. For the beloved, the Divine is not a distant reality to be feared or worshipped for the sake of rewards or punishment, but rather it is the sole object of their devotion:
You are my companion, You are my solace, You are the light of my heart,
You are my presence, and my soul finds its form in You.
The beloved ones possess all their virtues as gifts from the Divine, and their hearts are mirrors reflecting the Divine attributes. They embody the fullness of God’s kindness, wisdom, and love. In their presence, every aspect of goodness and wisdom is renewed, and anyone who finds themselves in their company is fortunate:
I stand by You, and my heart stands firm in You,
Your love has given my heart its form and structure.
The Importance of the Divine Heart
The essential characteristic of the beloved saints is that they do not recognize anything as external to the Divine. They do not fear the external world, nor do they have any grief, longing, or attachment to anything other than God. They only cry out for the Divine presence, their hearts yearning for union and devotion, so that God’s heart remains unbroken:
I am engaged with You in both worlds,
unaware of the world’s concerns, yet my heart yearns for You.
For the beloved, the Divine heart is paramount. If it does not welcome them, then all of creation becomes a wasteland, for without the Divine’s approval, nothing holds meaning. The saints’ hearts burn with a love so intense that it cannot be extinguished, for their love is entirely divine, pure, and selfless:
You have ruined my heart in this world,
What can I do when You do not accept me in Your presence?
The Life of the Manifestation
The hearts of the beloved are full of longing due to separation from the Divine essence. The spiritual discipline of the beloveds involves a separation from the Divine essence. It is through this separation from the Divine that they experience sorrow and yearning. In the following verse, the Divine essence is referred to as “the bud of the corner of the lips”:
This heart, full of longing, has become entirely black,
The bud at the corner of your lips has destroyed my heart.
The beloveds are not bound by anything or anyone, nor by their own actions. Instead, their goal is the manifestation of the Divine essence, and they have no concern except for their reunion with it:
Except for the sorrow of your separation, what sorrow remains in my heart?
Whatever is not You, is vanity, error, and sin.
The beloveds first attain the Oneness of the Divine, and they show Him what is due. They know clearly where they have come from and how their return to Him will be:
How could I approach You, O my charming lover?
How could I ever make up for the mistakes I have made, each moment?
The beloveds have encountered God in His pure existential form, worthy of worship. In every moment of contemplation, they seek the Divine essence with passionate devotion:
My heart has gone after You, following every face,
When will I reach You, so that You may shelter me in Your embrace?
The bodies of the beloveds are invigorated by the love and purity within them. For them, sleep and wakefulness are the same, and their sleep is the awakening of love. Both the future and the past are the same to them, and every sense they possess carries all their faculties, as they are entirely eyes and sight:
In the house of my heart, there is no friend except You,
My body has become nothing but eyes and sight.
The friends of God, in the battle of divine union and unity, lose their head, soul, religion, and existence. They pass beyond all names and all distinctions, becoming indistinct and witnessing the love of the Divine essence. They find the love of the Divine Essence, not just the love for Him. Love for oneself is different from the love of the Divine. It is the beloveds who visit God and witness the henna that He has placed upon them, and they carry the mood of it with them. Thus, when they enter the realm of the material, they are not affected by the earthy essence or the glory of the material world. They are not tainted by any form of sustenance, sin, or nurture, and they do not require discipline for ascension:
Did you see, at last, my heart found peace through Your cruelty, O my dear?
It has entirely departed from itself, fallen away from worldly pride and honor.
The beloveds are secretive and even the sighs and tears of their separation from the Divine do not show outwardly. They conceal the torment within, though their appearance is one of joy, freshness, and intoxication, as if they are beyond the realm of any thought or concern:
Neither joy has befallen me, nor do I desire pleasure,
Nor is my heart of clay, nor my soul a plant.
God is the sweet companion, the source of joy, who meets each phenomenon in a unique form, one-on-one. The Divine Essence is seated within the heart of every particle, and every particle resides within the heart of God. God does not lose anyone on the path; He knows each one individually, leads them, and nourishes them. He nurtures the entire universe, with its vastness and infinity, through love and purity. It is important to note that although no phenomenon remains unfulfilled, it is not the case that every fulfilled being is merciful or destined for bliss. It does not contradict the fact that a thankless servant may, by their own choice, act in defiance of the Divine and ultimately fall into deprivation:
O the beauty that captures the heart, O the sweet and joyful face,
How fortunate is the one who follows You, for each particle falls in Your path.
The beloveds not only separate from action and attributes but also from their own identity. They rise in the act of severing their own identity and lose everything in the gamble of love. In this slaughterhouse of love, they are torn apart and become like drops of water, silent and unmoved by pain:
I have become annihilated in Your essence, to be absorbed by You.
I am a witness to You, and Your essence is my testimony.
The beloveds’ vision is the manifestation of the Divine Essence, and God, being transcendent, manifests to them in a way that His love and affection constantly reveal His pure essence to them. They see that He gives and takes without hands, and in His formlessness, He gives and receives:
You are the outward beauty, and from You the moon of existence arose,
You are the light, and You Yourself are the sun and moon.
This vision is continual, but the beloveds long for a specific union and the joyous banquet of love and intoxication:
Rise and take my heart, strike it upon the world,
Who else has ever come to love, willingly or unwillingly?
God takes the first step with His beloveds and receives all that they have from the very beginning, even though the beloved has neither hands nor possessions to offer:
In the world, all that has come to me, I have given to You,
I have taken from You separation, burning sorrow, and pain, along with a sigh.
The beloveds do not concern themselves with anything other than God. The “devices” they mention in their poetry refer to spiritual matters that bring them closer to God. They seek help through the “devices” and stations of music (the Divine sound) to attain their goals. These “devices” are symbolic of the inspiration and breath of divine vision.
The Homayun is a harmonious device that invites one to the morning stillness in the meadow and the freshness of the grass. Dashti is a device that only creates sorrow and lament. Shur is a heavy and intoxicating device that stirs mystical motives, especially at dawn. Se-gah is a device of love and delight, while Biyat-Turk awakens the spirit of heroism:
I play these tunes with the sorrow of separation from my friend,
From Homayun, Biyat, Dashti, Shur, and Se-gah.
The lovers of the Divine have no desires and are free from the calculating intellect, which seeks profit. They are the manifestation of God and intoxicated by the love of God. They are companions with God, embracing every danger for the sake of love:
With Your hope, I have wandered, free from reason and understanding,
In Your embrace, I am free from the sorrow of mountains and dust.
The beloveds, in general, are outside of the realm of the other, and their hearts, both at the dawn of their beginning and at the dusk of their end, are centered in the Divine essence:
In Your embrace, my beloved, a single heart and a hundred hearts are one,
They have become pure, free from any heart, from every moment, dawn and dusk.
“Thirst Grows More”:
Oh, I am at your service, with your coquettish gestures and smiles,
I thirst for sips of wine, with the clink of the cup, the strings, and the flute.
The beloved, in an eternal state of devotion, continuously submits to the will of the Divine and remains in the satisfaction of God’s pleasure. However, they burn with longing, grow thirstier, and continue their journey. Although this thirst may stem from the earthly, created aspect of the beloved, the divine aspect of it prevails and dominates, inseparable from it.
He who has tasted the spiritual wine of divine grace in the sacred gathering of the Almighty becomes a madman, carefree. For him, the distinction between the clink of the lute, the gentle strumming, and the reed-flute ceases to exist. Instead, he perceives both beauty and grandeur in everything, seeing the face of grace and beauty in every manifestation, and becomes a beholder of perfection.
It is love that elevates the beloved to the divine, and only through the stature of the beloved and the indefinable essence does meaning arise. It rests in the endless (zero) and the unspoken, where it is absorbed in the collective state of love. One who possesses the collective face of love has the ability to be kind to all, even if they are enemies and ill-wishers. Such a person is content with everything. Love, until it assumes its collective form, is impure. Pure love cannot exist without collectivity. Collectivity represents the manifestation of all of God’s attributes within itself and the attainment of His names. The love that is united with the Divine Essence:
May my soul be sacrificed for the joyful face and the countenance of your love,
Forget my own description, and give me the essence, free from all attributes.
This perspective ultimately leads to unity and dissolves the foundation of duality, bringing about the cold death of the body. Yet, this death cannot strip the heart of its sorrow and grief. The immense burden of longing remains, though it may lessen slightly with the pursuit of the vision and the longing for union. The only counsel it offers is patience:
The eye of the heart, in the tumult of existence, before Your presence,
No longer desires any face or behaviour from this world.
Union with the essence, devoid of names and attributes, intoxicates and delights the heart of the lover, freeing them from the shadows of the other and from divine mercy, granting them the blissful vision of the Divine Beloved. God, in the beauty of His love, rests upon the heart of the lover, removing the wrath of His grandeur from them. This resting place, where all events converge, contains the essence of every shadow:
Your wrath was within me, the separation of the incomparable essence,
Now, the nearness of manifestation has arrived, and every shadow has passed.
One who has attained the nearness of manifestation and the collective state of love carries every shadow with them. This means they are aware of the inner essence of every particle and heart, knowing the special and natural path of everyone. As we have mentioned elsewhere, the saintly lover, with the presence of God within their heart, holds a unique and perpetual identity with all phenomena, such that every sorrow or joy first settles in their heart.
“Niqd-e-Safi (Volume 1)”
Volume 10:
Niqd-e-Safi (Volume 1)
The “Niqd-e-Safi” is a critical engagement with the content of the Ghazals of Khwaja Hafiz Shirazi, exploring the mystical and philosophical nuances of his poetry. It provides a critical analysis of the mystical journey of the lover (Mahbubi), the intricacies of spiritual nearness, and the distinctions between the path of the lover and the beloved, all articulated in the form of verse. In essence, the work delves into the mystical experience of the beloved and the subtleties of their union with the Divine, through the poetry of Hafiz.
Hafiz’s mysticism and his ontological understanding are fundamentally based on two pillars: “love” and “renunciation or spiritual intoxication.” This thought derives from the teachings of Ibn Arabi, with many of Ibn Arabi’s mystical ideas being reflected in the poetry of Hafiz.
Hafiz’s mysticism is the mysticism of the lover, but the critical engagement (Niqd-e-Safi) and reception offer a mystical and Shi’ite vision of the beloved. The beloveds are distinguished manifestations of divine attributes and hold a collective and complete station in both the worldly and spiritual realms. Those who embody this collective state and perfection, though having attained proximity to the Divine, remain in the realm of the lover’s path, a summit that the Simurgh of the soul and the mythical bird of the heart cannot reach.
In his divan, Hafiz discusses many subjects concerning the origin and end of creation, the place of humanity in the cosmic order, predestination and free will, the secrets of destiny, love, intellect, knowledge, asceticism, and the critique of the world. All these themes require further refinement, and “Niqd-e-Safi” seeks to identify the epistemological flaws in Hafiz’s mystical system and to critique and correct them in the language of poetry.
The Qur’an and the Concept of the “Self”
In the Qur’an, the knowledge of and approach to the Divine Essence are discussed, which we briefly outline here: God is both described by the term “Self” (Nafs) and by the term “Essence” (Zat). The term “Self” is a generic noun, applying to the essence of something or an individual, and it governs all of existence and its phenomena, encompassing both the Divine and creation.
The true identity of existence lies in the Divine Essence, which precedes all attributes and encompasses the perfection of all qualities. Created beings have an external identity, and the term “Self” is more expansive when applied to things and individuals, as every entity or individual possesses a “Self,” even though this is merely a manifestation. It is not the case that everything possesses an “Essence” in the same manner as God does. As we have mentioned in philosophical discussions: the “Essence” is unique to the Divine, and only God is “Self-Sufficient” (Samad), while all created things are His actions, which are real yet without a true essence of their own.
Thus, God possesses a Self, and the created beings, although they are manifestations, are His actions. These actions are without essence but emanate from Him. Hence, God is incomparable and unlike any created being. Even though created phenomena do not have a counterpart, the unity of the Divine and the created is firmly established, as conveyed in the tradition: “Wahdahu wahdahu wahdahu” (“Unity in His Essence, Unity in His Attributes, Unity in His Actions”).
The term “Self” in the Qur’an is used numerous times, with its usage amounting to 298 occurrences. Some uses are as verbs, others as nouns, both in singular and plural forms, such as: (Nafs), (Nafsah), (Anfus), and (Anfusakum), to name a few.
The term “Self” applied to God in the Qur’an is particularly significant, as it refers to the Essence of God, without the attachment of attributes. This usage reflects a dimension of the Divine that transcends names and qualities and indicates a state prior to the manifestation of attributes.
Knowledge of the Divine Essence
As the Qur’an speaks of the “Self” in reference to God, this usage implies that knowledge of the Divine Essence is possible, though it remains a weighty and distant pursuit for the majority of people. Nonetheless, for the select few among the people of knowledge, this pursuit is not only feasible but also desirable.
Duality, Not Division
There are two perspectives in the narrations regarding knowledge of God: the first warns against attempting to contemplate the Divine Essence, while the second promotes such knowledge as a goal. These two perspectives are not contradictory; they refer to different groups of individuals. The prohibition applies to the general public, who lack the capacity to bear the burden of this knowledge. In contrast, the encouragement applies to those with the highest spiritual awareness, who possess the capacity to approach the Divine Essence through the heart.
In summary, the metaphysical and mystical exploration of the Divine Essence is both a delicate and elevated journey, one that, according to Islamic thought, requires a pure and refined heart to truly comprehend. The “Self” or Essence of God, as conveyed in the Qur’an, invites deep reflection while remaining elusive to the average individual, only accessible to the true mystic. The path of the lover and beloved, the journey to union with the Divine, and the ultimate realization of unity are all central themes in both the Qur’an and the works of mystics like Hafiz.
The Famous Supplication of the Occultation
One of the most prominent and well-known supplications, which has been given significant attention by scholars of spirituality since the beginning of the Greater Occultation, is the famous supplication known as “The Supplication of the Occultation.” This supplication is one of the best sources for understanding the nearness to the Divine Beloved and the qualities of the Divine Lovers.
This supplication has been transmitted in two forms: a short and a long version. The shorter version, as found in the noble book Al-Kafi, is as follows:
“O Allah, introduce Yourself to me, for if You do not introduce Yourself to me, I will not recognize Your Prophet. O Allah, introduce Your Prophet to me, for if You do not introduce Your Prophet to me, I will not recognize Your Wali (Guardian). O Allah, introduce Your Wali to me, for if You do not introduce Your Wali to me, I will be led astray from my faith.” (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 189)
In this narration, with the phrase: “O Allah, introduce Yourself to me,” the supplicant requests that Allah grants them knowledge of His Essence, without which they cannot recognize His Prophet.
The Supplication of the Occultation, because it first asks for the knowledge of Allah, before mentioning the recognition of the qualities of the Lord or the knowledge of His supreme manifestations—such as the Prophet and Imam—presents a journey towards the Beloved. In this supplication, the knowledge of Allah’s Essence is sought, and the focus is not on thought, reflection, or awareness, nor on the attributes or actions of God. It does not discuss the attributes of actions or the manifestations of divine actions. The knowledge of the Prophet and Imam is also requested in relation to the knowledge of the Essence of Allah. This is another form of seeking the knowledge of the Divine Essence. Such a request is not appropriate for ordinary lovers, because lovers must first move from the lower to the higher, gaining knowledge of the Prophet, Imam, and their Wali, before achieving monotheism through their guidance.
Text and Chain of Narration of the Supplication of the Occultation
To understand the context of the narration of the Supplication of the Occultation, which plays a role in understanding its meaning and intention, and also to recognize its chain of narration, the full text of the narrations that include this supplication is quoted below:
“Ali ibn Ibrahim, from al-Hasan ibn Musa al-Khashab, from Abdullah ibn Musa, from Abdullah ibn Bakir, from Zurara who said: I heard Abu Abdullah (Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq) say: ‘Indeed, the boy (the Mahdi) has an occultation before his rise.’ I asked: ‘Why?’ He said: ‘He is afraid,’ and he gestured towards his abdomen. Then he said: ‘O Zurara, he is the one who is awaited, and he is the one whose birth is uncertain. Some say his father died without leaving a successor, others say he is a fetus, and still others say he was born two years before his father’s death. He is the awaited one, but Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, wants to test the Shi’ah, and it is at that time that the deluded will doubt. O Zurara.’ I asked: ‘May I be your ransom, what should I do if I reach that time?’ He said: ‘O Zurara, if you reach that time, then call upon this supplication: O Allah, introduce Yourself to me, for if You do not introduce Yourself to me, I will not recognize Your Prophet. O Allah, introduce Your Prophet to me, for if You do not introduce Your Prophet to me, I will not recognize Your Wali. O Allah, introduce Your Wali to me, for if You do not introduce Your Wali to me, I will be led astray from my faith.’ Then he said: ‘O Zurara, it is inevitable that a boy will be killed in the city.’ I said: ‘May I be your ransom, will he not be killed by the army of Sufyani?’ He said: ‘No, but the army of the family of so-and-so will kill him. They will come until they enter the city, take the boy, and kill him. When they kill him out of malice, aggression, and oppression, they will not be given respite. It is then that you should await the relief, if Allah wills.'” (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 189)
Zurara reports: “I heard Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq say: ‘Indeed, my son will have an occultation before he rises.’ I asked: ‘Why?’ He said: ‘He is afraid,’ and he gestured towards his abdomen. Then he said: ‘He is the awaited one, and he is the one whose birth is uncertain. Some say his father died without a successor, others say he is a fetus, and still others say he was born two years before his father’s death. He is the awaited one, but Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, wants to test the Shi’ah, and it is at that time that the deluded will doubt. O Zurara.’ I asked: ‘May I be your ransom, what should I do if I reach that time?’ He said: ‘O Zurara, if you reach that time, then call upon this supplication: O Allah, introduce Yourself to me, for if You do not introduce Yourself to me, I will not recognize Your Prophet. O Allah, introduce Your Prophet to me, for if You do not introduce Your Prophet to me, I will not recognize Your Wali. O Allah, introduce Your Wali to me, for if You do not introduce Your Wali to me, I will be led astray from my faith.’ Then he said: ‘O Zurara, it is inevitable that a boy will be killed in the city.’ I said: ‘May I be your ransom, will he not be killed by the army of Sufyani?’ He said: ‘No, but the army of the family of so-and-so will kill him. They will come until they enter the city, take the boy, and kill him. When they kill him out of malice, aggression, and oppression, they will not be given respite. It is then that you should await the relief, if Allah wills.'”** (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 189)
This narration speaks about the confusion, bewilderment, misguidance, and the uncertain environment of the occultation, when people are deprived of the blessings of the infallible presence and the guardianship of the Wali of Allah. The long period of the Greater Occultation has engulfed societies entirely. In this time of strife and misguidance, finding the way and possessing insight to navigate through the misleading temptations of Satan is only possible through direct devotion to Allah and His pure path.
This supplication asks directly for the knowledge of the Divine Essence, not any of His names or attributes. The knowledge of the Divine Essence requested in this supplication is that which is beyond names and attributes, without any definite form, and infinite. It speaks of the knowledge of Allah before the knowledge of the Prophet and the Imam. It is a knowledge journey that begins from the top (the knowledge of Allah) and descends to the recognition of the Prophet and Imam.
Naturally, someone who does not attain the knowledge and nearness of Allah must turn to His beloved ones who have been granted this closeness and knowledge. The outcome of this narration emphasizes that in the darkness of the occultation, the only guidance comes from the Divine lovers who, with the guidance of Allah, follow the true path. Those who do not hold onto these Divine lovers cannot avoid falling into misguidance and being trapped by those who disguise their falsehood under the guise of truth.
Conclusion
This supplication offers a deep insight into the quest for spiritual closeness to Allah, asking for the recognition of His Essence before all other recognitions. It reflects the elevated status of the true lovers of Allah, who, through their devotion and proximity to the Divine, offer a path for others to reach the truth. In this context, the supplication of the occultation provides both a profound lesson in spiritual insight and a call to remain faithful in times of uncertainty.
1. The Path of the Lover (Mahbubi):
The path of the lover is largely based on desire, yearning, and self-interested love. The lover initially embarks on the spiritual journey with personal desires and goals in mind, seeking comfort and fulfilment. In the beginning, the lover faces numerous challenges and difficulties, and as a result, seeks refuge in a mentor or spiritual guide, adhering to their instructions. On this path, the seeker is primarily focused on finding peace and relief rather than achieving a true understanding of the ultimate reality. From the lover’s perspective, the world and its concerns are often understood at a superficial or symbolic level.
2. The Path of the Beloved (Mahbubi):
In contrast, the path of the beloved is characterised by those who, through the grace of God, have attained knowledge of the singular reality of the Divine. These individuals are no longer afraid of the worldly challenges; instead, they embrace them, knowing that such challenges are part of their spiritual journey. Their focus is not on comfort or personal gain but on a deeper, selfless connection with the Divine, and they pursue a path of true devotion and spiritual enlightenment. The beloved sees the Divine in all aspects of existence and is not concerned with worldly distractions.
The text goes on to describe the differences between these two paths in terms of their approach to spirituality, the challenges faced by each, and the ultimate goal of each seeker. The lover is described as someone who seeks beauty and comfort through love, while the beloved is someone who seeks to dissolve their individual self in the Divine, focusing on truth, spiritual realization, and ultimate union with the Divine.
The passage explores these concepts through poetic examples, particularly referencing the works of the Persian poet Hafiz, whose poetry embodies both the lover’s passionate yearning and the beloved’s serene devotion. The mystical understanding described is deeply intertwined with themes of self-transcendence, purity of heart, and the recognition of the Divine presence in all things.
The Reward of Love
Friends of the Divine are either Lovers (Muhibb) or the Beloved (Mahbub). Here, we discuss the differences between these two groups.
When a lover speaks with the Divine, instead of seeing the beautiful face and the radiant ruby of the Divine, they instead take offense and feel regretful in their communion with the Beloved:
“Did you hear that, in this gathering, they sat happily for a moment, yet in the end, they arose in regret?”
This, while the lover recommends listening to the words of the hearts of the wise, without considering it to be a mistake:
“When you hear the words of the people of the heart, do not say that it is a mistake; my soul, if you are a true listener, the mistake is here.”
Such a mystic, although boasting about their understanding, is merely displaying the flicker of the flame of love, which, for them, is just a boast, and they deem it necessary to protect themselves against the ascetic. They view themselves as the center of the turmoil of mysticism:
“My head does not bow to the world or the hereafter; praise be to God for these turmoils in my mind.”
Even though they claim to be silent, they assert that it is another who stirs within them:
“Inside me, a broken-hearted one I do not know, for I am silent, yet they are in lament and turmoil.”
The one who is close to the Beloved, having found constant union with a glance, sees God’s mercy as a line of grace and views not only the material world but even the Day of Judgment as a chaotic spectacle of His vision:
“Drunk with the sight of You, in the solitude of purity, the kingdom! The turmoil of witnessing rose, and the Day of Judgment began.”
As they do not regard the material world as the center of turmoil:
“Beware, you are deceived by the world and the hereafter. Is the turmoil from you? No, surely not! The turmoil is from above!”
The lover, despite considering themselves the center of turmoil, paradoxically claims that they have no concern for worldly matters, yet they still worry about sleep and dreams:
“I have not slept from the thoughts that brew in my heart; I have a hundred nights of longing; where is the winehouse?”
They are, indeed, in the realm of their longing for the Beloved, which is why their heart is untroubled. However, the one who is close to the Beloved moves in harmony with the rhythm of the Divine’s steps, and with each step, their heart is wounded:
“The sound of Your footsteps, wherever it is, is our companion; from Your gaze, there are wounds, and our soul is aware of it.”
The heart of the Beloved is a fragile one, breaking into pieces, yet it has a fearless chest:
“To the tune of love, which the musician played for me, I became a broken string, for the chest is fearless.”
The lover sees those who oppose love as people of falsehood, saying:
“Despite those who oppose love, the beauty of Your face is our convincing proof.”
While, in fact, there is no other, and even the opposer is a sign of the Divine:
“The purity of the bliss of Your beauty has severed all bonds of love, for the opposition of the deniers is a clear sign from us.”
The lover is trapped by the image of the fish in the stream, and their heart is not the flowing spring of moon-faced beauty, which changes constantly, offering no comfort. They are forced to turn to the keeper of the sacred sanctuary. In contrast, the Beloved is a vast sky encompassing all phenomena:
“Why the need for a private chamber and a special gatekeeper? The keeper of the sanctuary is a beggar at our door.”
For the lover, the face of love is always veiled, and they merely soothe their own thoughts with an imagined image of it. Although they claim to have given their heart and faith for the Beloved and renounce them, in this very claim, they still care about their own faith and purity, saying:
“The moment I made ablution from the spring of love, I uttered four takbirs over everything that exists.”
However, the Beloved has complete and absolute removal from all:
“I passed through ablution to the spring of love, as it took from me all that exists.”
Since the lover has no power of complete removal, they focus on the love they hold within themselves. They take joy from the fact that their passionate words are passed from hand to hand, becoming intoxicated and losing themselves in it, imagining themselves with the grandeur of Solomon, as they say:
“Hafez, through the power of love, became Solomon, meaning, in union with You, all that remains is but the wind in my hands.”
But, as this grandeur goes no further than their imagination, they lament in despair:
“In that moment when the saddle of the breeze is bound, how can I, like Solomon, ride, when I am a mere ant in my saddle?”
Meanwhile, the Beloved, without begging or pleading, is always in power and dignity:
“I became victorious over the breeze until the moment of my Lord’s mercy arrived, superior to Solomon is the ant who is a recipient of His grace.”
The lover sees the Divine as a sacred witness, a bird of paradise, whom no one can endure bearing the veil of His face or offering Him food and water:
“O sacred witness, who could bear the weight of Your veil? O bird of paradise, who could give You food and water?”
The Beloved, on the other hand, sees the Divine as a troublesome trickster, an unfettered and naked figure, with no veil or cover. In His nakedness, He encompasses all things, and although no one’s heart is with Him, it is only the true lovers of the Divine who find their hearts in union with Him:
“O troublemaker, where has Your veil gone? My heart has become captive to Your two lips of fire and water.”
The lover suffers from burning thoughts about who their Beloved is with, and which soul has found peace in the arms of their Beloved:
“My sleep is gone from the burning thought, who is the one receiving comfort and rest in Your arms?”
The Beloved, however, is in turmoil, knowing that the Divine, through His playful affection, brings every being into harmony, leaving them in a state of unconsciousness and disorientation:
“My mind is lost, and I have abandoned myself, from the grief that who has embraced You in their rest and slumber?”
Despite being struck by arrows of rebuke from the Divine, the Beloved does not fear giving up their head. The arrows that tear and rend are, for the Beloved, nothing but righteousness:
“Your arrow has pierced the heart of our merchant; what shall come next, O righteous one?”
Meanwhile, the lover, preoccupied with the thoughts of forgiveness and reward, does not direct their heart as a target for the Divine’s arrows, attributing their errors to the immaculate realm of the Divine.
You said:
“The arrow you shot at my heart with your glance went astray; how can your firm resolve ever reconsider this?”
Fear, tension, and anxiety never leave the lover’s side:
“The frown of your mischievous brow shot like an arrow through the bow, casting my weak and helpless soul to ruin.”
The beloved is absorbed in the secret remembrance of the Divine and seeks the truth with complete nakedness and sincerity:
“The image of your face, taken from my grasp, has made me a captive of the secret remembrance; unveil your face, for my heart longs for it and longs to see your true self.”
The lover finds himself powerless and sees the Divine Majesty as an unreachable height, to which his voice cannot even reach, let alone the secret remembrance of the Divine:
“Every cry and lament I utter, you did not hear, it is clear, my dear, that your exalted status is too high for my voice.”
When the lover reflects on his past, he regrets wasting the years of youth in pursuits other than the current yearning he now feels:
“Oh heart, what path will you take in the time of old age? Alas, the days of youth were spent in vain and error.”
The beloved views old age as the time to reap the benefits of youth, and considers youth, even childhood, to be more pleasant than old age:
“Old age, which is the source of truth and purity, graciously takes advantage of the virtues of youth.”
The lover considers his heart to be a palace, a dwelling for joy and connection, and prays for its prosperity:
“O palace of the heart, where the soul finds solace, may the ruin of the times never reach your gates.”
The beloved sees his heart as intoxicated and in ruins:
“In the assembly of the beautiful ones, where there is joy and merriment, it is only my heart that has become intoxicated and ruined.”
The ultimate intensity of longing burns the lover’s chest from the distance of the beloved, and the lover’s body is consumed by fever:
“My chest burned with the fire of my heart, in the sorrow of my beloved; there was a fire in this house that consumed everything, my body melted from the distance, and my soul burned with the love of the beloved’s face.”
The beloved possesses an internal fiery sigh that ignites the entire field of lovers into flames, and it is the lover’s soul that is in this fire—not due to the absence of the beloved, but from the overwhelming presence of the beloved’s awe:
“My soul, filled with heat and yearning, burned for you; in your majesty’s presence, both home and hearth were consumed in flames.”
The lover remains caught in the web of causes and reasons:
“Hafiz, do not lose the fortune of this Noah’s Ark, or else the storm of events will sweep away your foundation.”
The beloved is solely bound to the essence of the Divine and does not rely on secondary causes; yet, even if a cause exists, it is not without reason:
“I gave my heart to You, and Your essence became my obsession; it is not without reason that my soul was taken by the creation of Your love.”
The lover has only one name on his tongue—the name of the beloved—and no other can replace it:
“Who else but You, O sweet one, occupies my heart, my thoughts, and my soul? You are the one my heart seeks, my only thought.”
The lover’s heart is always longing for the beloved, and is consumed by an inner fire, but the lover is still determined to remain in a state of patience and yearning:
“O morning breeze, where is the resting place of the beloved? Where is the home of the moon-faced, love-slaying trickster?”
The beloved is like a fairy-faced figure with an arrow-like brow, whose glance keeps the lover in a constant state of tumult and confusion, a torment from which the lover cannot escape, but instead yearns to embrace it:
“O heart, where is the trickster, the fairy-faced lover, who brings both torment and mischief? Though the dagger of the beloved’s brow is cruel, it is the life of the lovers that is drawn to it; where is that mischievous deity now?”
The lover knows that those who truly understand the mystical truths are the ones who can read the signs and symbols:
“The one who understands the signs and symbols is the true bearer of good news. Many secrets exist, but where is the true keeper of them?”
The beloved’s view is that every phenomenon is full of positive significance, whereas the lover often falls into a negative or despairing outlook:
“Hafiz! Do not grieve for the autumn winds in the garden of time, for where is the flower without its thorn?”
The beloved always perceives things positively, seeing the full half of the glass, whereas the lover tends to see the negative, unable to escape his own doubts and struggles:
“If the beloved looks toward the desolate desert of our hearts, every thorn shall turn into a flower—tell me, where is the thorn now?”
The lover’s inability to see clearly often leaves him trembling, even in the face of the blessings of the beloved:
“What blame can there be upon him who drinks of this wine? What fault lies in this folly, this error?”
The lover is blinded by his obsession with the Divine and is quick to rebuke himself, misinterpreting the smallest signs as faults:
“Wine and reason do not suit the lovers; this indulgence, to them, is a fault and a mistake of the heart.”
Thus, the beloved views all things from the standpoint of Divine grace and does not see evil where others may see harm:
“I have found no harm from anyone; whatever happened to me, it is the will of the Divine, and it is all right with me.”
Even amidst hardships, the lover remains steadfast in his pursuit of the beloved’s charm:
“My heart is forever in pursuit of that beauty, seeking the kindness and tenderness that only the Divine bestows.”
The lover cannot accept the false promises of others, and regards them as betrayals, mistakes, and wrongs. This drives him to desire departure, though the Divine gives him the freedom to go:
“You yourself are the true embrace of union, O breeze of love; if I go, it is your fault, for my heart is bound to you.”
Though the lover remains unable to break free from his own obsessions, the beloved’s grace allows the lover to keep pursuing, despite the challenges:
“I have cut off all bonds and walked away, yet love binds me to you, even if it is not my desire.”
The lover has no self to speak of, nor any identity outside of the Divine, and his sole pride lies in his connection to the Divine:
“The Divine is the source and root of all, far beyond family and ancestry; the true self is that which comes from the Divine, free of lineage or origin.”
Though the lover may sometimes bask in pride, it is only the Divine that he serves:
“The water of life drips from the beak of the eloquent dove; what greatness is this, that the divine has granted me this wisdom!”
But the beloved’s grace, ever vast, keeps the lover humble, seeing the totality of existence as a harmonious and perfect system:
“How beautifully the cosmos dances, its every movement a reflection of the divine smile.”
The lover, recognizing the completeness of the Divine’s nature, accepts the divine as the source of all good:
“What is this life but the manifestation of the Divine’s grace? The heart and soul reflect this perfect unity.”
“My heart stirs with the longing for the playful face of yours,
For every arrow of sorrow comes from your very target.
The times were merry and melodious when I saw you,
The calm of the lily and the wine of the hour belonged to your time.
It was from you that the essence and the mystery arose,
And from you that the turmoil started; the sign of your secret is itself a ruse and a tale.
When the lover composes a poem of passionate love somewhere, he considers it his own work, forgetting the turmoil of the love of the Divine:
‘Now the heavens dance to the tune of your gathering,
For the sweet-speech of Hafez is the song of your tune.’
The Beloved possesses a broad view of the world and humankind, supported by a love that has established unity and station:
‘The leader of the gathering of intimacy in the world is from your love,
The melody of the world and mankind is in truth your anthem.
The good has brought unity to the language of multiplicity,
The torment of night and dawn is the secret of your lash.’
The lover, although constantly reassuring himself that he is seeking the pleasure of the Divine, keeping his face rosy and his gaze in contentment, is soon enchanted by an attraction, falling prey to his own desires. In the wake of this descent, he sings, like a crow whose piece of cheese has fallen:
‘Go to your work, preacher, what is this shouting?
My heart has fallen from the right path; what has happened to you?’
The Beloved, on the other hand, is not concerned with the preachings and anxieties of others, for he is at peace, detached from everything:
‘I have left behind the sermon and all injustice,
My heart is troubled, no longer restless.’
I have submerged into contemplation and emerged from ignorance,
I have not been like the crow that is consumed by its own cry.
I have passed beyond reason and let madness go,
For the Truth has granted me the path of self-detachment.’
The lover, who pulls out a beggar’s hand to show his apparent independence, is at heart poor in the presence of the poverty of love, bound by the force of affection:
‘The beggar at your street is free from the eight realms,
The prisoner of your love is liberated from both worlds.’
The Beloved is so free from need that even poverty does not touch him, and so liberated that he does not even see himself imprisoned by love:
‘Rich from the realm of poverty, and poor without greed,
The lover who is free is above both worlds.’
The lover views the world, especially its ambitions, as fragile and illusory, a foundation bound to crumble:
‘Come, for the palace of hope is fragile in its foundation,
Bring the wine, for the foundation of life is fleeting.’
I am the servant of ambition, who is free from the sky’s decree,
From all that can be clung to, I am free.’
The Beloved, however, believes that the foundation of the worldly realm is rooted in love, particularly since his own foundation is stable and free from the trinity of ignorance, oppression, and desire:
‘The world is built on love and affection,
Though the palace of hope is like the wind and soon fades.’
I am proud of my own approach, for in the realm of existence,
My heart is free from ignorance, oppression, and desire.’
The trumpet that the lover hears from the heavens is an announcement that beckons him toward divine truth, away from the traps of worldly attachment:
‘You are called from the summit of the throne,
I do not know what has befallen you in this mortal realm.’
The Beloved announces through his cry from the heavens,
That your soul has fallen into the snare of my love.’
The lover’s final counsel is to submit to the will of the Divine:
‘Give your consent to what has been granted,
And release the knot from your brow,
For the door of choice has not been opened for me and you.’
The lover speaks of love, of intoxication, of passion and loyalty, recognising that the only way out of this turmoil is through the Divine’s embrace:
‘The reward for your love is the daring of drunkenness and excitement,
For it is only your loyalty that is ever in my memory.’
The world, in its entirety, is formed of love; so be consumed with passion,
For in the path of your heart, sorrow has woven a snare.’
But the Beloved does not find sorrow in his heart; rather, he experiences the burning passion of love within, an internal fire that is excusable, just as a lover cannot help but be consumed with longing:
‘My heart is without blood, hidden in the essence of the Self,
In my face, only the forgiving gaze remains.’
We have not grieved, nor smiled in pain,
In our chest, the only wound is your burn.’
The lover sees himself as devoted, but not to anyone but the threshold of the elder’s domain, not for the elder’s sake, but for the prosperity he sees in that house:
‘Why should I bow to the threshold of the elder?
For prosperity lies in that abode, and the door to it is open.’
The Beloved does not owe allegiance to anyone except for the one who remains constant in the devotion of love. Thus, the lover sacrifices both his head and his heart to the Beloved:
‘The heads of all those loyal to love,
At the threshold of your prosperous court, my heart belongs.’
The lover delights in hearing the stories of love and devotion to the Beloved, for every tale of the lover’s devotion brings him joy:
‘It is just a story, the pain of love, and this is the wonder,
For every tongue that speaks of it sings of the same name.’
However, the Beloved is in perpetual union and needs no stories of love from anyone else, for he experiences an endless and ever-renewing joy in the presence of the Divine:
‘His union has placed my heart in his abode,
In my heart, the Beloved resides, and the threshold remains.’
The lover occasionally takes pride in the city and the work he has found, finding joy in it. Yet, even the slightest critique unsettles his heart, and he is disturbed:
‘Shiraz and the waters of Rukni, and this breeze of pleasant air,
Do not fault it, for the mole on the face of the seven lands is its beauty.’
Hafez is like the exquisite branch of sugarcane,
Whose fruit is sweeter than honey and sugar.’
The Beloved has a heart that is full of the burning passion of the city’s famous intoxication, and no complaint can disturb him:
‘The excitement and burn in the heart of the famous intoxicated one,
Who, as a lover who has tasted that wine, could ever be disheartened?’
I am alive from the flame of your lips, my dear,
The sweetness of your lips is better to me than honey and sugar.’
The lover, immersed in the non-existence of self, beholds the ordained sustenance and the sovereign, knowing well that what is meant to come will come:
‘We do not boast of the honour of poverty or contentment,
Tell the king that sustenance is destined.’
The heart of the Beloved, which resides with the Divine, is untouched by anything of the transient world:
‘We have lost the pride of poverty and wealth in our work,
For whatever reaches us is through the generosity of destiny.’
The heart, free from the fleeting power of kings and empires, rests in peace:
‘My heart is at peace, far from the rulers of the world,
And it is for this reason that my heart is free from the state of kings.’
I have never seen anyone like you, O Beloved,
Who is the moon and my companion, far more than the world itself.’
This vision of non-existence leads the lover to see all phenomena as the expression of truth, not mere illusion:
‘All the cups are boiling and bubbling with intoxication,
And that wine, where truth resides, is not mere metaphor.’
For the Beloved, every phenomenon is the truth itself:
‘The wine house of truth is the entire world,
The universe is filled with the Divine and far from illusion.’
The ultimate truth, hidden in every event, is the Divine’s work:
‘The twisted locks of your hair, with every twist and break,
Hold the essence of every short and long tale.’
Every beat of the drum in the Beloved’s presence strikes a chord within the lover’s heart, for every note played is a divine symphony, orchestrated by the Divine and affirming the lover’s journey:
‘My heart is free from all else,
The description of you and I, that is the beat and music of the Divine.'”
The Beloved’s Grace
Those who enter the lane of the virtuous and are chosen by God as His companions are either lovers and close ones to the beloved, or passionate seekers and ardent travellers on the path.
The lover, bound by the calculative mind, is not free from its grasp. He is constantly aware of the judgments of reason in times of temptation. The lover cannot refrain from showing off or from playing tricks in order to protect himself from enemies. This is the mysticism of the lover, where the veils of deceit are employed, and mystical tricks are learned. However, he cannot hide the pride of his imitation of knowledge. He has no desire but to listen to the whispers of his heart, its hopes and wishes; far from being able to uncover the secret of love or to transcend appearances, he desires the company of his companions, even though true love is to become the heart’s beloved without the need for outward socializing, as expressed by the beloved:
By God’s grace, purify your soul, for nothing else matters! The liberation of grace is, in essence, grace itself.
The beloved has no companion other than God, for no companion besides the Divine is free from flaw. It is only the existence of God that is love, though all of creation, human and worldly, is precious and incomparable:
I have never seen a companion free from flaw, except for the beloved whose beauty enlivens the verses of the poets.
You are the manifestation of the Divine, and everything has come into being through You, for the entirety of the human and the world is unique and invaluable!
Yet the lover harbors a longing for union:
My heart was filled with great hope for your union, but death, the thief of time, has interrupted this hope.
Meanwhile, the beloved desires no such union, seeing all as already united:
My presence itself is union—why seek union when your beauty resides in my heart, and it is all-encompassing?
The lover, who has spent his life following the strategies of reason, criticizes reason when the journey has been arduous:
O you who learn the signs of love from the book of reason, I fear you may not truly grasp this knowledge.
However, the beloved sees love as the blossoming of reason:
The face of reason comes from love, and love is born from reason—both love and reason, what you do not know, you shall know.
This release from the bonds of reason causes the lover to view kings and rulers as the ultimate source of all his needs, yet in an obvious contradiction, he finds solace in the calculations of reason; kings who are slaves to the people of knowledge! Yet the mysticism of the beloved has only the Divine as the ultimate vision:
The Presence of God, who by right has pitched His tent in the earthly realm, is the ultimate aspiration for the true seekers.
This lack of self-recognition extends to the beloved’s self-awareness:
Hafez burned with the fire of love, yet he remains ever true to his vow and loyalty to himself.
While the beloved exists in perfect completeness:
The good, the gracious, and the beloved are the same, for His pleasure is my pleasure, and His joy is my joy.
The lover’s companion is one who is sated with the nectar of grace and has no regard for the lover, and if they so wish to glance at him, it is only to thirst for his very life’s blood. Of course, the lover believes that he can offer his life for the beloved.
The beloved is like a dark-eyed beauty with long lashes, one whose gaze no one can escape, and the lover is enamoured by such a mesmerizing form, so taken with his own pride that he believes his life is precious enough to be offered for her:
I am a slave to my destiny, and in this era of faithlessness, the love of that enchanting one is my price.
The beloved has her heart set on the forsaken one, someone without attachment, yet she is an ancient friend, not someone who buys him, but one whom he buys:
The drunken beggar has captured my heart, and the forsaken one, with no attachments, is my buyer.
In fact, it is the beloved who is the true purchaser:
I am the manifestation of Your presence, O Creator! Your face is my garden, my nightingale, and my rose.
The lover spends his days with beautiful idols and people known for their beauty, lost in the pursuit of their fleeting affection:
These are times when my heart follows the beauty of idols, and the sorrow of longing for the moon-faced ones is the joy of my melancholy soul.
As he himself admits:
To behold your face, I need the eyes of my soul, for my worldly vision is insufficient to perceive such beauty!
The beloved should be called the true embodiment of love, one who sits in harmony with everyone and feels the pain of the weak and downtrodden:
Love, drunkenness, and purity are my faith, and the pain of the weak fills my heart with sorrow.
The lover seeks poverty, for in poverty lies wealth and grandeur:
O God, grant me the wealth of poverty, for this grace is the cause of my dignity and submission.
The beloved is solely caught in love, a love free from any selfish desires or stains from the world, the self, lust, ignorance, and oppression:
I have transcended poverty and become your lover. Your love is my grandeur, and my submission lies in You.
The treasure of my love, which I have pitched my tent in this ruinous abode, is the passion of a lover’s heart within this poor soul:
I have become a lover of You, and in my heart, I carry the essence of love, which is the fragrance of the wild rose of my soul.
In this state, the lover abandons his ego, even as he compares his own frailty to the grandeur of the divine, humbling himself in every way:
To compare my beauty to Yours, I must say that You alone are the ultimate truth, for the beauty of Your face surpasses all that I could imagine.
As the mysticism of the beloved reveals, in all things, whether beautiful or ugly, there is nothing but the presence of divine grace:
In this world, even thorns are companions to the flowers, and the garden of the world is shaped by God’s mercy.
In the grand design of creation, every speck of dust has its purpose, and its effect is the handiwork of the Divine:
There is no cycle for anyone in this world; everything revolves around the eternal will of the One.
The lover, in his devotion, gives up everything for his beloved, surrendering himself in love. He finds himself inextricably bound to the sacred path of love, free from the bindings of the world, yet filled with boundless adoration for his beloved:
I sacrifice my very being for You, my love, and would give up my life for the beauty of Your countenance.
In this constant ebb and flow of love, the lover gives himself fully to the will of the beloved, embracing the mysteries of love as the only true reality, surpassing even the limits of thought and reason.
The Beloved’s Grace: A Study of Love, Devotion, and Divine Submission in Persian Sufi Literature
The lover, seeking the grace of the beloved, exhibits profound devotion, experiencing a continual sense of humility and admiration, akin to the line:
“If the enemy speaks against Hafez, it matters not, for I am grateful to God that I am not ashamed before the beloved.”
The lover engages with adversaries in such a way that each foe is ensnared by their own love and freedom, untouched by any sense of shame towards their own essence. As expressed, “The entire being of mine is filled with the passion of love for Him; what choice remains but to follow His will?”
The lover seeks freedom from sorrow, believing that distance from pain and hardship is a necessary condition for their spiritual journey. In contrast to the lover’s reluctance to embrace pain, the beloved not only endures suffering but preserves it, as described: “I am the one who bears the suffering, the one who endures beyond my strength.”
The lover’s ambition is often restrained by their devotion to the beloved, caught in the eternal longing for union with the divine:
“His locks are a trap, and I, an unfortunate soul, find myself entrapped in the beloved’s snare.”
However, the beloved possesses control over their own destiny, making the lover their captive.
While the lover seeks solace and escape from grief, the beloved accepts and nurtures it, offering no respite from the trials they face. The lover’s perspective is one of longing and desire, yet the beloved views the trials as an inherent part of existence. As Hafez suggests: “The lover who gazes upon the beloved’s face with longing, if not suffering, is devoid of love.”
The lover and the beloved share an essential difference in their approach to suffering. The lover sees love as an expression of human weakness, while the beloved views the divine as the ultimate strength:
“Love is the eternal wine, and no matter how one may suffer, the beloved’s grace remains undiminished.”
The lover perceives themselves as trapped by worldly constraints, invoking divine assistance to escape these limitations. The beloved, however, moves freely beyond worldly confines, seeing all as part of the divine plan. As the poet writes:
“I have spent my entire life in pursuit of this grace, and in it, I find solace. What does the suffering of the world matter to me?”
The lover, forever struggling with the transient nature of life and yearning for an eternal connection, can never truly escape the pain of their existence. But the beloved, in contrast, remains present in all situations, a symbol of divine constancy.
Furthermore, the lover’s perception of their relationship with the divine is shaped by their internal contradictions and doubts, which lead them to search for answers in scripture, offering their devotion to the divine through acts of piety, even while wrestling with their limitations. Conversely, the beloved remains certain and unwavering in their devotion, an unbroken connection to the divine at all times.
The lover may fall into self-doubt and struggle with the tension between their love for the beloved and their earthly desires, but the beloved maintains their divine sovereignty, unaffected by the trials that may plague the lover’s heart.
The journey of the lover is often one of self-sacrifice, a path of constant striving and searching for a love that transcends the limitations of earthly existence. The lover’s heart is a battlefield where desires and divine longing constantly clash, yet through this struggle, the lover finds spiritual growth. The beloved, however, stands above this turmoil, embodying perfection and grace, untouched by the existential battles that define the lover’s experience.
In the Sufi tradition, love is often depicted as a transformative force. It is not a mere feeling or fleeting emotion, but a powerful, all-consuming force that reshapes the lover’s very being. For the lover, love becomes the means by which they seek to transcend their mundane reality and connect with the divine. As the poet Hafez eloquently writes, “In love, the lover becomes the Beloved, for in devotion, the self dissolves and the soul becomes one with the divine.” The beloved, in this context, is not merely a physical or human entity, but a representation of the divine presence, the ultimate goal of the lover’s spiritual journey.
This union of the lover and the beloved is not one of physical proximity but a merging of hearts and spirits. The lover’s ultimate aim is to dissolve their own ego, to erase all boundaries between themselves and the beloved. However, this journey is fraught with trials, where the lover must constantly face the pain of separation and the yearning for a union that seems forever elusive. The beloved, on the other hand, remains a symbol of ultimate grace, embodying both the object of desire and the very essence of divine truth.
The suffering of the lover is seen not as a punishment but as a necessary purification. In the Sufi worldview, the pain and longing the lover experiences are the means through which they are cleansed of their earthly attachments and made ready for union with the divine. This pain is a form of spiritual training, refining the lover’s heart and preparing it to receive the beloved’s grace. The beloved, as the embodiment of divine perfection, does not suffer in the same way. Instead, they are the source of the lover’s suffering, a suffering that is ultimately redemptive.
In Persian poetry, particularly the works of Hafez, the concept of divine love is intertwined with the ideas of fate and predestination. The lover may seek the beloved, but it is only through divine will that this love can be reciprocated. The lover’s journey is one of surrender, accepting that their desires and actions are shaped by a higher force. The beloved, then, becomes both the object of the lover’s longing and the force that guides their spiritual journey.
As the lover progresses on their path, they begin to understand that the journey itself is the goal. In the process of seeking the beloved, the lover discovers their own essence, shedding the layers of ego and worldly attachment. Ultimately, the lover becomes the mirror in which the beloved sees their reflection, and in this mutual recognition, both are transformed. The beloved’s grace is not something that is earned but rather bestowed upon the lover, who, in turn, accepts it with humility and reverence.
The relationship between the lover and the beloved in Persian Sufi poetry is deeply symbolic, representing the soul’s quest for union with the divine. The lover’s pain, suffering, and longing are not merely human emotions but are part of the larger spiritual journey towards enlightenment and self-realization. The beloved, meanwhile, is not a distant or unreachable figure but the ever-present force that draws the lover closer, guiding them through their suffering toward eventual spiritual fulfillment.
In conclusion, the spiritual journey of the lover in Sufi literature, as portrayed in the works of Hafez and others, is one of continual longing, suffering, and transformation. The lover’s devotion to the beloved is an act of self-surrender, a renunciation of worldly desires in favor of an all-encompassing love that transcends the self. Through this devotion, the lover strives for union with the divine, ultimately achieving a state of spiritual grace and enlightenment. The beloved, in turn, is not only the object of the lover’s desire but also the guiding force that leads them on this profound and transformative journey.
The Lover, the Path, the Guide, and the Speaker are solely attributed to the Divine:
“He is the owner of the path, and He Himself is the guide,
The path within the sanctuary’s precincts had no bends or turns.”
Hafez! Do not consider eloquence to be your own,
For among the people of speech, none were as lacking as you.”
The noble soul sees no other secrets but Him;
It is His melody alone that has no highs or lows.”
The lover attributes everything to himself, even his own indulgence in wine, considering it his sin:
“Do not reproach the drunkards, O pure-hearted ascetic,
For the sin of others will not be written upon you.”
“Whether I am good or bad, you go on and be yourself;
Everyone will eventually reap what they have sown.”
The lover sees the hand of the Divine in every sleeve, visible to all:
“O ascetic, do not speak of purity and cleanliness of heart,
For the sins of both you and I are cleansed by the One who has written them!”
“See both the ugly and the beautiful in the face of the mirror;
It is He who planted both the black and the white.”
The lover, in his blindness, compares and speaks of faith and disbelief:
“My submission is like the brick in the tavern’s floor,
If the claimant does not understand the speech, let him compare head and brick.”
The lover is only stricken by love:
“Not by brick, nor submission, nor compromise; yet,
My foundation is made of love, from every brick to every stone.”
Since he is stricken by love, he is free from the battle of good and bad:
“His love has taken my mind from the beginning of time to eternity,
He who unveils the curtain of the battle of good and bad.”
Even if the lover looks into the heavens, he still speaks of good and bad:
“Do not despair of the kindness of the eternal past;
You, behind the curtain, know nothing of what is good or bad.”
If the lover enters the lives of saints, his soul seeks to justify them:
“I have not fallen from the veil of piety alone;
My father too lost his eternal paradise to a paradise.”
The lover, in no circumstance, removes his heart from the unity of the Divine:
“O ascetic, do not speak of purity and cleanliness of heart,
For the sins of both you and I are cleansed by the One who has written them!”
“See both the ugly and the beautiful in the face of the mirror;
It is He who planted both the black and the white.”
“Among the drunkards, there is no difference between you and me,
His love is the Kaaba of my soul, beyond the temple and the church.”
“Not by brick, nor submission, nor compromise; yet,
My foundation is made of love, from every brick to every stone.”
“His love has taken my mind from the beginning of time to eternity,
He who unveils the curtain of the battle of good and bad.”
“Am I not the one who has fallen from piety’s form?!
I have planted the seed of unity in everything that has grown.”
“I have not fallen and I am still in full stature;
My father has made the Day of Judgement in the garden of paradise.”
“O Hafez! See our intoxication in the presence of the beloved;
The good has become absorbed in His face, both mosque and tavern are paradise.”
The Lover’s Way:
The seeker of love is both restless and, if he perceives a fault in the words of others, he becomes agitated:
“Until the smell of love reaches his nostrils,
Whoever does not go into the tavern and does not touch its dust, never sees it.”
But the one close to the beloved is free and sees everyone on the path of love and absolute truth, even his own actions, even if they raise cries of protest:
“In the garden of loyalty, there was no kindness or purity,
Until the heart, stirred by love, made words speak from the wrong.”
The lover, no matter how hard he tries, cannot escape himself, and thus he turns to despair:
“O friend, ask not from Hafez, take a step forward,
Before they say, ‘He passed away from the world of mortality.’”
But the one in love with the Divine remains in the existence of truth, joyful in his nothingness and oblivious to any concern for existence or non-existence:
“We have not come from the realm of death, but we are the essence of eternity,
Who has been virtuous, that you can say, ‘He has gone to nothingness.’”
The lover experiences the discomfort of a wounded heart and seeks solace from the Divine’s mercy, taking the pains of love as something to endure and patiently bear:
“In the way of love, there is no anger of the heart, bring wine,
Any bitterness you see, once the clarity of the heart has gone, is gone.”
“Love’s trials must be borne, O heart, as you stand by,
If there is sorrow, it will be, and if a mistake is made, it’s passed away.”
However, the one beloved by the Divine experiences no pain or frustration:
“The sorrow of the heart comes from our own fleeting desires,
The fortune of the heart, if it comes with pure love, is gone.”
The lover is even upset with himself:
“We have not tasted the wine from His lips and it passed away,
We did not gaze upon His moon-like face, and it passed away.”
But the beloved sees nothing but the Divine:
“Moment by moment, we drank His ruby from His lips,
Petal by petal, we plucked the blooming flower, and it passed away.”
The beloved sees not only His face, but His essence in every gesture, without having to take any action:
“O cupbearer, come, for the beloved has noticed me,
She came near, and took this poor heart into her embrace.”
The lover, not only in his own path but also in the world and even in himself, experiences frustration. Yet, the beloved remains forever fulfilled:
“The heart, when caught in magic, is never weary,
For Jesus, always brings a breath from the morning breeze.”
The lover feels the pain of separation and speaks in distress:
“I have heard the sweet words that the old man of Canaan said:
The separation of the lover is a fate that cannot be spoken.”
The beloved speaks of separation with joy:
“The most eloquent speech from separation was spoken by the old man of Canaan:
The separation, indeed, is the yearning for union, even though it cannot be spoken.”
The lover sees the beloved as distant and the pain too much to bear, resorting to complaint:
“Alas, that the cruel moon turned away from the company of her companions so easily!”
And finally, the lover, in his weariness, seeks solace, leaving the prospect of recovery behind:
“I will remain in acceptance after this, and give thanks to the rival,
For my heart has grown accustomed to your pain, and I have left the prospect of remedy.”
Whereas the beloved never forsakes the love of the Divine, embracing all:
“Do not speak of love having left the heart,
For the times speak empty words, but I embrace the love that remains.”
The Enduring Journey of Love:
The lover believes the path is closed to him, blocking every possibility for success:
“Alas, from all directions, the path is closed:
The mole, the mark, the curl, the face, the complexion, and the stature.”
But the beloved sees every occurrence as a pathway to union with the Divine, and the absolute truth is visible in everything:
“I saw from every direction that the face appeared,
From essence to quality, from the mark to the mole, the stature to the figure.”
Love is all kindness, purity, and the longing of the heart; it is intoxication and goodness, wholeness, and health.
Demise of the Heart
The mystic lover’s heart is full of knots and complaints, particularly with respect to the order of creation, as this order does not always align with his own desires:
“Unfasten the knot of the heart and do not remember the heavens,
For no engineer ever untied a knot like this.”
Yet, the lover, drawn close to the Beloved, finds no knot or sorrow but that of the Beloved’s absence:
“Do not fasten a knot in your heart from this tumultuous world,
For no one but He has unfastened the knot of our heart.”
The lover, longing for the sweet lips of the Beloved, plants a rose from the blood of his own sorrow:
“Let the lips of the Beloved remain ever sweeter,
For the longing for those lips has not left the heart of Farhad.”
The mystic lover is captivated not by the apparent forms but by their essence:
“They do not allow me to wander and travel,
The breeze of the Mullah’s prayer mat and the waters of the Ruknabad stream.”
However, for the Beloved, there is no command except the command of the Divine, and it is from the Divine alone that the Beloved receives direction:
“By Your command, the journey is not through, for the fragrance of the dawn
Has carried the scent of the morning to every nostril.”
A command the Beloved has possessed since entering the world of manifestation, as it was before:
“Without any existence, I have become detached from my origin,
The imprint of union with the Beloved has been upon me since before birth.”
The mystic lover’s bitterness has no remedy, even though he may be in the company of friends:
“My bitter longing, like poison, became my fate,
Let the sound of the joyous drinkers be remembered.”
The Beloved sees every phenomenon as a site of union with the Divine:
“The joy of seeing the Beloved, let it be remembered,
The time of the lovers, let it be remembered.
Sorrow, though sweet, is not as bitter as poison,
Let the joy of the drinkers, let it be remembered.”
Although the lover may be stricken with the pain of separation, he cannot forget his own self or his own pain:
“Though a hundred rivers constantly run in my eyes,
Let the flowing river of the gardeners be remembered.”
The Beloved is unaware of all selfhood:
“Unaware of my eyes, hands, and chest,
The union of the Essence of the Beloved in the springtime, let it be remembered.”
The lover, unable to perceive the omnipresence of the Divine, calls upon curses and ill wishes:
“Whoever is not bound by your tresses,
May they forever drown in the blood of their heart.”
The Beloved sees the Divine’s tresses everywhere, in the hands of everyone:
“The world is entwined in your tresses,
Do not speak of the tavern being above or below!”
Hafiz sees error and considers it his art to cover it and conceal it:
“Our elder said no mistake has been made in the writing of creation,
Blessed be the pure sight that covers the error!”
But the true guide of the Beloved is the Divine, who has no error, and all are safe within His protection:
“Our elder said: Error is an incomprehensible story,
Blessed be the wise mind that grasps the truth of it!”
The lover wants everyone to fall for the Beloved:
“Every cypress that enters the garden
Should fall in service to your form.”
The Beloved sees every stature as firm and steadfast, a reflection of the Divine:
“My heart has become the cypress of existence,
Just like the form of the Beloved, steadfast and green.”
Ultimately, the experiences of the lover and the Beloved are vastly different:
“We have endured much in this world of punishment,
With the drunken ones, whoever fell, fell!”
The lover’s experience is of seeing phenomena, but the Beloved sees only the Divine, with a vision from the Divine:
“With experience, I say that in this world of affliction,
With my lover, whoever fell, fell!”
The mystic lover’s view of appearances is flawed, and he regards them as mere illusions:
“Your beauty in one glance as seen in the mirror
This entire image falls within the mirror of illusion.”
The Beloved sees only the Divine and His manifestation in all phenomena, not mistaking them for illusions or fantasies:
“The reflection of Your face, when it appears everywhere,
The truth is evident—who can follow the appearance of illusion?”
The lover sees phenomena as a reflection of love:
“All the images of wine and the traces of the beloved that appeared,
Are the reflection of the face of the cupbearer that fell into the glass.”
The Beloved sees the beauty of the Divine in every phenomenon:
“The image of the moon on His face was not an illusion,
The tresses of the Beloved are what has fallen into this face.”
When the lover has a limited perspective, he imagines the height of love to be something he himself has not attained:
“Beneath the sword of His sorrow, one must dance,
For the one who is slain by Him is truly blessed in the end.”
Only the Beloved has drunk the cup of sorrow with joy:
“Under the blade of His mouth, I shall dance until the end,
From the beginning, those two bends at the corner of His lips are what keep me at peace.”
“Do not boast that you are intoxicated, for it is unworthy of you;
A burned lover—who would dare mention desires?”
This immaturity of love, which ought to be called yearning, and the inebriation that combines with fear, is not typical for a true lover, for they have no fear or concern:
“Knowledge and virtue, which my heart gathered over forty years,
I fear that the narcotic narcissus will seize it.”
However, the lover offers knowledge, virtue, wealth, head, blood, soul, and heart for a glance:
“Knowledge and virtue, which you bore for forty years,
What are you afraid of if his glance takes it?”
The sorcerer with the cow’s tail, casting his spell upon it,
Who could take away from Moses the hand of the divine?”
Do not see the narrowness of the cup, but rather the vastness of the heart, O wayfarer;
The flood of grief has no fear of taking your heart.”
In the journey of love, one becomes true to their essence,
Whether hidden or apparent, the aim is to reach the beloved.
A lover, even when speaking of the curved brow of the beloved whom they have not seen, believes that this can be captured through heartfelt sacrifice, and thus speaks of bliss rather than the true position of love:
“Prayer in the bend of those brows, the place of worship,
No one performs this who has purified themselves with the blood of their liver.”
The arch of the beloved’s brow demolishes the foundation of love itself, let alone that of the lover:
“Do not say that you can bear the sight of that curved brow,
Even if it is purified with the blood of your liver!”
Although prayer can be performed in front of the beloved,
Do not say that you have seen that face as a visitation.”
The lover either looks at the threshold of the beloved or to the tavern and winehouse, or is without wine and the favor of the lover, for their gaze cannot withstand a visitation from the beloved:
“With clear water and wine, a mystic purifies,
In the morning, when they visit the winehouse.”
The beloved is in the visitation of the lover—in the height of intoxication, vitality, expression, and flirtation:
“With the water of the eyes, my heart is purified many times,
When I visit my beloved, the intoxicated, with their angelic face.”
The lover is proud of their actions:
“Blessed is the prayer and need of the one who, in pain,
Purifies with tears and blood of the liver.”
The beloved praises the purity of all and the absence of discord:
“Blessed is the heart that cuts the world’s noose,
Forever free from sedition and mischief.”
The lover becomes entangled in thoughts and the adornments of dervishes,
While the beloved is never lost in such things:
“Your poetry is entirely dervish-like,
Do not say that a weary mystic causes harm.”
This adornment is both in the dervishes and the mystics:
“The mystic laid the trap and began his tricks,
The foundation of deceit was established by the wheel of the universe.”
The beloved moves only on the path of love—pure, simple, without adornment, deception, or trickery—and always values purity, such that no one can see their purity and mistake them for the lord of love and affection, for they have relinquished everything but the Divine:
“The mystic, with the goblet and poem, sang,
He spoke of love and freed his heart’s knot.”
Let the traps and deceit of the wicked be abandoned,
For on the clear path of the wayfarers, the heavens also performed their prayers.”
“Forget the trick and deceit in the turban,
Turn to the Truth, for the creation of the world was made with elegance.”
The lover does not see themselves through the eyes of the Divine and believes their burden to be fallen:
“O caravan leader! My burden has fallen, may God assist me!
For I hope His grace accompanies this caravan.”
The beloved sees the Divine as a lover who does not allow any obstacle in the way, and who will not let anyone’s burden fall—let alone leave it on the ground:
“Who is the caravan leader? Who has fallen with the burden of someone?
God became a hundred faces and made Himself a thousand burdens.”
The lover, in their philosophy and ontology, is lost in the great whirlpool of existence and often errs:
“To you, Shahrokh, the possibility was lost,
What can I do? The games of time have deceived me.”
The beloved has neither imitation of philosophers nor faults in their ontology; their intellect is the illumination of the truth of existence, and there is no adornment or temptation within them:
“Since you are the possibility, who is your Shahrokh?
Do not follow incomplete wisdom, for you, the ignorant, have been deceived.”
The necessary and the possible are useless without talent;
Truth has entered the heart, making all your lessons vanish.”
“I am the manifestation of existence,
A raw brick to the heart of jinn and humanity, and the ignorant one was misled.”
Unaware, Niko moved from the heart to the heart,
Understanding this secret from the moon, I became wise.”
The lover plans for their future and existence:
“Like the wind, I shall reach the alley of my beloved,
With a breath of its sweet scent, I will make the world fragrant.”
Without wine and the beloved, life passes in vain,
My idleness is enough; from today, I shall act.”
The beloved is only a respectful observer and sees what comes to pass without acting. Their critique is of the present, not regret for the past nor fear of the future, and they flee only from the Divine to the Divine:
“Where can I say what I will do?
By the grace of God, I shall seek my beloved.”
“Without wine and the beloved, I am so accustomed to it,
Say to the eye, what will I do now?”
“When hypocrisy enters the heart, purity departs,
I will only choose your words.”
“I am captive to my beloved, with a hundred heads and bodies,
I shall flee from the Divine to the Divine with grace.”
The lover, because they are afflicted with desire, cannot comprehend love and believes it to be beyond their intellectual grasp:
“The problem of love is not within the capacity of our knowledge,
This issue cannot be solved by the wrong kind of thought.”
The beloved has found love to be pure and without difficulty:
“Love has no problem; why ask knowledge?
This issue cannot be solved by wrong thinking.”
The lover, in observing the love of any fool for anything, feels jealousy, but the multitude of people prevents them from expressing their jealousy:
“My jealousy killed me because of the beloved of the world,
But day and night, I cannot raise my voice against the people.”
Even in the state of jealousy, the beloved is selfless, and it is the Divine who brings jealousy upon themselves:
“Jealousy is that the beloved of the world is Himself,
Even if in His presence, there is doubt and hypocrisy.”
The lover, when indulging in the attention and love of the beloved, does not consider the beloved and instead sees the grief of love and its greatness or becomes absorbed in their own shortcomings, expressing their sighs of self-pity:
“Did you see, O heart, what the pain of love did again?
When the sweetheart left, what did the loyal lover do?”
“Alas, from that sorcerous narcissus, what play it invoked,
Alas, from that intoxicated one, what did they do to the sober people?”
The beloved only sees the lover and:
“Did you see, O heart, what the loyal lover did to me?!
What did the miserable, poor, ill one do to me?”
The Divine appears for the lover as devoid of affection:
“My tears took on the color of the evening sky,
Fate’s coldness is clear; look at what it has done!”
For the beloved, the Divine is a passionate lover:
“The beloved’s affection surpasses all limits,
What did the fate of His beauty do to the sorrowful heart?”
The Divine sometimes denies Himself, allowing the patience of the beloved to be witnessed:
“I broke away from desire and entered the abode of the beloved,
Yet, you did not see what He did with His denial!”
Not only has religion and heart been lost in love,
But also the grace of His gaze has done its work.”
“Do not boast that you are drunk, for you are not worthy of it,
A lover consumed by flames, who dares to speak of desire?”
This naivety of love — which should be called passion — and the intoxication that is accompanied by fear; otherwise, a lover is without care or fear:
“The knowledge and virtue that my heart gathered in forty years,
I fear that it might be stolen by that narcissus, with its drunken gaze.”
But the lover gives knowledge, virtue, wealth, head, blood, soul, and heart for a glance:
“The knowledge and virtue you bore for forty years,
Why fear that a glance will steal it all away?”
The Samaritan with the cow’s tail that has been enchanted,
Who can steal the hand of Moses, with its white light?”
Do not focus on the narrowness of the cup; observe the vastness of the heart, for the seeker does not fear the flood of sorrow that may sweep his heart away:
“Do not focus on the narrowness of the cup; behold the vastness of the heart,
For the traveler does not fear the flood of grief that may take his heart away.”
The seeker, in the journey of love, seeks only his true essence,
Shunning both secret and open union, finding his true essence in his inner core.
The lover, when speaking of the curved arch of the beloved’s eyebrow which he has never seen, believes that it can be perceived through the blood of the heart, and then brings forth tales of pleasure, not understanding the state of love:
“The prayer at the arch of those brows,
Only one who has purified his heart with the blood of the liver can perform.”
The curved eyebrow dismantles the foundation of love itself, so what about the lover?
“Do not say that the edge of those brows can be seen,
Even if one purifies himself with the blood of the liver!
Though prayer can be performed in front of him,
Do not say that you can visit that face.”
The lover either looks to the threshold of the beloved or to the tavern and wine-house, or without wine and the attention of the beloved; because the lover’s gaze cannot reach the beloved:
“With clear water, the mystic purifies himself,
Early in the morning when he visits the wine-house.”
The beloved, in visiting the lover — intoxicated, joyous, displaying their face, and gazing — is in a state of ecstasy:
“With the water of the eye, my heart has been purified many times,
When the drunkard, the one with the face of a fairy, came to visit me.”
The lover prides himself on his actions:
“How wonderful the prayer and the need of one who, in pain,
Purifies himself with the water of the eye and the blood of the liver!”
The beloved praises the purity of the heart and the avoidance of turmoil:
“How wonderful is the heart that has broken the worldly bonds,
And has always kept itself away from turmoil and mischief!”
The lover gets entangled in thoughts and the trappings of the madman,
While the beloved never strays in these matters:
“Your poetry is entirely like that of the madmen,
Do not say that the mystic also suffers loss.
Go, in the two worlds, for this is knowledge,
That the Truth, in the splendor of His essence, has stripped everything away.”
This embellishment exists in both the madmen and the mystics:
“The mystic set the trap and opened the trick,
The foundation of deception was laid by the heavens, the trickster.”
The beloved moves solely within the orbit of love — pure, simple, unadorned, without deception or trickery — and always values clarity, so that no one sees his purity without recognizing him as the lord of love and affection, for he has laid all aside except the Divine:
“The mystic, by the cup and the ghazal, played his tune,
He spoke of love and opened his heart, unburdened.
Let the traps, deceit, and the filth of trickery be passed over,
For the pure travelers, even the heavens themselves pray.”
“Pass over the tricks and deceit in the hat,
Turn to the Truth, for the creation of the world was made with grace.”
The lover does not see himself as having any power, and his burden is carried by the Divine:
“The caravan driver! My burden has fallen; help me, O God!
For my hope in Your grace is tied to this burden.”
The beloved sees the Divine as a lover who never lets anything fall or allows anyone’s burden to fall to the ground:
“Who is the caravan driver? Who has fallen to bear another’s burden?
The Truth assumed a hundred faces and made Himself the bearer of all burdens.”
The lover, in his philosophy and ontology, is drowned in the great vortex of existence, often mistaken in his ways:
“Near Shahrukh, I lost my opportunity, what can I do?
The play of time has made me forget.”
The beloved, in his philosophy, neither imitates philosophers nor is his understanding of existence flawed, for his intellect is enlightened by the truth of being, and he is free from adornment and whispers:
“When you became the possible, who else is Shahrukh?
Do not follow incomplete wisdom, for you are the one who made me forget.
Your necessity and possibility are without art,
The Truth has entered my heart, and all your lessons have been erased.”
The lover plans and thinks for tomorrow:
“When the wind of resolve reaches the house of the beloved,
I will breathe in the fragrance of his musk.”
“Life without wine and the beloved passes in vain,
Enough of my idleness, today I shall work.”
The beloved is simply an observer, seeing only what happens, without any intention. He has a critique of the present, without regret for the past or fear for the future, and flees only toward the Divine:
“Where can I say what I will do?
By the grace of the Divine, I will aim for the beloved.
In life without wine and the beloved, having grown accustomed to it,
Tell the eye that right now, I will act.”
“When hypocrisy enters the heart, purity leaves,
Only Your words I will choose.”
The lover, being in a state of longing, does not understand love and considers it beyond the realm of awareness:
“The difficulty of love is not in the capacity of our knowledge,
This issue cannot be resolved by thinking about it wrongly.”
The beloved, in contrast, finds love simple and without difficulty:
“Love has no difficulty, so stop seeking it with knowledge!
The solution to the problem cannot be found by thinking wrongly.”
The lover, when observing the love-making of the one who is always involved with others and every phenomenon, grows jealous, but the multitude of people prevents him from showing his jealousy:
“My jealousy killed me because you are the beloved of the world,
Yet you make a racket with people day and night.”
The beloved, even in jealousy, is without ego, and the Divine alone has jealousy for Himself:
“Jealousy is that the beloved is the world,
Though in His presence, there is no doubt or deception.”
The lover, in the attention and affection of the beloved, does not see himself, but sees only the sorrow of love, and perceives it with the heart and through the weaknesses of his own thoughts:
“Did you see, O heart, what the sorrow of love has done?
When the lover departed, and with a loyal companion, what did he do?
Alas for that narcissus, what games did it play?
Alas for that drunkard, what did he do with the sober ones?”
The beloved sees only the lover:
“Did you see, O heart, what my loyal lover did?
What did he do with me, the poor and sick one?
My heart burned from the narcissus’s bewitching,
Did you see what my darling did to my broken heart?”
The Divine seems indifferent to the lover’s pain:
“My tears have taken the color of dawn,
See what my fate did to me, in this situation.”
But for the beloved, the Divine is the true lover:
“The beloved’s love is beyond measure,
What did his shining face do to my sorrow-filled heart?”
“The flower comes, and none can be more beautiful than it,
For in your hands, nothing exists but the wine cup.”
“Seize the moment of joyous heart, and understand that the pearl is never found in the shell forever.”
But the lovers seek only the beloved’s face, whose beauty constantly shifts in new forms:
“No one but you is my beloved,
In the gathering of hearts, the wine cup is nothing compared to you.”
“Your life is a treasure; understand it well,
For like the breath of the world, no pearl will last forever.”
“Wine, cup, flower, garden, and beloved—
No other can purify the heart like this.”
The lovers drink a fiery kiss from the lips of the Divine, lips that manifest in every form, and the wine of every cup transforms into the divine nectar:
“I and the sweetness of your ruby lips!
My wine is nothing but the divine nectar.”
Yet the lovers are always filled with claims, claims which arise from their lack of true understanding and awareness of the deeper meanings and truths. These claims, sometimes, are even found within the houses of those who are sanctified:
“Come, O Sheikh, and drink from our wine cup,
For there is no nectar in the divine river that is not here.”
Lovers do not find the true face of the Divine in their self-proclaimed love. Hafez, acknowledging this, suggests that they need to cleanse their pages, as he says:
“Wash the pages, if you are my student,
For the knowledge of love is not in these books.”
In contrast, the beloveds taste the wine of divine love in every form. Even with the pages of a book, they turn it into a school of love; yet, they shatter the form of these pages and find the face of the Divine in their own love. This love dissolves their personal identity, and they are no longer bound by ego:
“I have pages imbued with love,
For my love is Divine, and the book no longer matters.”
The lover sees themselves as a servant and feels despair from the indifference of others:
“I am a servant of the Sultan, Owais,
Even if his memory does not reside in the servant’s heart.”
The beloved, however, sees themselves as a manifestation of divine grace, a grace that has no distinction and is not aware of their own self to the extent that they do not perceive themselves as servants:
“I am the grace of the Divine presence,
I am not a servant, nor am I concerned with service.”
We said that lovers are filled with claims, but these claims are far from truth. One such claim is found in Hafez’s poetry:
“Someone errs in the structure of Hafez’s verses,
For there is no grace within his essence.”
The “pure critique” of the beloveds distinguishes the claims of the lovers and purifies them. This critique is nothing but the Divine tablet:
“Errors abound for you, O seeker,
For my essence is only the tablet of the Divine.”
“I struck out from the essence and departed from the realm of the other,
For there is no ally besides the One who remains.”
Indeed, there is a distinction in this confusion, and the difference lies in the fact that the lovers have the sorrow of their own alienation and solitude; however, the beloveds lament the alienation of the faith, its subjugation by the petty merchants, and the helplessness of the people, bound in chains of tyranny. Their sorrow is the pain of their people—those who, in the torment of the oppression of the unjust, have nothing but hope in God:
“Around us, the world is in ruin, where have the companions gone?
The merchants of righteousness and purity are gone, where are they?”
“This land, once pure and clear, is now lost in corruption,
Where are the mystics? Where are the gazelles?”
“The pure face of love has vanished from the world,
The moon and sun have grown harsh, where has the rain and wind gone?”
“Our city has turned to blackened earth, and joy has left us,
The ignorant have become kings, where have the rulers gone?”
In any case, the ultimate expression of a lover’s mysticism is nothing but passionate yearning, a rational kind of madness:
“When will the mad Sufi reach the union?
Who has become wise and sagacious without the knowledge of love?”
The lover claims:
“Hafiz’s dwelling is now the palace of the king,
The heart is with the lover, the soul is with the beloved.”
However, the mysticism of the beloved has the colour of spiritual decay and the construction of truth:
“What is kingship, tell me? What is home or dwelling?
The dance of the heart is what matters, the beloved is the only one who matters.”
“What is your pride, O seeker of the path?
Your solitary face now reflects the kingly face of the beloved.”
The true mystic is one who, having forgotten all worldly concerns, seeks only the essence of truth, with no regard for earthly distinctions. Lovers beautify the dust of their own existence and celebrate the cultivation of their hearts:
“From the dust of our existence, turn us into roses with tears,
The heart’s ruin becomes a place of construction.”
But the beloveds, in their spiritual ruin, find sanctuary only in the construction of God’s truth:
“I am not the dust; I am the beauty of God’s presence,
My soul has become pure, for He is the only true construction.”
Lovers do not face the real challenges of existence and only know of the distant form of the beloved through fleeting glimpses. The beloveds, however, know firsthand the true trials of existence and bring their hearts and souls to bear on the beloved’s trials:
“Have you seen the beloved’s locks, which you have never seen before?
They spoke of it in abundance, but how can mere words capture it?”
Lovers compare the phenomena of the created world, elevating one and diminishing another:
“On the throne of Jam, with the crown of the heavens,
Look at the ant’s lowly place next to it.”
However, the beloveds elevate all phenomena equally:
“Say little about the seeker, pass beyond name and form,
Do not call it lowly, for it is far from that.”
Lovers see the world as a place of joy and peace, where the promise of happiness and the expectation of a wedding celebration offer solace:
“I hear the fragrance of healing from the world,
The wind brings joy and the flower blooms with happiness.”
“O bride of art! Do not complain about fate,
Decorate your wedding chamber, for the groom has arrived.”
Yet, the beloveds have always been prisoners of tyrants and rulers of oppression, and their ruin is the prosperity of those suffering from injustice. Their deepest sorrow is for the people who live under these hardships:
“The cup is broken, the garden has turned to thorns,
Mercy has departed, and mourning has built its foundation.”
“Where is peace and comfort heard by your heart?
Where has the flower blossomed, with the wind bringing joy?”
“The young are now rejected, and all brides mourn the spring,
The messenger of death has arrived, not the groom.”
“The field has become narrow for the men of God every day,
Thirsty lips seek the truth, freed from weariness.”
“I am weary of both worlds; my heart has become like a moth,
Chasing after your beauty, consumed by hardship!”
“The city’s beggar has become the grand Mufti of divine rulings,
Truth has been slain, for in the monastery, the tyrant has arrived!”
“The right path has gone astray under the hand of the tyrant,
Even from the tyrant’s line, the chest cries out in pain.”
Yet amidst this chaos, the face of the divine appears in them:
“The truth has emerged in the presence of the divine,
God has manifested from every particle, and eternity returns.”
In this tumult, the true devotee sacrifices their soul, heart, and body, offering themselves in the gamble of love, which is sustained by the purity of the inner being. The loser in this gamble is in harmony with all of creation, sharing in the sorrow of all beings, and it is here that the tears of the soul flow:
“How could I be unaware of anything but you?
In your game, I am but a pawn, my tears becoming the mirror.”
They see all things through the same lens, never perceiving the bad; everything they see is good, and every face is but a piece of the divine game. Creation is simply a page of the divine dream of destiny.
The beloved’s gaze
Lovers are renowned, but their renown does not extend infinitely. Their narrow perspective also limits their vision of the true nature of reality. When they seek to behold the divine, their selfish tendencies manifest, and they look only at the “hand” of the divine—hand that gives, grants, and turns the cup:
“When my beloved takes the cup in hand,
The marketplace of idols is overturned.”
But the beloveds do not see the divine merely through the hand; rather, their hearts are solely fixed on the essence of being. The heart of the beloved is connected to all of “being” and seeks the totality of existence. They do not look at idols or the merciful judge who watches over the drunken ones and punishes them. Instead, they see only “being” itself, the loose tresses of existence in the breeze of divine revelation:
“When the heart is entwined in the tresses of existence,
All that is foreign to it must be broken.”
For the lover, the divine gift renders all material luxuries insignificant, and the marketplace of beauty becomes idle. In the face of every temptation, only the purity of the heart remains:
“Who is the judge who would condemn the drunkards’ dance?
The one who wears the belt of foreignness walks the path of the lowly and is deprived of truth.”
The lover, when intoxicated by the wine of divine longing, focuses not on external pleasures but on the longing to unite with the beloved. The lover sees all existence as a vast ocean of passion, intoxicated by the wine of eternity:
“Everyone is intoxicated by the wine of love,
Intoxication cannot be captured by mere effort.”
The wine of existence itself is filled with love, and all that exists is drawn into the movement of being:
“Once the beloved leaves the realm of existence,
No cup will remain that can be grasped.”
Even when the lover is bestowed with divine grace, they continue to seek more, as their desire for union with the beloved is constant, never satisfied:
“If the wine-bearer offers me another cup,
The mystics will be consumed in the constant pouring.”
But the beloveds, in each divine gift, remain independent, free, and above all else, self-sufficient:
“If my lover pours wine into my cup,
I have no need for constant refills, for my heart is full.”
In the eyes of the lover, even the smallest imperfection in the world seems significant, but in the eyes of the beloved, all things are part of the divine harmony:
“If a mark appears on the beloved’s face,
It is but a trap for the one who gazes without understanding.”
The lover, when intoxicated by the wine of passion, remains ever-focused on the cherished soul and has no desire for any other pleasure:
“How sweet is the intoxication that remains,
It knows not whether to call for a head or a crown.”
The beloved, however, is immersed in the essence of being, entirely unconcerned with superficial desires. In their union with “truth,” they exist beyond the demands of the world:
“There is no kingdom to be won; I am beyond the world,
No one, not even my lover, can hold me in their grasp.”
For the lover, the grandiosity of worldly possessions pales in comparison to the divine simplicity of the beloved’s essence, and thus, everything in the world becomes inconsequential.
The beloved is patient and enduring, for the world is like a magician’s wheel, continuously spinning with countless tricks and deceits. Yet, at the threshold of submission, let us bow our heads in humility, for if we choose to struggle, fate will wrestle with us.
The beloved comprehends the ups and downs, the rises and falls, and the illusions of the world with a heart of sincerity, seeing no need for worldly desires, even for one’s own well-being. The world of tricks and deception holds no expectations for one who stands at the zero point of emergence, where nothing but purity of the divine artistry prevails. One should cherish and be grateful for this unique moment:
Let the world of illusion know that only my sincere heart is on display.
Do not claim that the struggle of time is always of significance. What does it matter that both worlds wrestle in hatred?
I sit here on the pure soil of a world where, if it is good, it will hang stars from both worlds.
For the beloved, narrow-minded views dominate the rational interpretation of existence, which even encircle the magical verses of his poetry. The beloved disregards the fleeting moment and neglects the present. They consider grace to be the reflection of beauty — the perfect form of existence, not its essence:
In the beginning, the radiance of your beauty cast a glow, and love emerged, setting the world on fire.
The beloved lives in the moment, experiencing the continuous manifestation of the divine, a restless foundation, and an endless unfolding in the present world, like pearls of existence. The beloved’s perception does not only reflect the beauty’s radiance but directly beholds the essence, the unique truth:
My beloved, in every breath, radiates this manifestation, and from the essence of His Being, love stirred the worlds.
The beloved sees the love of divine beauty and manifestation only in humankind, with jealousy for the divine’s unburning essence, dismissing all other forms of creation. Angels and other creations are viewed as devoid of love and incapable of bearing the trust of the divine essence:
The glimpse of your face was so powerful that the angels, without love, were set ablaze with jealousy and fell to earth.
The beloved not only recognizes the gift of love but sees every divine blessing in both the earthly and heavenly realms, finding every particle of existence to be permeated by the divine essence. The beloved perceives all phenomena as linked to the manifestation of divine perfection:
The grace of the Divine permeates all, from heaven to earth, but the fire of separation burns in my heart, born from the absence of the Divine’s presence.
The beloved’s reason is not disconnected from the divine; however, when reason, seeking profit and advantage, encounters the realm of love, it becomes enamoured and driven mad. The clash between reason and love brings devastation to the world, and the world is shaken by the jealous flash of the beloved’s passion:
Reason sought to ignite its lamp from this flame, but a flash of jealousy from the beloved destroyed the world.
For the beloved, love blossoms through reason; in its flourishing, reason becomes mad with love. As love and reason interact, the world is revived, and it becomes so clear that the fruits of divine wisdom are offered to all of creation:
Reason, mad with love, pitched its tent in the heart, and the world was purified, for only through this wisdom does one reach the ultimate conclusion.
Hafez views the claimants of appearance without love as strangers in the sacred realm of the eternal truth, cast away from the Divine essence and hidden from the ultimate mystery:
A claimant sought to approach the sacred realm, but the hand of the unseen struck his chest and cast him away.
For the beloved, the divine presence is everywhere, including within the hearts of claimants who are unaware of the vibrant dance of divine manifestation. These claimants are blind to the vast unfolding of the divine beauty.
The beloved does not seek comfort in material gains or the pleasures of life. Instead, the beloved compares their own life of pain with others’ pleasures and feels sorrow for their unique fate:
Others won the lottery of ease and joy, while my heart, burdened with sorrow, was cast into grief.
The beloved only knows the “beloved” and regards both affection and wrath as unified in the divine. The entire creation is understood in terms of hardship and toil, reflecting the existential struggle described in the Qur’anic verse:
“O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it.”
The beloved only knows the beloved’s image and finds solace in the devotion to the beloved, seeing beauty in the hardship and suffering of creation. The beauty of the beloved’s face stands beyond all else, and nothing less can captivate the heart:
The beauty of your face will never leave my heart; the chaos of union with you will never cease.
Hafez reflects on how the adversaries and deceivers can attempt to obstruct the truth and spiritual closeness, but in their hardened opposition, they only lead themselves to their own ruin:
How often the hypocrite has tormented me, seeking to destroy me, but the effects of their deceit will not reach the heavens.
In the end, for the beloved, the struggle between the appearance and reality of existence reflects the unity of all divine manifestations.
The Nature of Love and the Beloved
I am a lover, a carefree drunk, and a letter-writer of darkness. A thousand thanks for the fact that the companions of the city are innocent of any wrongdoing.
The lover finds simplicity in his devotion to the beloved, following only the ways of the heart, and believes that the work of the lover is solely for the beloved. The lover sees all phenomena in existence as pure, innocent, and free of sin, and just as he has affection for the beloved, he is also an advocate and supporter of the beloved’s actions:
I am, through your hands, both the lover and the path, and those who follow the ways of the friends of the city are innocent.
The lover does not feel need, and he speaks of the humble state of love with the phrase “the beggary of the soul.” When he wishes to describe the high status of love, he cannot find a term grander than “king” for it. For external dominion, the lover may talk of royal ornaments such as the jewelled belt and the crown of a king. However, for the inner sovereignty of the beloved, the lover says that this requires an absence of ornamentation or crown. As the lover is distant from the public realm, he associates these absences and beggar-like qualities with his state of rapture and intoxication:
Do not mistake the beggars of love for mere beggars, for these are kings without belts and emperors without crowns.
The lover of the beloved is not focused on appearances nor does he seek any conditions for reaching the beloved. Even the lover does not require a teacher to attain his goal, for his arrival is eternal, divine, and the result of divine grace. The lover has a position within the collective and possesses everything within the divine army, and therefore, is entirely self-sufficient. The beloved, in turn, is endowed with the power of submission and will, meaning that everything desired by the lover will occur, and whatever the beloved wishes will be realised. The fame of the beloved is that of the divine realm, even though the mundane world and even the lovers themselves fail to recognise this supreme unity in the outer appearance:
No external appearance or crown is required; the heads of the people of God are men of great might.
Those of noble birth and lofty spirit, even though outwardly lacking crowns and armies, still belong to the kingdom of love.
The beloved is above both purity and love. As the beloved is free from need, so too is the lover, and there is no value in the ritualistic acts of the hypocrites, who deceive in their worship.
Purity, love, and affection are founded upon self-sufficiency, and the pious acts performed for show cannot be bought for even a penny.
The lover sees the realm of love as a high mountain to be conquered with great willpower:
The realm of love is high, and only with resolve can it be attained, for the lovers will never find a path that leads to the kingdom of the willful.
The beloved, the high mountain and high spirit, is a divine gift, and there is no place for attachment to anything or anyone else, even if they are the stars themselves:
The realm of love is high, and its spirit is sublime! Such that the favour of the beloved cannot be given to any worldly being.
The lover, though he believes that the way of the noble and the path to closeness to the divine are free of oppression and injustice, yet, in his judgment, he mocks those who consider themselves followers and pure, for they are not true men of the path:
Injustice is not the way of the true seeker; bring the cup, for these travelers are not true men of the way.
The lover is submerged in a boundless purity, believing that all the pure are with him. He sees tyranny as being Satanic. Satan leads the ill-intentioned, those who are involved in evil against the creation of God, and to hypocrisy and deception. These tyrants are, in essence, the true embodiment of Satan:
Purity comes from the spirit of righteousness, while oppression is Satanic. Those who are on the path are one thing, and others are another.
The lover is delighted by outward splendour but fears its destruction. He even advises the beloved to refrain from injustice in order to preserve the glory of the beloved’s status:
Do not let the brilliance of the beloved be shattered, for when it breaks, the servants will flee, and the followers will scatter.
The lover believes in the eternal constancy and unchanging nature of the beloved. The lover has faith that this eternal peace and unshakable tranquillity belong to the beloved, and is unconcerned by any outward circumstance, even if, hypothetically, man or the world should turn away from the beloved:
The two bright stars of the beloved, which took my heart, will never fade, even if the gaze of the two worlds turns away.
The lover, seeing the desire and passion in others, becomes enamoured and devotes himself entirely to them, willing to be a servant to their cause:
I am a servant to those whose spirit is unwavering, not to those who wear fine clothes and have blackened hearts.
The beloved of the lover possesses a high spirit. The lover, too, has a high spirit and understands that true nobility and purity come only through this spirit, making the true nature of existence an immaculate treasure:
The high spirit seeks the pure, for only in this quest can true riches be gained, and this treasure is found only through untainted purity.
The lover does not care for material rewards or the praise of earthly kings, for he knows that tyrants who practice oppression are far from purity and are, in fact, enemies of righteousness:
Take no joy in the gifts of this world, nor in the reign of the tyrants, for these rulers are far removed from purity.
The lover often experiences fear and trembling, especially when he feels distanced from the divine presence. At such moments, he holds firmly to his noble spirit, knowing that true fearlessness arises from a deep connection with the divine:
Be cautious, for when the moment of divine separation comes, even the greatest works will seem insignificant.
They proceed, without the thought of “changing destiny” or “escaping fate to fate.” They sit beneath the blade of God’s relentless will and do not entertain the slightest notion of restraint. The beloved saints have no obstacles or hindrances, and no affliction or calamity can deter them from the path of the Divine. If the entire world and all its inhabitants become adversaries, and if God Himself incites them all against the saints, they will never be defeated or rejected. Their hearts will never waver from the Divine. The perfect saints of the beloved, if they were to be crushed under the hard stone of countless grinding mills of affliction, by the deceitful enemies and wolves with malicious intent, and if each of their cells were to be burned by boiling water and lasers, they possess a sanctity of love and remain steadfast in God’s will, seeing even their suffering as an expression of love. They live by God’s will, not by their own. The perfect saints of the beloved, even if they were to be wrapped in cloth and trampled upon a thousand times, would still carry out the eternal decree of God. They possess an irreversible course, an “inevitable path,” and continue on their way, overcoming all obstacles and adversities. God calls His servants to duel with His beloved, leaving them isolated and alone amidst a multitude of adversaries, saying: “If you can, fire the final arrow of separation from Me.” This is when God grants aid to the adversaries, empowering them to impose pressure on His beloved, and sometimes, He Himself intervenes directly to bring forth suffering upon them. At times, God even employs the most wicked of people, those whose evil nature derives from the seed of Satan, to destroy and crush the entire appearance and power of His beloved. However, praise be to the loyalty of the true saints of the beloved, who never turn away from the truth. Every affliction refines them further, and every destruction enhances their brilliance, unveiling the falsehoods and darkness of the hidden enemies masked in layers of deceit and hypocrisy. The true saints of the beloved can be recognized by two distinct signs: first, the extraordinary nature of their path and its exceptional quality; second, the abundance of obstacles and afflictions they encounter, yet they remain firm in their position. Most importantly, their influence, growth, and increasing presence among the people, despite all the enmity directed at them. Simply put, no matter the hindrances and conspiracies against them, the work of the beloved does not fail, and no destiny impedes it. With every hardship, the adversaries of the beloved are vanquished, and the beloved’s brilliance shines ever brighter:
My existence has become a sacrifice for the friend, a hundred times over; destiny has not intervened, and fate cannot come.
The lover is desirous but detached from selfishness, expectation, and separation. To attain his desires, he has no hesitation in making the beloved the target of his supplications, with pleading, humble requests, and persistent insistence. If he does not attain what he desires, he finds himself dejected and aggrieved, voicing his lament in dismay:
My early morning arrow has always hit its mark, but now, what has happened that none of my attempts succeed?
The beloved has no desire, no hope, no prayer, no expectation, and no demand. Though the beloved holds a collective position, and each of God’s names calls to him with affection, whether “the Mighty” or “the Gentle,” he gives his heart to none. He is neither attached to the Revealer nor to the revealed. The beloved does not desire any of the divine names (though they possess great beauty and awe). He does not long for their manifestations or their astonishing works, but remains a pure lover. He is neither a beggar, nor does he ever extend his hand in supplication to God, nor does he foster any dependence. The beloved has come from the beginning of time with one purpose: to say, “God, I love You.” In this worldly existence, he only declares his love with the words, “I love You,” bringing forth the worship of God with pure existence:
Why should I shoot an arrow at the beloved with love and affection, when such a shot is doomed to miss?
The lover, in his state of non-vision, has an aversion to the creation. Not in the sense that he does not see others, but because he is deeply involved with their suffering and pain, he becomes distanced from them:
So much has my heart been alienated from all others, now I find no way out of this tangled web.
The beloved does not see any “other” to distance himself from. He only sees the face of the beloved. He is immersed in a purity that finds the artistry of the lover as divine, not belonging to any other. His gaze towards God is shaped by the gaze of the beloved, as if the beloved leads him toward the Divine. He loves all creation, just as he loves God. In essence, he does not see anything as “other” than God. He loves God for God’s sake, not for any personal gain. He loves all of God’s creatures in the same way, but only for the sake of God. He is immersed in love, and though he bears the name of the Divine, he does not seek God for His name; he seeks God purely for the love of God. He has traversed all this way just to say: “God, I love You, and I long for You. I have come to Your door, and that is all.”
The lover, whose heart has been freed from everything “other,” is now captivated solely by the beloved. As he finds his soul intoxicated by this pure love, his journey leads him beyond all that is transient:
My heart, now freed from all “others,” has found its place in the garden of love, where no thorn may intrude.
The lover does not seek or need anything but love. For the lover, the essence of love is an expression of divine purity, untarnished by any worldly desire.
Do not despair, for you are unaware of the secrets of the unseen. Behind the veil, there are hidden games; do not grieve.
The infinite insight of the Beloved, the knowledge of the unseen, and the subtlety of his wisdom are all gifts. The Beloved bestows knowledge, love, and nobility as a divine grant. His politics are also a reflection of divine governance. The Beloved carries a divine aura, so potent that even in the chaotic, nameless, and confused world, one cannot dare to meet His gaze. When confronting the Beloved’s adversaries, the opponents turn to hidden schemes and employ countless voices and media outlets to shower him with falsely attributed praises of perfection. However, the storm of unfulfilled and ineffective resolutions gradually fades, and the shrill flags of discord and the rapacious noises fall to the ground in disgrace. The Beloved sees the dance of divine truth in the world and observes the hidden games of the Creator through this divine lens. He is unaffected by the trials of this world, and through His connection with the divine, He follows the unfolding of events with tranquillity. Moreover, the Beloved perceives the unseen hands of those who consider themselves the rulers of politics and economics, understanding their strategies with clarity.
Since the world of creation is filled with cycles and patterns, every moment is full of hidden games; do not grieve.
The lover, in the worldly realm, is not only confused about his own truth but also unable to recognize the true essence of others. This confusion prevents the lover from being clear and straightforward. In a world where falsehood has an unfounded and superficial dominance, the devils fabricate false images of truth for every manifestation of the divine, promoting them with propaganda and manipulation. “Truth” is lost in this realm, and the self-proclaimed ones merely engage in wordplay. Today, deceivers abound, and the lovers, instead of transmitting true knowledge and rational understanding, fall victim to slogans, emotional appeals, and fallacious arguments. Falsehood has so deeply infiltrated the rhetoric of truth that each sleeve of falsehood releases truth like cluster bombs, scattering the minds of the isolated individuals. Speaking of truths in the weary and disillusioned atmosphere of today has become diluted and frivolous. Those who claim to hold the banner of truth, and wear the mantle of guardianship, lack wisdom, foresight, and courage. They cannot differentiate between matters of great and small importance.
Under the dark sky where the disordered are valued, and the wicked kneel in prayer while the people of God are imprisoned, the lover faces the towering walls of oppression, feeling his own weakness as he tastes the bitterness of separation from truth. He longs for a capable companion in his solitude.
He who wanders through the world and cannot find a companion in sorrow, in the end, will find a compassionate companion, so do not grieve.
The Beloved has found His own truth and the truth of the world and its people. He sees the pattern of the world in the hands of a compassionate soul who does not remove his crown from the people’s head, nor nurtures hypocrisy, deceit, or falsehood. The one who does not wish harm on others, whose hands are not tainted by injury, does not seek to lose truth or remain lost in it. However, sometimes God, in His wisdom, locks doors and with His mercy, seals them tightly. By divine wisdom, He may grant the compassionate lover to a people yearning for His love, and those who are martyrs in His path. The law of truth sometimes opens to the masses, though usually, it accepts individuals one by one, with varying times. Nonetheless, the Beloved is with all and is the centre of their lives. The truth of the Beloved is such that no one is abandoned; He does not lose anyone and, through love, gives every soul a place in His divine circle. The Beloved has realized the truth of divine governance and the creation of the world:
Do not mourn over your confusion in the circle of life! The pattern of creation lies in the hands of the Beloved, do not grieve.
The lover is consumed by the longing to witness the manifestations of divine beauty. His passionate ardour leads him to extraordinary actions, becoming an agitator and a rebel. He does not heed criticism and pursues his own course:
If you seek the Kaaba in the wilderness, even if the thorns of reproach confront you, do not grieve.
The lover has seen the light of divine truth in the darkness of existence. He has been a guest in the sacred solitude where the divine dance occurs, and he has witnessed the divine pattern in the movements of the world. The Beloved is the intimate of the divine; a truth without sleep, which watches over all creation with love and care. Similarly, the lover is concerned with the craft of the Creator:
In the rhythm of His wheel, get acquainted with the turning of creation! The wheel of the world has not turned without you, do not grieve.
The lover must gradually come to know His God. He must detach from the material world step by step to become lighter, to rise above his earthly self, and ascend to the realm of divine grace. The lover’s journey is a gradual process, and it involves overcoming numerous obstacles and rivals. The lover must shed all attachments, often through repeated metaphorical deaths, to rise above his desires. The lover’s rebellious self, with its cravings for worldly pleasure, cannot easily be led to the divine; it resists with all its might. The body, too, is the fiercest rival in this quest for spiritual transcendence:
Our state, in separation from the Beloved, and in the hands of adversaries, is known only by the God who sees all, do not grieve.
The lover is successful and joyful in his discovery of his essence and the essence of the world. He has eternal love and eternal loyalty. There is no obstacle to the lover’s way. He is immersed in the divine flow, and a thousand doors to knowledge are open to him. In his quest for divine truth, he has risen above the material and the mundane, and he sees no other than the divine:
If your rival causes uproar, pass by his quarrel. The world rests with the Beloved, the light of dance, do not grieve.
The lover is unmoved by the turbulence and crises of life, for he holds firm to the divine ark, the vessel of Noah. While ordinary lovers are preoccupied with worldly concerns, the true lover focuses only on the divine, relying not on temporal figures but on divine guidance:
Though the flood of destruction may uproot the foundation of existence, with Noah as your captain, do not grieve.
The lover is entrusted with the secrets of the divine, which are hidden within the depths of the universe. These secrets are given to the hearts of those who are privy to them, the true friends of the divine. These friends of the divine do not become stagnant but remain active in their devotion, drawing strength from the Beloved’s presence:
When your heart struggles in deep whirlpools, with the presence of the Beloved, do not grieve.
Lovers on the path of divine seeking face many perils and hardships. They are aware of the possible end of the journey, and the fear of separation constantly accompanies them. For the lover, the journey is finite:
Though the journey may be perilous, and the destination unclear, remember there is no path that has no end, do not grieve.
The lover fears no danger. Unlike ordinary lovers, he knows that divine creation is eternal and without end, and the affairs of the world continue without cessation:
Do not fear the passing of time and the twists of fate. Be at ease, for there is no end, do not grieve!
Lovers have always been detached from the world, unaware of the true nature of the beloved. They speak of the Beloved, but their knowledge is limited and flawed. One of their errors is the confusion between the drawn-to-love and the truly beloved. The magnetic pull of divine attraction does not give power to the drawn ones, who eventually grow weary and retreat, but the true lovers are steadfast and eternal. They mistake the kingship of the divine realm for worldly power:
The candle of creation, the king of men, is the Beloved alone. If you are a servant of the King of kings, do not grieve.
The true lovers know the system of divine love. They are the noblest of times and the most generous of souls, endowed with wisdom and grace:
The man of men is Ali, the light of this world, a follower of truth, do not grieve.
The lover, on one hand, yearns for divine knowledge and, on the other, suffers from his own weakness. He relinquishes material concerns in search of the divine, but this often leads him to poverty. However, the lover respects his poverty and, though he strives for self-discipline, he does not avoid it, but rather embraces it:
In the corner of poverty, in the solitude of the dark nights, with prayer and devotion, do not grieve.
Poverty is not a virtue, for it is tied to denial and hardship. True faith and culture grow within the bedrock of economic stability. The lover designs his life not first with religion but with a sense of economic and social responsibility:
Pass by from the vileness of poverty, and enjoy the pleasure of seclusion! If you are with prayer and devotion near the Qur’an, do not grieve.
The lover is not afraid of pain and difficulty, but he knows that he must suffer through them to purify himself. Love is about sacrifice and perseverance:
The essence of wealth and honour cannot be accumulated within the tavern;
Whoever drinks from this cup, cast away your belongings into the sea.
The beloved possesses a pure and selfless love. A defining feature of the beloved is their selfless devotion. They do not seek God for the sake of His divinity, but rather their love for God emanates from their very existence. Were it, by the remotest of improbabilities, that God were to become a beggar on the street, He would still be beloved by the one who is devoted. The beloved is the loyal companion, found everywhere in God’s presence. The beloved seeks God independent of Heaven and Hell, and in all circumstances, the words “Holy, Holy, Lord of the angels and the spirit” become music in their soul.
Go, what is this tavern? Pass beyond this game!
Take the wine and cast your belongings into the sea.
The lover, who often suffers from the fear and sorrow of separation, when his yearning intensifies, as if he has traversed the whole of the unseen and inner realms, brings forth the melody of a ghazal. The one who once boasted of his faithfulness and mocked the unfaithfulness of the beloved, now considers the injustices and loyalties of the beloved to be one and the same.
Whoever fears sorrow, the anguish of love is not permissible,
Our soul and our steps, or our lips and their tongue.
The lover sees the claims of others as emanating from the sadness of love and as imitations of true love, believing the crafting of a ghazal to be a result of ignorance and weakness. True knowledge, according to the beloved, is not found through shallow imitation, but from an authentic, deep engagement both within oneself and with the cosmos. The beloved knows intimately the phenomena and aspects of the world as well as the world of essences and attributes, recognising their true nature.
Fear and sorrow from the grief of love are mere expressions of neglect,
My soul, my body, and my robe—these belong to Him.
The lover might claim the praise for his own poetic abilities, but the beloved sees all beauty and goodness in the world as a gift from God. The lover’s eloquence and the sweetness of his words pale in comparison to the beloved’s profound connection to the divine. The beloved sees all phenomena as manifestations of divine beauty.
Poetry by Hafez is the essence of wisdom,
Praise be to the soul’s breath and the sweetness of its speech.
The beloved returns all praise to God, acknowledging that all beauty, all words of grace, and all manifestations of goodness are not their own but God’s. The lover, in their claim to eloquence, is unaware of the deeper truth: that the beloved sees all phenomena through the lens of divinity. They recognise that for everything in existence, there is a divine imprint. The beloved, in their completeness, does not engage in petty claims, but rather engages with the world in a manner that transcends these concerns.
In a world where people tend to seek recognition and acclaim, the beloved understands that the essence of the divine is manifested in both the lofty and the humble. Thus, the beloved’s essence cannot be easily recognised, particularly when it is overshadowed by the mundane realities of the world. As such, it is said that “whoever dies without recognising their spiritual guide dies the death of ignorance.”
The recognition of the beloved is a difficult and rare undertaking. The beloved sees the world not through the lens of materiality but through wisdom, understanding the true purpose of everything. It is for this reason that, in their actions and interactions, the beloved manifests the ultimate form of grace, transcending the limitations of human understanding.
Praise is not sought in the pursuit of love and intoxication,
The heart that belongs to my beloved, let it be the home of grace.
The lover who has suffered countless trials and tribulations, navigating a path fraught with pain, sees his sorrow as a sign of his devotion. They do not own the world nor claim ownership of truth. The lover’s experience is one of yearning, with no certainty of achieving the divine or human understanding. It is, instead, a constant wandering towards the object of their affection.
Those on the path of the lover believe that victory and defeat, separation and union, are all determined by fate. Their journey is uncertain, and they are unaware of the full scope of the forces at play. Fate, however, can serve as a divine hand guiding them towards their true destination. It is within this realm of uncertainty that the lover seeks solace and expression.
The beloved sees all things as interconnected, each occurrence arising from divine wisdom. Unlike the lover, the beloved is not bound by fate but instead sees each moment as an opportunity for transformation and connection with the divine. Even in apparent defeat, the beloved understands that there is a deeper truth in play. They do not focus on the outcome but on the process of divine revelation.
He did not consume it, but I placed blood in his mouth like a lion. I gave my life for him and placed my lips to his.
A lover’s actions, driven by selfishness and self-restraint, never truly transcend their own desires. Even when, amidst the flood of calamities, he is reduced to tears, he remains bound to the foundation of his sorrow:
“Cleanse the face of Hafez with tears from the tresses of the beloved, or else this endless torrent will erode my foundation.”
The beloved has entrusted their entire essence to the lover, who, apart from their love, holds no other right, even their own. The beloved is both the agent of love and the one who is beloved. This tale is nothing but love: “From the jug, only what is inside comes forth.” The beloved embodies the entirety of divine presence and the perfect expression of love. The beloved loves the divine, and the divine, in turn, loves the beloved more. Just as a faithful believer longs for the encounter with paradise, so too does paradise yearn for the believer. God enjoys the perfection of the beloved’s nature, and the beloved’s essence, when manifest, is the reflection of God’s brilliance. The beloved has devoted their entire essence to the purity of love, offering not just names and attributes, but even their own undifferentiated being:
“My tears turned into laughter and fell into the beloved’s lap. I laughed, and that sorrow was the foundation of my being.”
Seeing her beauty, I let go of myself. I fell from the heights of her joy.
The Devoted Lover
The diverse travelers of love, amidst the unfortunate events surrounding them, often retreat into silence, in which their only purpose is themselves. Their clear hearts are not free from the self-serving nature of their desires. Certainly, no more can be expected from the lover than this, as it is the very essence of their being. The lover has a long and arduous path ahead of them to overcome their own desires. As long as they remain captive to their ego, they are driven by longing. However, these desires may seem spiritual in nature, like the yearning for heavenly pleasures or the desire to reach divine realms. They see their efforts and actions, dominated by their own self-conception, and become seekers of approval, still self-centered in their approach. They, too, have those who praise them, and they seek, with pride, a great favor. Such a person is trapped in their own self, and one should not expect them to engage with the societal events around them. Instead, they will take refuge in the self, clinging to it:
“Though my heart burns like a wine jug, I seal my lips, drinking blood, and remain silent.”
The lover seeks the soul through their desire for the lips of the beloved. You should see that I am striving with my soul in this endeavor.
The inner essence of the lover is not merely a jug containing their pure spirit; rather, they are a furnace of passion, a forge of love and selflessness, where others are refined, tested, and perfected. Through this process, the lover guides others swiftly and directly back to their own original essence. In this furnace of devotion, through wise conduct, the beloved reveals to each person their true potential, freedom, and perfection. The lover’s task is to engage in pure love without expectation, following the command of God. The lover is devoted to a path of justice and divine love, with no self-serving desires, as they are devoted solely to divine will:
“I burn like a furnace every night, sealing my lips and remaining silent.”
Desire is the root of the soul’s deprivation, and it is in this love for God, without desire for personal gain, that I strive with all my soul.
The lover is caught in a desire for beauty, and when unable to grasp the beloved’s form, they search for beauty in the reflection of others, attaching themselves to those reflections. This reflects a deep melancholy, borne of the mistaken belief that beauty is external rather than divine, and they are trapped by the illusion that true love exists only in the manifestations of creation. In their search, they do not perceive the divine in creation, only an external beauty. Yet, they are often unaware of their misplaced longing, still seeking ultimate union through these external sources, until they realize that true connection lies only with the divine:
“When I see the beauty of the moon, my heart is released from itself. I fall from the heights of its joy.”
The lover remains connected to the beloved in an unwavering bond of faith, and through this connection, they see no separation, even in the beauty of creation. The first glance at beauty was the glance towards God’s perfect form, and the lover is consumed by this divine connection, seeing the face of God in every creature and form.
“Now I have become one with my beloved in every way, as her face and voice are in my heart and ear.”
Faithful Companions of Love
Lovers, in their various journeys, often lose themselves in the tumult of spiritual struggle. They may be confused and bewildered, wondering what it was they saw, or how to reconcile the visions they had, which they cannot easily grasp. In moments of inner turmoil, the lover is deeply engaged with this quest, often misunderstanding these fleeting moments of clarity. This confusion occurs particularly in the journey, where the soul’s decision can change the course of its destiny. Satan appears in the guise of the most beautiful, offering distractions that confuse and mislead the lover. However, the lover is not constantly in union with the divine, nor are they always in the presence of the Divine Essence, though they may occasionally glimpse the divine light in certain moments of clarity, seeking refuge from their confusion in the presence of their spiritual guide:
“In the tavern of the mystics, I see the light of God. What a marvel, for where does this light come from?”
The lover sees the light of God in every particle of the world, whether large or small, without astonishment or surprise. This presence does not astonish them because their sight is attuned to the divine, and they see the manifestation of the divine light in every particle:
“I see the light of God in the atoms of the world, and it is no wonder. Where does this light come from?”
The lover does not possess an expansive sense of ego but is bound by divine constraints, which, though they may appear limiting, are in fact the path to liberation from falsehood and ego. The lover is constantly striving to remove the layers of idolatry (the attachments to false concepts of separation) from within themselves. The path of the lover is one of purifying the heart and transcending any false beliefs:
“How could it be, that the place of my worship and my prayer is not where I see God?”
The lover lives in unity with God and sees no separation between the divine and creation. Everything they see is a reflection of God, from the atoms to the vastness of the heavens, and all things appear as God’s manifestation. The lover experiences the world with the purest love, free of illusions and separations, seeing all through the lens of divine unity:
“My beloved is the center of the universe. Every speck, every particle reflects the grace of God’s unity.”
The lover remains humble in their recognition of their own imperfections, knowing that they are still trapped in their ego and the false separations it creates. They seek to free themselves from these illusions through devotion and divine guidance. Though they may sometimes fall into confusion or arrogance, they remain committed to the ultimate goal: union with the divine, the realization of oneness with God.
The Fourth Volume of “Niqd Sāfī”: The Proximity and Alienation of the Beloved
The world, for the lovers of the Beloved, is a prison that traps them in the harsh exile of foreign walls and keeps them distanced from their Beloved. The earthly realm, or the Nasūt, has distanced them from their divine lover. A lover harbours the desire for union until the moment of death; yet, this longing is not seen with the true eye but rather is led by self-centeredness and covert polytheism, which pulls them into this dream of complacency:
How joyous will be the day when I leave this ruined abode, seeking comfort for my soul, and in pursuit of my Beloved.
The lover who experiences perpetual union with the Beloved is, according to the divine decree, engaged in the management of the Nasūt. However, when the command of departure is issued to them—marked by the blood of martyrdom—they embrace it with tears of longing, kissing the gallows, their throat meeting the sharp edge of the dagger. In this moment, the Beloved takes the soul of the lover from the earthly realm and elevates them to the realm of the unseen:
How joyous will be the day when, with tearful eyes, I leave, seeking my Beloved and pursuing the divine.
The lover proceeds on their spiritual journey with a powerful energy, sustained by hardship, austerity, and alienation. Alienation is the least of the trials a lover must endure. Lovers have long been without a strong master in spiritual guardianship and divine unity. The greatest of lovers, such as Ibn Arabi, and the poet Hafez, a disciple of his school and one of his prominent followers, himself speaks of the alienation faced by lovers, acknowledging that even in knowledge—which was their specialized craft—they were unable to access the divine presence of their spiritual master. These individuals are strangers in the realms of divine knowledge, and the trials of the Age of Occultation have overwhelmed them. These spiritual exiles have only tasted a sip of the spiritual nectar, catching but a fleeting scent of it, and despite their isolation, they remain ardently in love, composing fresh verses of passion:
Though I know that the path of the stranger leads nowhere, still, I will follow the sweet scent of that disheveled hair.
True and soul-stirring alienation is the hallmark of the lovers. They possess the knowledge of the first and last, the secrets of the unseen, and the cure for every ailment within their hearts. Their energy and capability are simple and unimpeachable, and they are the very will of the divine; yet, not only is this knowledge hidden from others, but the people mistakenly perceive these bearers of divine wisdom as ordinary men. The enemies of truth, with their deceptive power, cast stones of heresy and slander, condemning them to imprisonment and martyrdom. Still, even in the highest moments of alienation and being imprisoned by the beasts of corruption and the tyrants of oppression, the lover remains intoxicated, cheerful, and united with the Beloved. They continue on the spiritual journey with joy, even as they approach the scaffold:
Though I am in darkness and surrounded by my own alienation, I shall seek my ambition, walking joyfully towards my Beloved.
The lover’s ardour and passion make them restless, robbing them of patience and causing them to grow impatient. This love can take them down many divergent paths, dragging them from singular devotion to unfaithfulness and multiplicity. They mistakenly view all these paths as the rightful paths of love and guardianship, primarily because they have not been fortunate enough to have a knowledgeable spiritual guide or a master who can show them the way:
Like the zephyr, with a sick heart and a weary body, I shall follow that graceful cypress.
The peril of the spiritual journey is that the lover, without firm resolve, may wander aimlessly, creating confusion and uncertainty. A unified commitment brings the energy needed for spiritual practice, and the lover, from the dawn of time to the dusk of eternity, remains immersed in their single devotion to the Beloved. With this unity, they submerge themselves in the ocean of divine trials, embracing the suffering as they pass through the veils of the divine:
The multiplicity of hearts has made me lost; with sorrow in my heart, I shall pursue the disheveled hair of my Beloved.
The lover’s self-centredness generates fear and anxiety, causing them to fall into illusion and fantasy. The lover perpetually seeks safety, comfort, and ease in a fictitious manner, hopping from place to place, seeking solace but finding none:
My heart has been seized by the fear of Alexander’s prison; I will pack my belongings and head towards Solomon’s kingdom.
However, the true lover finds peace and security in divine love, purity, and closeness to the divine. This is an unshakable refuge, one that never changes. Yet, such a path is rarely trodden by many, as it is a stream that opens to only one every few centuries. The Age of Occultation, for instance, is a time in which no true lover has been able to reach the Divine Beloved:
Who was Alexander? He is dead. I am even worse off than that, exiled and lost, wandering and aimless.
The lover’s journey is full of toil, hardship, and deep despair. It is not a mere quest for elevation to divine heights, but rather a search for humility and alignment with the divine. The lover may strive for goodness and closeness to the holy ones, yet their ultimate aim is to tame and master their own ego. However, even with an obedient ego, the journey remains incomplete, and the lover may never reach the uncharted and free realms of divine unity:
On this path, like a pen, if I must lay down my life, I will do so with a heart in pain and eyes full of tears.
The lover draws energy from their love for God. They bear the weight of this love with such grace that it gives them a regal serenity, lightness, and majestic dignity:
My sick eyes and my Beloved’s narcissus-like gaze have given me peace, and I feel as if I am walking as King Solomon.
The lover often yearns for peace, though their spiritual path, full of false and artificial suffering, also leads them to deeper spiritual insight. Despite their current state of devotion, they long for the relief of this path, but know that the struggle must continue:
I vow, if I ever escape from this sorrow, to return joyously to the tavern and sing my ghazals in contentment.
The lover is deeply attuned to the suffering of creation, understanding the plight of prisoners and the anguish of those condemned to execution. They are resolute in their resistance to oppression, sustained by the eternal and undying grace of God. Were it not for this divine assistance, they too would have been weakened and would have fled in terror before the savage hounds and wicked tyrants of the world. The strength of the lover is a divine gift, and their resilience is a reflection of God’s favour:
Though you are not by my side, every moment and every place is filled with your essence; in your absence, I will retreat to the wilderness to escape the dogs of tyranny.
The lover may not be aware of the treacherous paths and perilous valleys of their spiritual journey. They may believe the journey to be light and easy, as if carried by a breeze, with their spirits in harmonious pursuit of the sun. In reality, however, the journey is fraught with obstacles, the storms of pride and oppression threatening to shatter their every step:
Though I may follow this love as a mere speck, dancing in joy, I am, in truth, headed towards the harsh trials and tribulations of my path.
If the lover loses both man and world, their only refuge is their trust in God. In times of alienation, the Quran offers consolation to the lovers of God, encouraging them to say: “Allah is sufficient for me; there is no god but Him. In Him I place my trust, and He is the Lord of the Majestic Throne.”
Thus, in the struggle for truth, the lover remains resolute, sustained by the unwavering love and mercy of God, navigating the tumultuous journey with unshakable faith:
Though the savage wolves may tear at me, I will remain steadfast until the end, singing and rejoicing in my ghazals as I march towards the light.
The Divine Love of the Beloved
God is the lover of His Beloved, and He has manifested this love through His dominion and power. The Beloved does not move except by God’s grace and will, and passionately follows His command. The Beloved is the unique and chosen jewel of God, who, in the realm of Nasūt (the earthly realm), endures hardship and hardship in love and contentment. The Beloved, through their love for the divine creation, rises in opposition to the tyrants and hypocrites, those who wear the cloak of religion and falsely claim guardianship, oppressing God’s servants in the process.
The Beloved, driven by a deep zeal for their Lover, cannot tolerate the arrogance and pretension of these heretics. They stand firm against them, determined to expose their deceitful face to the world. Furthermore, the Beloved, through their sovereign power in the divine guardianship, weaves these deceptive figures into a series of events that ultimately lead to their shameful demise. In the end, these false representatives of the divine, those who have oppressed God’s people and attributed falsehood to the divine laws and guardianship, meet a disgraceful and humiliating death, their bodies cast into the fiery pit of Hell.
As we have previously said:
Let us, together, lay the foundations of a new world,
In our hearts, let us plant purity, love, and joy anew.
We will rise against the devils and all enemies,
And uproot all evil and filth from every corner.
We shall bring to an end this corruption and tyranny,
And raise purity and goodness to a new melody.
Hand in hand, let us build a new world,
Where the people of the earth behold the beauty of the divine.
We will bring joy to one another and let go of all enmity,
Without speaking ill of anyone, but casting judgment to the Lord.
Like the heavenly Paradise, we will let go of all worldly ties,
Giving purity to hearts and holiness to souls.
We will gather love and joy,
And by the light of the divine, make the world bloom anew.
Do not speak ill of Shiraz or any city,
But wherever we go, we shall bring the light of betterment.
Let us embrace love, and share purity with one another,
Let go of hatred, malice, and all evil thoughts.
How beautiful the world becomes when we meet our true Beloved,
For true Islam is peace, not the fanning of embers.
True Islam is love and mercy,
It is not the creation of resentment or oppression, but the spread of peace.
Behold! This is the way of love, the ultimate truth,
Let us walk the path of purity and belief with joy.
Let us not be deceived by the semblance of worldly attachment,
For only by love, we truly seek union with the Beloved.
These profound stories reveal the falsehood of the newly arisen tyrants and expose the purity, love, and righteousness of the Beloved. Through these stories, the true face of the Beloved is brought to light, shedding the light of truth in a world consumed by lies and deceit. Their presence inspires peace, sweetness, and a spirit of love.
I have become a prisoner of the mad dog,
Yet, I am a lover of the Truth and shall go like a radiant pearl.
The lover, who is separated from the beloved by external means, does not complain. For the lover is immersed in their divine Love and rests in their Lover’s will, unwavering in their commitment to the path of love. As Hafiz says:
If, like Hafiz, I do not stray from the barren desert,
I shall journey alongside the celestial constellations of time.
The Beloved holds no complaints. They are content and eternally bound to the Truth, living only for God and in God’s grace. They do not flatter the unjust rulers, nor do they seek companionship with the tyrants. They identify falsehood, selfishness, oppression, confusion, and decay with the light of their divine wisdom. The Beloved never accompanies such falsehoods but rather exposes them, bringing divine justice and establishing the will of God on earth.
I am a pampered darling of the Beloved,
And I go with ease where He calls me.
The true lover is grounded in divine mercy. The lover recognizes their true nature through divine guidance, and though they may face trials, they remain committed to the divine path. They know their purpose and trust the divine will, as Hafiz expresses:
I may walk the path of love,
But I am firmly rooted in the will of the Beloved.
The lover embraces the realm of divine wisdom, with love acting as the guiding force. They have no need to force their will upon the world or to seek control through arrogance. Instead, they yield to God’s plan, fully immersed in divine grace. Their path is not dictated by external pressures but is a natural flow towards their Beloved.
I am not bound by force,
But I willingly follow the call of my Beloved’s love.
The lover does not believe in the predetermined fate imposed by external forces. Instead, they view all actions and events as expressions of the divine will, gracefully accepting everything that comes from God. They understand the divine plan is at play in everything and in every being.
Whether I am a thorn or a flower,
It is by the hand that created me that I will grow.
The lover does not see the act of worship or spiritual struggle as forced. Instead, they view it as a path paved by divine will and knowledge, where everything falls into its proper place according to God’s design.
Though adorned in the rich cloak of splendor,
I do not consider it hypocrisy; my actions are for the sake of my Beloved.
The Beloved is free from every impurity, every falsehood, and every trace of pride, for they are purified by divine grace. As the Holy Quran states:
Indeed, God intends to purify you, O People of the House,
And to cleanse you thoroughly.
The lover of God is the precious jewel of God’s creation. They are chosen and cherished by God, existing not for their own glory but for the glory of God alone.
I am the jewel placed by God in my heart,
Not from myself, but from the One who created me.
The lover’s path is one of struggle and resistance. They face the trials of life with determination, and though their journey is filled with obstacles, they remain steadfast, knowing that they walk in the footsteps of their Beloved. Their devotion transcends the self, and they carry the weight of divine love with grace and resilience.
I have been broken and torn by my Beloved,
But still, I rise with joy and faith, knowing my place with Him.
The lover’s actions are guided by love and desire for God, and their very being resonates with the divine will. They embrace their fate, for they know that love will always guide them to their true home.
Though surrounded by sorrow and grief,
I am destined for the embrace of my Beloved.
In the end, the lover’s path is one of purity and divine will, transcending the limitations of self and earthly desires, always striving for union with the Beloved, and seeing the divine in all things.
I am no longer lost in the world,
For I have found my way in the light of my Beloved.
The Magic of Hypocrisy
Devotees who are enamoured and attached, although they do not exceed the threshold of longing nor reach love, still grant longing a face of infatuation, placing the collar of aesthetic captivity around reason’s neck. They only look at the beauty of the wandering lover’s figure, focusing only on the black mole on her skin:
Let me speak of something delightful: see the mole of that moon-faced one
Reason and soul are bound by the chain of her hair’s allure.
The beloved sees the moonlit essence of her nature, clear and naked in every phenomenon:
The beloved who has fallen at her feet, see her face
For a moment, see that beautiful face with flowing hair.
Multiplicity is the plague of the lover’s journey, for the lover has an earthly and created hunger, seeking the divine truth. In observing creation, the lover becomes infatuated with the beautiful form and falls into the trap of grace, delicacy, joy, sweetness, and agility of the gazelles of the wine-soaked poetry of passion and ecstasy:
I was told not to be wild-natured and roam aimlessly,
She said, see the half-drunk gaze and the mischievousness of the gazelle.
The lover sees the divine truth and cannot behold anything without it. His beloved is a beautiful, carefree, and simple soul who, without ornamentation or impurity, exists in every dream:
I was told not to be a wanderer or a dreamer,
She said, in that carelessness and drunkenness, see the gazelle!
The lover, who himself is a lover of beauty and a seeker of affection, scorns the worshipers of the sun, who stray from the true path. Even when advising the turning away from his beloved, he still does not abandon the long thread of his devotion:
The worshipers of the sun are heedless of our beloved,
O advisor, don’t look at God’s face, look at hers.
The lover sees every particle as suffused with the radiance of the sun, possessing the full solar disc of the beloved’s heart. He sees nothing but the beloved and will not search or find anything else, recommending that the lover sharpen his vision to look again at the beautiful curve of the beloved’s brow:
A lover who has not seen the beloved’s brow will never live long.
Go again, O traveler, and behold that lovely brow.
The lover is an outsider and, for this reason, constantly falls into comparison and creates dualities:
See the trembling of the heart from the jealousy of that moon-faced one,
Look at the rosebud, blood in the liver, from that amber-scented hair.
The lover is a monist and views the creation in relation to the truth. For him, no witness exists but truth, which bears testimony only to itself:
The face of musk of the Khutan fallen from that musk-bearer,
Look at the rosebud, blood in the liver from that amber-scented hair.
In his ultimate unity and devotion, the lover reaches an exaggerated sense of multiplicity, considering the vast number of elements a sign of the beloved’s greatness:
Her hair’s ring is a gallery of the morning breeze,
A hundred true-hearted souls are bound to one strand.
The lover considers only truth to be the stranger, who is beyond and distinct from everything else. There is no one other than the divine truth to which the heart may attach. He expresses the beauty and greatness of the beloved in comparison with no one else:
Her hair’s ring has been the guarantee of every speck,
All of existence, bound to a single strand of her hair.
The lover measures beauty in his beloved’s form, calling the love-struck wind that pulls one’s heart a trick of the devil:
Her hair’s tresses tie the gentle breeze in a knot,
Look at the devoted followers of the trickster’s path.
The lover sees all things caught in the net of the beloved’s hair, bound by love and yearning. He perceives the divine, reflected in the coyness of the beloved, who has situated the mystery of creation in every breath:
The beauty of that hair has become the snare of existence,
The infidel, just like the believer, is caught in the trickery of the Hindu.
The lover, whose heart is not set on worldly love but seeks the true, finds in hardship and separation the tests of love that lead him to the divine realm. He sees beyond the struggles imposed by rulers and their manipulation, through the lens of eternal truths, disregarding those who are unjust in power.
Love is solely in the possession of the beloved. The beloved is the furnace of fire in love, and in this fiery love, they possess the endurance and strength to manifest their red journey by the will of the lover. This journey, through the submission to the truth, finds its power in humiliating the enemy of the beloved. With the steadfastness of their victimhood and their lonely alienation, they shatter the outward power of unjust rulers and expose the falsehood, hypocrisy, and deceit of their face to the world:
The lover does not lament; they burn with love,
To consume love is to shed blood, at times.
The lover is filled with longing, not with love itself, and this deficiency sometimes causes them to lose their tolerance in the sufferings of longing, which are far inferior to the sufferings of love, and they regret stepping into the path of longing, becoming restless:
Had you not been in such a state, without a heart,
You would have heeded the advice of the wise.
The beloved has love, and the essence of this love is fire and blood. The beloved’s love for their lover grants them the audacity and resilience to stand firm against the adversary of the beloved. This resilience is based on wisdom and bravery. They are a compassionate protector of the oppressed, and they resist the enemy—who distorts the image of the lover and their servants, with false claims and deceitful magic—to protect the followers of truth. Their struggle against tyranny is intense, and their red blood becomes the light that guides the righteous path and the proof of the downfall and disgrace of the arrogant oppressor. This is exemplified by the tragedy of Karbala:
Pass over the advice, and pass over the heartless,
Love is the key; blood is the wise sign.
The lovers, divided into different groups, include some who are intoxicated by the passion of love, while others claim to be lovers outwardly but are adversaries. The hope is that these individuals, bound by pride and selfishness, will perish in their misery:
Do not reveal the secrets of love and intoxication to the claimant,
So they die unaware in the agony of their self-pride.
The beloved sees all God’s servants equally, confronting even the outwardly devout and those who are their enemies with the essence of their love, and does not cease from exerting their efforts to guide them. As the Quran states:
(Perhaps you will kill yourself with sorrow, because they do not believe in this discourse).
The beloved is universally a lover. In every situation and with everyone, they love. Whether imprisoned, in the strength and power of a kingdom, or in the hands of a false adversary, the beloved is always in love. They love even in the absence of the self, and they face all beings with this love.
Pass over the claimants, love and intoxication are sweet,
Your cruelty is clear; this is self-pride.
The beloved values weakness and incapacity, cherishing them. They understand that the essence of love is in resilience and strength, and weakness brings with it hardships and corruptions like fear, lies, hypocrisy, poverty, and begging.
Every weak person is helpless; they are not like the breeze,
Cast away your sickness; be happy with health.
The beloved, although sometimes afflicted by self-centeredness, understands that the key to true knowledge is liberation from pride. However, the soul is often deceived, leading the lover into arrogance while seeking liberation:
When you see knowledge and reason without understanding, you remain seated without comprehension,
Let me give you one piece of advice: Do not see yourself as the path to salvation.
The beloved is beyond all external or internal distinctions. They embody purity and the completeness of love, with no trace of self-interest. They are driven by love for the divine, and every moment is in service to the greater good, not for any personal gain. Those who act with self-interest, even in their religious devotion, are only seeking their own benefit. They love God for the sake of themselves, using God as a means to achieve their desires. Such individuals, if they had power, would even attempt to manipulate God for their own interests.
When you are complete in knowledge, that is from God’s grace,
You are free from the world, and you are saved from every evil.
The beloved, though they seem to cherish weakness, nonetheless admonish the necessity of courage. Weakness does not foster bravery, and fear is inseparable from it. These apparent contradictions stem from the fact that the lover desires passionately but does not yet truly embody the essence of love.
Do not consider the heights of the soul,
For from the heights of elevation, you fall to the depths of lowliness.
The beloved exists in the state of “If the veil were lifted, my certainty would not increase.” They are certain in their being and existence, and their passion and resistance are unbreakable. The hardships of life, the peaks and valleys, do not affect them. They remain eternally constant, embodying invulnerability against all trials, and their honor is based on divine love. No matter what state they are in, they are loved by all, even though worldly people, for their own selfish reasons, may rebel against them. In the end, their rebellion will lead to their own downfall.
The peaks and valleys of life leave no mark on the hearts of the wise,
The soul of those with knowledge is never debased.
The beloved, in their passion, defines love. For the beloved, love begins not with the beauty of the rose, but with the thorn that brings pain. The sweetness of intoxication begins with bitterness. This paradox is striking, as the lover states at the beginning of their poetry that “love seems easy at first, but soon brings trials,” yet claims “the bitterness of wine is insignificant compared to the sweetness of the intoxication.”
Though the thorn may drain the soul, the flower is worth it,
The bitterness of wine is trivial in comparison to the sweetness of intoxication.
The beloved tastes the divine beauty in every atom of existence. The lover does not perceive the thorns of life as painful or bitter but sees them as part of the beauty of love. Love burns the lover and consumes them entirely, leaving no space for complaints or challenges. The lover transcends all notions of suffering or ease and does not differentiate between hardship or relief.
What you see as thorns and roses is the beauty of the beloved,
For us, this is true, and this is what has been decreed.
The beloved, though outwardly accommodating to the rulers and oppressive figures, engages in a battle with those who are outwardly pious but inwardly deceitful.
The Sufi drinks from the cup, the ascetic fills it,
O short-sleeved ones, how long will you stretch your hands in arrogance?
The beloved recognizes their own position and does not claim love for self-interest. They maintain their love for the divine with complete devotion, and they remain in a constant rhythm with their inner self, regardless of outward struggles.
Do not argue with the claimant; if you do, you may live and walk the righteous path.
Speak to them for the sake of truth, sometimes extending your hand to others.
The beloved, in the light of divine radiance, looks at the world and humanity in an absolute way and perceives the true essence of existence. He sees only the Almighty as having an independent essence and attains His reality, a reality that, through descent, manifests and becomes apparent. These manifestations, if they ascend, lose their created names and remain with the divine perspective, retaining only an essential permanence. Phenomena are expressions of divine creation and the limited form of servitude, which, in the view of the absolute, is the same as the divine essence. In the face of manifestation, multiplicity, duality, and dualism do not exist; the absolute is united with the limited. Although the limited is no longer seen as the divine essence, just as the true nature of water remains in any vessel it occupies, and the vessel itself only becomes a descriptor of the water within. Similarly, in the discussion of manifestation, phenomena take on the qualities of creation. The objective and external reaching of the absolute is called “annihilation” and “selflessness.” This reaching is the essence of unity, not union, which requires contradiction, duality, and weakness. The unity of existence and manifestation is not the unity of two opposites but rather monotheism: a single identity that manifests multiplicity in appearance and remains unified with every limited form.
The beloved, although associating union with predisposition and background, does not recognize “love” in its pure form, reducing it to something that can be learned and practiced. This perception brings it down to the level of “art,” confusing the cause with its effect. Art, in this sense, is just one of the manifestations of love:
“Strive, O master, and do not remain deprived of love,
For no one buys a servant with the fault of lacking skill.”
Love is solely for the beloved. It requires predisposition and is a divine necessity. For one who is not in love, there is no other reward but confusion, misguidance, wandering, and lightheadedness:
“The reward of love comes only to the prepared,
For without it, all one finds is wandering and confusion.”
The beloved’s desire for the beauty of the beloved and the temptations of this world are a disgraceful submission to servitude and kingship:
“Come, buy sovereignty from us through the essence of beauty.
Do not forget this trade, lest you lose it.”
The beloved knows nothing but love and sees it as a rare and valuable essence, with the most eloquent expression of this profound feeling being the richness of the Persian language. The beloved, whose love is pure and divine, is jealous and will never consider anyone else as a ruler in any circumstance. This stance does not tolerate deceit, hypocrisy, or equivocation at any point:
“Go away from the wicked kingdom,
For purity comes only from love and the Persian tongue.”
The beloved is self-centered, which leads them to caution and to valuing the seclusion of those on the path of the seeker. They regard those who are secluded to protect themselves as the true objects of divine attention:
“The prayer of the secluded ones turns away calamity.
Why do you not look at us with a glance of mercy?”
The beloved, who is estranged from all otherness, feels no fear. They possess divine power and resistance that is impenetrable and unyielding. They are the lion of the jungle, bold in their public stance and defiant of tyranny:
“There is no prayer of goodwill except from a few friends.
Go away from seclusion if you have no talent.”
The beloved, in the absence of their partner, seeks solace in lamentation and finds light in it:
“In this darkness, the one who guided me
Was the prayer of midnight and the weeping at dawn.”
The beloved remains present and does not experience the darkness of absence. They possess wisdom, love, and power, which are bestowed as a single, constant light in the dance of divine presence:
“Why did you fall into darkness, to beg?
Look at wisdom and love, with the strength of power.”
The beloved experiences estrangement and separation, which brings them sorrow and loneliness. This separation fuels their longing for the beloved, yet they find themselves still searching and lost, unable to find peace:
“In the absence and union of your love,
What should I do? Neither in front of my eyes nor out of sight.”
The beloved exists in the continuity of divine law, in the annihilation of annihilation and the negation of negation. They are constant in the furnace of this divine fire. The pain of this annihilation is more severe than being caught in the grip of death, yet the beloved’s endurance lies in arriving at this state without being torn apart, finding peace and contentment:
“The beauty of their closeness was bliss, the separation from me is bitter.
But their closeness remains beautiful in every way.”
The beloved who has never seen the majesty of the beloved or their freedom holds a mistaken view of the lover’s beauty and falls into the trap of divinity:
“May your crown never be tilted upon the head of beauty,
For the beauty of destiny deserves the throne and crown.”
The beloved only knows the true love that is pure and free from servitude and that the divine jealousy of love prevents them from submitting to anything other than the beloved:
“These words of kingship are not for me,
I neither have a head upon my body, nor a body upon my head.”
We have often said that the beloved is not an ordinary lover. They walk the path of affection, not of desire. They know nothing but love, longing, passion, and ardor. Therefore, whenever they speak of love, they often mislead, for love is endless, without end or refuge. The beloved who sees love as an easy path has not yet experienced the trials that true love brings. They seek a safe refuge and an ultimate goal:
“The path of love is a perilous one,
God forbid you do not find your refuge.”
Countless sacred souls have burned in this passion,
For every morning and evening, the candle of solitude is reignited.”
Love belongs to the chosen ones. True lovers are rare, and those who are not among the chosen only wander in love and ultimately become beloved, but they do not become true lovers. Love requires the presence of being and consciousness of existence. The essence of beauty is endless, and such beauty commands awe and reverence. The beauty of the divine essence, which is filled with majesty and awe, overwhelms the beholder. Seeing the essence of being strips the lover of everything, leaving them in confusion and bewilderment. Love becomes agony, and that is why it is not mentioned in the Quran nor has it been commanded:
“The path of love leads only through agony,
For this agony becomes the shield of the beloved.”
The beloved follows the path of disreputable behavior, indulging in wine and ignorance as a means to reach salvation, while also delighting in the trials of love:
“Every news I heard has led to confusion,
Thus I embrace the path of reckless pleasure, blind to the consequences.”
For the sake of the message from Asaf, I send the words of wisdom, asking to learn two lines of Persian:
“Come, for the world as I see it
If you try it, you will drink wine and feel no sorrow.”
By the favor of Hafez, there is hope that once again
I will rise to be reunited with my beloved on the moonlit night.”
All the mistaken perceptions of the beloved about love arise from their lack of a correct understanding of it. Someone who does not reach the essence of existence has no true love and cannot properly comprehend it, especially if there is no wise teacher guiding them. Love is the preservation of being and can only be manifested when one attains the state of divine essence, which reveals itself in the form of “being.” Once more, we say that love is solely a matter for the beloved. The beloved sees all paths as leading directly to the beloved, and finds them in every particle of existence. A phenomenon that reaches its essence and finds the beloved in every place does not experience any need or beg for anything. They discover themselves as manifestations of the divine, and the divine has loved them, and through them, everything is revealed. The phenomena that arise from this love are never separate from the divine, for the divine cannot destroy or lose a single one of them. All phenomena are manifestations of divine love and purity. One can find divine love in every phenomenon—whether it is the night sky or the desert. The kindness found in a koala is also found in a panda. The divine affection and purity of God are present in the joy of newborns as well as in the radiance of beautiful, intoxicated souls. The gaze of unity gives birth to love, grants infinite power, and brings clarity to the soul.
The beloved sees every phenomenon in the light of unity and finds divinity in the heart of every form, bringing clarity to the soul that has lost its heart:
“How sweet is the earth that bears the scent of blood,
I am freed from all, and have no burden.”
The beloved is the one who is caught in the trap of estrangement and loneliness. These trials do not faze them, for they understand that they must walk the path of separation, and this very separation grants them an inner sense of fulfillment:
“The chest is full of pain, but I will not seek a remedy,
The heart, overwhelmed by loneliness, calls for a companion.”
The poet speaks of the unattainability of desires, stating that one must endure the flames of passion, not the simple contentment of being free from sorrow:
“How can one claim to have true desires if they have not endured the trials of the path? One must burn with the fire of the world, not be untroubled in their ignorance.”
The lover, who composes poetry and repeats tales of the beloved with diverse language, does not attain the beloved in their objective form. All the lover’s yearning comes from hearing stories of the beloved, rather than from directly witnessing their beauty. In their isolation, the lover wanders aimlessly and seeks to sweeten their own mouth with words, as if to find solace in sweet talk:
“What do you say, for you speak here and there, giving me little certainty? Is this what poetry is, or do you, too, take a sorrowful moment?”
The lover has a deficiency in understanding the nature of things and deems the material world (the earth, the realm of human interaction) insignificant. They seek a different world, one of higher knowledge and power:
“Man does not belong to this earthly realm. One must create a new world, and from it a new man will arise.”
The beloved, for them, represents a transcendence, a way to rise above the mundane world. The earth is merely a springboard, a platform for their journey towards the divine, which they see as a means for success in meeting the beloved. This world, full of fleeting souls, holds experiences that are not to be valued, for in the distant future, a new generation of humans will be born who will nurture the earth with love, rather than the current generation obsessed with wealth, knowledge, and power:
“Man is but a branch of a much greater being, and thousands of years later, another man will come and tell you, you are but one small part of what is to come.”
The lover does not recognise the absolute, unending power of existence and sees the inner depths of their own being, capable of love and inner richness, as something insignificant, when, in fact, even the dewdrop has the potential to transform into the vastness of the seven seas:
“What can the weeping of Hafiz accomplish in the face of the absolute richness of love? For in this storm, the smallest dewdrop can become the seven seas.”
The beloved possesses a unified and divine life. This life has distinctive qualities and marks of reaching the divine essence, such as “blood” and “the red journey.” The beloved is either slain or poisoned in their pursuit of the truth. There is no intermediary between the lover and the divine; the lover searches for the beloved and through that journey, they witness the truth. The life of the beloved, akin to sainthood and proximity, surpasses every phenomenon and brings the lover to a point where, by their very essence, they can reach the truth:
“Pass beyond your weeping, laugh and go joyfully under the sword, for the storm shall pass. You, too, must become a storm, not just a fleeting dewdrop.”
The beloved represents the ideal, the highest state of human existence, a state of divine love and eternal transcendence. The lover finds solace in this divine union, striving to rise above the ordinary and reach an unparalleled height of spiritual understanding.
In this pursuit, the lover’s journey is not merely an emotional longing but an existential necessity that transcends the material world. The lover sees the world as something transient and insufficient, a mere reflection of the true reality that lies beyond. They are not satisfied with the fleeting beauty and pleasure of this world. Instead, they aim to reach the divine truth, a truth that lies in the eternal realm, which can only be accessed by the seeker of the beloved:
“The world’s beauty is but a shadow, a fleeting image on the wall. Only the one who has tasted the reality of the beloved knows that this world is but an illusion, a veil covering the true light.”
The lover’s desire is not merely to be united with the beloved in the physical sense but to become one with the essence of the beloved, to transcend their own limited self and merge with the infinite. The lover’s love is not bound by time or space; it is boundless, eternal, and is seen as the highest form of existence. The lover’s heart is constantly searching for the beloved, a search that brings them closer to the divine:
“The heart of the lover is not confined by the bounds of time and space. It is a constant yearning, an unceasing search for the beloved, a quest that leads to a union that surpasses all understanding.”
Through this pursuit, the lover transforms themselves, shedding the limitations of the self and transcending the mundane world. The lover becomes a vessel for divine love, embodying the purity and wisdom that comes with a deep connection to the beloved. They understand that the true nature of the beloved is beyond the worldly, beyond the physical form, and is only truly realized when the lover transcends their earthly desires:
“Only when the lover dissolves their own ego, when they let go of their worldly desires, can they begin to see the true nature of the beloved. This is not a physical union, but a spiritual one that is beyond the reach of worldly comprehension.”
The beloved, in this context, represents a divinely ordained force that guides the lover on their journey. This guidance is not of a worldly nature but is rooted in a divine, spiritual wisdom that transcends human understanding. The lover, by following this guidance, becomes one with the beloved, achieving a state of grace and divine insight that is beyond human experience:
“The beloved is the guide, the source of all wisdom. The lover follows this guidance, not knowing where it leads, yet trusting that it will lead to the ultimate truth.”
This relationship between the lover and the beloved is symbolic of the deeper spiritual relationship that exists between the seeker (the lover) and the divine (the beloved). It is a mystical union that transcends the limitations of human existence, aiming for a unity with the divine essence that is beyond all human comprehension. The lover’s devotion and longing for the beloved reflect the deep spiritual yearning that exists within every soul, a yearning to return to the divine source and merge with the ultimate truth:
“The lover’s heart is but a reflection of the divine longing, a longing to reunite with the source from which it came. This journey is not a mere search for a physical presence but a return to the divine, to the truth that is the very essence of existence.”
In conclusion, the lover’s journey is one of profound transformation, a journey that leads beyond the confines of the physical world to a deeper, more meaningful connection with the divine. The lover, through their unwavering devotion, their search for the beloved, and their willingness to transcend the self, finds the path to the ultimate truth, a truth that is revealed only through love, devotion, and spiritual awakening.
The essence of this journey is the transformation of the lover through their deep attachment to the beloved. This attachment is not an ordinary affection or simple desire; rather, it is an all-consuming force that shapes the lover’s existence. In this journey, the lover faces trials and tests that serve to purify their heart, to rid them of their worldly attachments, and to bring them closer to the divine truth.
“Every trial faced by the lover is a step toward purification. The pain, the longing, and the separation are all necessary parts of the journey, for through these trials, the lover’s heart becomes refined, ready to embrace the true nature of the beloved.”
Through these trials, the lover becomes more attuned to the presence of the beloved, sensing their essence beyond the physical world. As the lover continues this journey, they come to realize that true love is not a fleeting feeling or a temporary emotion, but a state of being that encompasses all of existence. It is a love that binds the lover to the beloved in a way that transcends time, space, and material reality.
“True love does not belong to the realm of time. It exists beyond the fleeting moments of this world. It is eternal, unchanging, and ever-present. The lover who understands this finds that love is not something to be sought after in the world; it is something that already exists, waiting to be realized.”
This love, as the lover discovers, is not a passive emotion but an active force that compels the seeker to act in accordance with divine will. It calls for the lover to embody the virtues of the beloved, to reflect their qualities, and to express this love in all of their actions. The lover becomes a reflection of the beloved’s light, and through this reflection, the lover moves closer to the divine essence.
“The lover’s actions become a mirror of the beloved’s light. In every act, in every thought, the lover seeks to embody the divine qualities that the beloved represents. The lover’s love is not a mere feeling; it is a force that moves the lover to act in ways that are in alignment with the divine will.”
As the lover continues to seek the beloved, the distinction between lover and beloved begins to fade. The boundaries between self and other dissolve, and the lover begins to experience a union that is both profound and transcendent. In this union, the lover realizes that they have always been one with the beloved, that the separation they once felt was an illusion created by the ego.
“In the union of lover and beloved, the lover comes to understand that the separation was only a creation of the self, an illusion born from the ego. In truth, the lover and the beloved are one. The lover’s search has not been for something outside of themselves, but for the realization of the truth within.”
This realization leads the lover to a state of complete surrender to the beloved, a surrender that is not born out of submission but out of love and trust. The lover understands that they are not separate from the beloved, but rather an integral part of the divine whole. This surrender is an act of ultimate freedom, a freedom from the constraints of the self, the ego, and the material world.
“Surrendering to the beloved is not an act of defeat but an act of liberation. In this surrender, the lover finds freedom, for they are no longer bound by the limitations of the ego. They become one with the beloved, and in that oneness, they find the ultimate truth.”
Through this profound union, the lover becomes enlightened, realizing the true nature of existence and the divine. The lover’s heart, now purified, is filled with the divine light of the beloved, and they perceive the world through a new lens—one of love, wisdom, and truth. In this state of enlightenment, the lover understands that the ultimate purpose of their existence is to love and to be loved, and in doing so, they participate in the eternal cycle of creation and divine presence.
“In the state of enlightenment, the lover sees the world as it truly is—a reflection of the divine. All things are interconnected, all things are manifestations of the beloved’s essence. The lover, now filled with divine light, sees the world not as separate from them but as a reflection of their own inner truth.”
Thus, the journey of the lover is one of profound spiritual awakening, a journey that leads them beyond the limits of the physical world and into a deeper, more meaningful connection with the divine. The lover, through love, devotion, and spiritual awakening, becomes a vessel for the divine truth, embodying the eternal light of the beloved and spreading that light to the world.
“The lover, having reached the union with the beloved, becomes a channel for the divine light. In their love, they bring light to the world, dispelling darkness and illuminating the path for others to follow. The lover, now transformed, lives in a state of grace, forever united with the divine source.”
You Are the Most Elevated
Your name is ‘Ali’!
The pinnacle of intrinsic attributes!
You are concealed even within names!
You are the allure within the essence of the Divine!
You are my faith!
My creed is your love!
Ali, the Sun of Existence,
The manifestation of Divine justice!
I do not merely state that God exists!
Rather, I affirm that He is exalted!
Exalted beyond all that has been uttered!
You are the union of the moon and the night!
The tale of tears and the well!
Your gaze: the celestial blue,
You are the verdant,
And I, joyful and content in your affection:
In dance and in my smile.
Ali, the sorrow of the estranged,
The hue of the impoverished,
The deity of the cherubim,
The water-bearer for the spectators!
You are the tumult of existence!
You are the resurrection of the Day of Judgement!
Shall I say: Ali, or shall I say God?
Devotion to the beloved kissed the soil of your birthplace!
Your love is my servitude!
Your mantle is woven from love.
Ali,
I am disheveled!
I am destitute!
And I am the solitary lament of this city!
You, the companion of pain and deprivation!
Your gaze is the remedy!
In the tempest and the thunder!
A sanctuary for the dove!
Purity!
You are the attributes of the Divine!
You are graceful and radiant,
A precious pearl!
You are the apparent beauty,
The essence of the noble-hearted,
You are the moon, Ali!
Ali,
Zuleikha is enamoured with you!
As are Majnun of Layla and Farhad of Shirin,
To Layla’s Majnun and Shirin’s Farhad!
All the prophets are for your sake,
You are the voice of the Divine!
God is present in your deeds!
And the epaulet of Mustafa rests upon your feet!
Ali,
You are the eternal grace!
The eternal wine!
You are the cupbearer,
You are the knowledge and the essence, the Eternal!
You are the zenith and the nadir,
The entirety of the narrative!
You are beyond that!
You are the truth!
You are the storm of the tempest!
You are the master for the companions of the realm,
You are the soul of Muhammad,
My Imam!
Ali,
You are the confidant of the primordial love,
The spirit of the Divine,
You are the criterion of good and evil,
You are the Furqan of the people of the realm,
You are the storm of the Divine!
You are the rain of mercy,
I am the guest!
Ali,
My vision!
The encounter with the Divine!
And the beauty of the Divine!
And the ardent love of Zahra is for Ali!
He is compassionate,
His twin is sorrow, mourning, and pain,
The song of grief,
The sigh of solitude,
And the smile of an orphaned child!
The same infant who heard his mother’s curse!
Ali,
The cold sighs of the solitary ghazals and fatigue!
And the meaning of the anxieties of the Divine!
And the sorrow of Yasir who was consumed by fire!
Tears in the eyes of the duck,
The mosque of Kufa was stained with blood!
The Kaaba in his memory,
The Surah of the Believers was his prostration!
The childhood of yours!
Ali,
Are you in Karbala?!
There was thirst and seventy burning suns!
There was thirst and lifeless children,
There was thirst and companions!
Martyrs! Martyrs!
And the naked bodies,
And Zaynab who saw Akbar!
The martyrs of the children!
One pulled her veil,
And spoke of Abbas’s water and tears!
Of Abbas’s eyes and flowing blood!
Of iron and the crown of the head!
Brother, brother!
Hussain of God!
Ali,
You are in Karbala!
The disarray of the women!
The disarray of Zaynab or Ali!
Ruqayyah is an orphan!
Aunt, where has my father gone?!
Alas and woe,
The lash cried out!
Ali,
The adversities are for you!
But the story of the horseshoe in Karbala is yours!
Ali,
You are the candle that burned in Karbala!
Beneath the onslaught of arrows!
God, wounded and weary upon the earth, without Hussain!
God had an arrow in His throat!
And verses of blood!
And the mother hastened!
She was in black, disheveled, and weeping:
My dear Hussain!
I am thirsty, Hussain!
And the Divine is crimson red!
Volume Fifteen:
Adversity and Sovereignty, Volume Two
The second volume of the “Adversity and Sovereignty” anthology contains two salutations and two invocations. The fifteenth salutation of this anthology is titled “The Seal of Sovereignty (may God hasten His reappearance).” The seal of the sovereignty of Haydari is the Imam of the Age (may God hasten His reappearance). Infallibility and Imamate have reached their perfection through His blessed existence. He is the Imam of the Age of Occultation, during which the deeds of the servants are nurtured by His blessed hands and ascend towards the Divine. The system He establishes in the spring of His appearance is an epistemic and contemplative system, free from harsh confrontations. He moves according to the Divine mercy, and just as God is the God of love, He is the Master of love and establishes the creed of affection. The efforts of all the prophets, as well as the Prophet Muhammad and the other members of the Infallible Household, are all precursors for His appearance. The era of His governance is the time when the sapling of knowledge bears fruit, and sovereignty manifests fully in the realm of the corporeal world. A system that removes all coercive and forced matters from the people and governmental systems, bringing them a sweet and loving life based on affectionate sovereignty. A system where kindness and compassion are inherent truths.
Heartfelt Confessions
The heartfelt confessions of the suffering poor reveal the anguish of their path, the sorrow of the heart. The cries of the aged and weary are not in vain. The poor, weak, and destitute are but fragments of hearts in search of solace, wandering in despair. The false allure of worldly power is empty; the cries of the helpless echo in the abyss of oppression.
When will we witness a spring of renewal from afar? When will humankind find the flowers blooming amidst the harshness of life? Only when the truth shines upon the soul, free from illusions, can one find peace and be seated beside the threads of divine grace.
The heart becomes consumed by the desire of love, until the clouds of truth pour down upon the people. The beloved, the compassionate guide, is ill but knows the cure. Yet, they fade from sight, and the companions of this era are those who remain unwavering in belief and steadfast in thought, immune to doubt and deceit. These companions live with passion, grounded in sound beliefs and profound knowledge, resilient in their faith and conviction. Their unwavering belief makes them invincible and precious in this age.
The era of absence (the period of occultation) is prolonged, and during this time, calamities will befall the true heirs of divine authority—those who possess the true essence of leadership, not merely its title. The title of “Wilayah” will be subjected to harsh trials, particularly by the deceitful oppressors who seek to suppress the light of truth.
The second volume of the Regime of Oppression in the collection Blow and Authority speaks of the oppression that will come from those who stand against the truth, the enemies of God’s beloved ones, whose hatred echoes throughout the ages. These are the foes of the divine, whose presence on earth is a sign of calamity.
Yet, in the midst of this dark era, the divine loved one finds solace. Their soul is ever alive in the face of hardship, exuding light in a world that knows only darkness. The lover, longing for the purity of truth, finds refuge in the knowledge of God’s divine presence. They are the only ones able to grasp the nature of the world, transcending it with their inner vision, their love for the truth eternal and unwavering.
The soul longs for divine love, transcending all forms of worldly desire. The darkness of this world cannot touch them, for they are dedicated to the truth and the divine guidance of the righteous, those who face persecution for their steadfastness in faith. They are the ones whose hearts burn with the fire of love, striving to uphold justice against the forces of tyranny, regardless of how long the shadows may last.
Those who seek to corrupt the truth, to bring about systemic oppression and injustice, cannot touch the beloved one, for they walk with the light of truth within them. Their eyes, unclouded by the lies of the world, see clearly through the illusions of the deceitful. They are the very embodiment of the divine will, untouched by the forces of injustice, living their lives as exemplars of righteousness.
The reign of oppression is a system built on the foundation of self-interest and exploitation. Those who wield power in this system are the true tyrants, blinded by their thirst for control. They create systems of governance that are corrupt at their core, where the powerful hold sway over the weak. But in the face of such oppression, the believers rise, unwavering in their commitment to the divine, ever committed to the pursuit of justice and truth.
The system of tyranny is built on the denial of truth, the suppression of righteousness, and the exploitation of the weak. In every age, those who stand against the truth have used their power to manipulate the masses, deceiving them with false promises of justice and reform. But the truth is relentless, and the oppressed will one day be freed from their chains. The light of truth will overcome the darkness of oppression, and the true heirs of the divine will stand victorious.
In the land of Iran, the day of reckoning will come. The true meaning of faith and justice will shine forth, revealing the corrupt systems for what they are. The storm of divine wrath will sweep away the oppressors and their false promises, leaving behind only the pure truth.
Seventeenth Volume:
Sham Iran, Volume II
Movement and motion encompass all worlds, particularly the terrestrial realm, and define the course of perfection for phenomena. There is no particle that does not experience union or follow its own path of perfection. Every phenomenon reaches a form of connection, and all phenomena renew the unity of the journey, a journey without end or ultimate purpose. In this context, the emergence of one of the beloved saints, whose journey towards perfection accelerates the progression of natural phenomena, is met with the arrival of a vengeful deceiver, a scourge of the age, and a thief of the path of phenomena. This deceiver leads them into the devastation of war, conflict, and the disorder of hatred and confusion, opposing the divine will with malevolent stubbornness. He is the embodiment of Satan, arising from the essence of the cursed demon’s deceit, a cruel wolf that breeds savagery and becomes the root of all injustice and oppression.
A portion of the ghazals from Volume II of the “Sham Iran” collection, initially named “Zakhmeh-ye Chakawk” (The Wound of the Chakor), I have composed in a special place, in solitude, where only I and the Almighty were in harmony. It was there that I found the love of the Divine, which revived me and gave me life. In “Sham Yaran” (Night of Companions), I have walked through alleys leading me to the domain of my Beloved, an alley that, without condition or doubt, I have traversed to reach the house of my Beloved, to greet Him with a salutation, answering His call.
At the end of this alley, I await the torrent of blood, a vision that shall come to fruition on a Yalda night and a Friday. The love of the Divine is a torment of the soul and a killer of the lover. The intensity of its passion never releases me until it has immersed me in dust and blood. My inner strength in this journey of rebellion, bloodshed, and intoxication is the love of the Divine, which both enlivens and energises my spirit, grounding me in the path of madness. This love is a fire that continually increases the warmth of my longing heart, a heart that, since the beginning of time, has found its beloved. This love, from the dawn of time to the eternal dusk, is intoxicated, perplexed, and lost; whether it resides in the house of the heart or amidst the river of blood. The places and paths do not differ, only the light of the Divine and my hope in Him serve as the sole comfort in my solitude, a light that has come to me without cause or reward.
In this path, I have encountered the appearance of love, experienced its magnificent awe, and with its presence, I have found my salvation. The face of my Lord, the Almighty, has left no darkness for me. With the manifestation of His essence, I sense the green shadow of my Lord, and I witness the helplessness and confusion of His enemies. The moments of Divine presence are tangible to me, and I savour the act of loving His enemy. My Lord, the gracious one, with His mighty stature, manifests His beauty in the whispers of His divine creation, drawing the essence of my soul closer with each poetic utterance. His beauty has no equal, and the black tresses of His hair are the solace of my days and the dream of my soul.
I have found peace with my Lord in this strange and desolate terrestrial realm, where I have no company save His tranquillity. In His presence, I find peace and sweetness, which invigorates my spirit and makes me agile and intoxicated. Those who reside in the divine realms are to me like a cycle of celestial beauty and the hands of my Lord. In this strange world, I have become a guest in the divine realm, aware only of my servitude and devoid of any inner turmoil.
In my deepest moments of solitude, I have not been deterred from my path. I have never yearned to study nor to endure hardship; rather, these tasks have pursued me relentlessly, from the time I was a child. These sciences and mysteries, which have led me to an understanding of the Divine, were not sought by me. I have not pursued them by my own will, but they have come to me as gifts from a higher power, and it is these divine blessings that have shaped my life.
Throughout my childhood, it seemed I was walking a path designed for me, where I was a mere page in the book of the Divine’s will. In every passage I passed through, I found myself, immersed and detached, following a journey that had been charted long before my birth. My personal journey of battling injustice and overcoming tyranny is something I have always walked towards, and I have written of it in my poetry, as a sign of my commitment to the truth.
Ultimately, I am independent in this path, and though I face many obstacles and criticisms, I remain steadfast. This independence, however, does come at a price, and although it is fraught with challenges, the freedom to pursue truth and justice guarantees the health of the human spirit, even though it entails struggle and hardship. This is why I, with the wisdom of my age and experience, have chosen to pen these poems in “Sham Iran,” for the sake of those who seek truth, for the sake of those who are aware.
“Sham Iran” tells the story of the bloody uprising led by a beloved spiritual figure. The beloved ones, due to their hidden nearness and inner greatness, wherever they appear, descend from above and nothing can prevent their manifestation. They are like a crushing punishment upon their enemies, and the powerful wind of these saints causes those who encounter it to fall. They possess a mystical and charismatic aspect in their teachings, their spiritual fervour, and the passion of their hearts. Their guide is not from the material world; rather, they have received their education in the higher realms. These true spiritual seekers have a direct, experiential, and verifiable form of mystical knowledge.
Lovers and mystics of this tradition follow a path of imagination-based teachings, and attaining the truths is a learning process for them, where they must acquire knowledge from a worldly teacher, aided by divine grace. However, in the realm of spiritual confirmation, truths are obtained directly, without reliance on a material teacher or institution; the role of schools is only preparatory. Their words are never derived from memory but are, in fact, creatively, inventively, and divine in origin. Even in politics and social matters, they adopt a divine and edifying approach. The oppressive rulers, in an attempt to combat the culture of the innocent Imams, opposed this beloved mysticism, which fosters spiritual freedom. Similarly, the superficial and retrogressive figures, devoid of inner substance, were also opposed to true mysticism, and the power-hungry politicians promoted fantasy-based mystical teachings, so as not to face any challenge. They diverted the followers with distractions, dulling their spirits so that no one would rise to take action for the oppressed or engage in the struggle against tyrants and injustices.
The beloved ones have the ability to bear the weight of people’s bloody uprisings and lead them. They are under divine care and possess a providential nature. The beloved ones live in the realm of divine knowledge, confirming their truths through a special form of divine grace and attention. If, hypothetically, the entire world stands against a beloved spiritual figure, they would remain unshaken, for they possess a resilient and powerful foundation granted by divine favour. Fear does not exist in their being, as they are endowed with divine attributes. When one embodies divine qualities, the question of who their theological rivals are or what the issue of “the most learned” might be becomes irrelevant. This divine embodiment makes it so that even the world of disbelief becomes dependent on and enamoured with the beloved ones.
A beloved’s uprising does not arise from worldly sciences or the experiences of nations and revolutions, for even in revolution, they maintain their unique providential and beloved style. They speak only what the eternal teacher has instructed. Today, the mafia of power has resorted to the plundering of people’s wealth, engaging in large-scale embezzlement, and committing heinous acts. They do what should not be done, bringing ruin upon the nation. No one now stands by the people, and the revolutionary masses are caught in desolation, hardship, and helplessness. However, God raises His beloved ones, sacrificing them for His creation, people, and religion. This is the story that is detailed in the three-volume “Sham Iran” collection. The first two volumes of Sham Iran consist of 1499 ghazals that challenge the enemies of truth.
The Sellers of the Kings
Our surroundings have become a realm of ruin, where have the companions gone?
The people of goodness and purity have vanished, what has happened to the sellers of the kingdom?
The waters of life, like the fortunate Khidr, have their own tale.
The rosebud has withered, and with it, what has happened to the spring?
This land has grown ignorant of purity and clarity.
Where are the face-makers of mysticism? What has happened to the gazelles?
The pure face of love has departed from the face of time.
Our sun and moon have grown harsh, what has happened to the winds and rains?
Our city has turned to black dust, and joy has disappeared.
The ignorant have become kings, what has happened to the rulers?
The joy, victory, and triumph have fled from our era.
The competitor lies dead in the arena, what has happened to the knights?
No flowers remain in the garden, nor does the nightingale sing in the garden.
The nightingales have been slaughtered, what has happened to the thousands?
Our Venus, sun, and moon have become ruins.
The vine and grapes are gone, what has happened to the wine-bearers?
The secret of existence is said to be silent and elusive.
All of existence was the secret, what has happened to the misguided?
The love of the beloved was once the shadow of grace and hope,
Now, my heart is corrupted, what has happened to the face-makers?
Sham Iran – Volume III
Volume 18:
The third volume of the Book of Iran contains 1050 couplets, 140 pieces, and 120 quatrains that aim to portray the multifaceted and intricate nature of the adversary of the Divine Truth and the noble red resurrection of the Divine Beloved.
In these verses, the adversary of the Divine Truth is depicted as a deranged, unclean soul who carries the essence of the devil in every moment. This being babbles incessantly, issuing commands with fingers like those of a demon. It is a creature of allure and cunning, with the figure of a monstrous demon and the teeth of a devil. The ferocity of hateful wolves is expressed in the form of deceptive, seductive words. Its empty songs, death dance, and the wild rhythms of its deceptive drums manifest in a tumultuous display of hypocrisy and falsehood, creating turmoil among the naive, darkened souls.
The malevolent forces—traitors of the Russian domain, masters of deceit—are those who wield the weapon of falsehood. Their very being is tied to violence, hypocrisy, and corruption. They are emboldened by a politics of oppression, a culture of deception. The world is their stage, and they play on it with all the ruthless arrogance of a cruel empire. With their insidious plotting, they use deception to rob people of their truth, their dignity, and their spirit.
This foe of the Divine Truth is a hypocrite, wearing the cloak of religious virtue while harbouring a soul that is as corrupt as a demon’s. They are pretenders who feign righteousness and purity, while their hearts remain desolate with falsehood and corruption. Their clothing is the garb of hypocrisy, and their actions are those of deceitful tricksters who, like vultures, rob the world of its justice and goodness.
This enemy is a nightmarish presence in the guise of piety and false sanctity, shrouded in lies and the poison of spiritual deception. It represents a distortion of truth, a mockery of virtue, and a twisted form of righteousness that manipulates, controls, and destroys the hearts of the unwary. Their so-called devotion is just a game of spiritual illusion, where they deceive others into believing their falseness is divine truth.
Their falsehoods poison the very essence of the spiritual realm. They are the embodiment of Satan’s deceit, their actions a reflection of divine punishment for those who fall under their spell. Their war is one of division, pain, and suffering—a struggle fought under the banner of falsehood, obscured behind a facade of virtue. Their destruction is absolute, their deception infinite.
The self-styled warriors of righteousness in this world, who claim the mantle of the Divine Truth, are in fact wolves in sheep’s clothing, spreading destruction in their wake. Their mission is not to uplift but to oppress; they are the disease that poisons the soul of society, the infection that taints everything it touches. Their allegiance is to power, to force, and to an illusory strength that disguises their ultimate weakness—an all-consuming fear of exposure.
The adversary of the Divine Truth wears a mask of hypocrisy and false righteousness, while inside they are a rotting core of corruption and evil. This false enemy is an enemy not just of the truth but of humanity itself. They are the architects of war, destruction, and suffering. They stand in opposition to love, peace, and justice, bringing forth only violence, deceit, and ruin. In this enemy’s hands, the soul of humanity is corrupted, and their power lies not in truth, but in the manipulation of the weak and the powerless.
In this time of turmoil, these false leaders and deceivers of the world wield their power with no regard for truth or morality. They craft illusions of power, justice, and truth to control the masses, leading them astray with their false promises. They are predators, feeding on the suffering and ignorance of those they deceive.
The adversary of the Divine Truth, now clearly defined, is the very spirit of deceit and falsehood, a force that seeks to undermine the world’s integrity. It is a virus of the mind, infecting all that it touches, sowing discord, division, and chaos. It is the poison of arrogance and false pride that leads people away from their true calling and weakens their souls. It is the manifestation of corruption and exploitation, seeking to steal from humanity its deepest values and its noblest virtues.
Thus, we find that the enemy of the Divine Truth is one who preys upon the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of human beings. They create confusion and conflict, and through this chaos, they seek to dominate. Their cruelty knows no bounds, and their very existence is a blight upon the world, bringing nothing but destruction and sorrow to those unfortunate enough to fall under their sway.
This text paints a vivid and terrifying picture of the dangers of spiritual and moral corruption. It speaks of an adversary that is both human and demonic, whose very nature is to deceive, manipulate, and destroy. The force of this enemy is not just physical but spiritual, and its effects can be felt in every aspect of life.
The one who is condemned weakens virtues, dims love, and makes it faint, concealing the explosive trap within gatherings of intimacy. The condemned is the serpent of deceit, the hidden scorpion, the ugly devil, and the marauding wolf of war. That elder of sedition is a deceptive façade of painful trickery and hidden deprivation, where the politics of hatred has crafted its ostentatious religion. Each dawn, in the name of religion, they engage in the execution of young lives under the guise of charity.
The violence of the condemned manifests in a thousand colours and countless battles. Its black hue brings chaos and the surf-riding over the swamp of trickery. Its red hue spills blood, and its yellow hue is the plague of poverty. The other colours represent slanderous strikes, the imprisonment of the poor, the creation of hollow titles, and the sham embellishments of false mercy and the leprosy of ignoble servitude.
The condemned is a self-deified falsehood, whose magic and deceit bring forth the terror of castrated violence, the purity of holy war, the formality of religion, and the bustling markets of personal vendetta and impurity, with ritualistic prayers offered to idols of calamity.
The condemned is a despairing tyrant, an opium addict, ensnared in the hopelessness of the curse of the oppressed.
An enemy of the Divine, the executioner of injustice, plays with the facade of goodness, mockingly smiling even at the whips of his own subjects.
The condemned, enslaved by the deception of titles and the sanctimony of power, sows the seeds of fear and ignites the flames of the poverty-stricken. He is a force of destruction—Genghis’ devastation, the germ of pride, the heretic Nimrod, the tyrant Aga Khan, the wild Caligula of corruption, and the embodiment of Satan’s sins.
The condemned is the object of the oppressed’s curses, the target of the lamenting hearts of the downtrodden. The sigh of the destitute shatters the backbone of his army, undermines his unrelenting tyranny, and dismantles his inflated pride. Even if, through earthly justice, a brief respite is granted to him—blind to true religion, unaware of fairness, and ignorant of the fragility of power—he is given a few days until the evening when the moon of existence emerges from behind the clouds, and the helplessness of his desperate state is made evident under its soft light, an admonitory vision of divine retribution, which will soon descend upon him. The tragic tale of his futility becomes clear as the heavenly vengeance of the Supreme Being in the dawn of that fateful night brings the eternal fire of hell to him.
The time of his reign is the worst era of deprivation. The wolves of authority rob people of peace and serenity. A drunken oppressor possesses power, while the disillusioned, disoriented weak struggle under the weight of their own helplessness. The devilish brutality is marked by the false appearance of faith. The battlefield of killing dances to the clamor of time. The plague of black oppression pours the poison of tyranny into the mouths of people. The virus of corruption thrives within the deceitful visage of faith, and the falsehoods of the ruling class spread their spells.
The trickery of deceit is obsessed with falsehood. The vulture of death is cold in its violence. The thousand-headed dragon of sin craves the lustful power of tyrants. The executioner of the world is the cruelly swift harbinger of misfortune. The ignorance that knows no boundaries expresses an arrogance beyond measure. The cowardly terrified soul is in a state of confusion. The seed of Satan and the bandit thief of fortune are the emblems of criminality. Hidden hypocrisy becomes the clever mouse under the czar’s rule. The merciless tyrant and the crafty fox are the agents of confusion and terror. The emblem of titles is the religion of the defiled. The false prophet, the charlatan of simplicity, spreads the false praise of heaven, while the flatterers’ fawning creates an obvious division. The falsehoods of oppression become the crisis of the age. The naked masquerade of deceit is the sweet facade of villainy.
The wolf of violence smiles as if in love, and the soul of rebellion takes on the form of false serenity. The lasting disaster masquerades as an instant remedy, a hollow and rebellious face, while pretending to be the path to clarity and virtue. The den of corruption becomes a retreat for the pure, while the great ruin has become the new form of every virtue.
The disingenuous claims to be following the creed. The confused mind offers itself as refuge for the weak. The tyrant of oppression becomes the sovereign of truth. The false title of deceit cloaks the Almighty. The thousand shades of cunning are the slogans of simplicity. Hidden wickedness is the outward display of faith. The destruction of the pious souls is a masked cloak of hypocrisy. The thousand-headed villain speaks with a thousand voices. The arrogance of this charlatan becomes the ruler of delusion. The force of unjust power becomes the clarion of misguided direction. The arrogance of the traitorous, more treacherous than Ibn Ziyad, takes the reins of religion. The deceptive opportunist parades false asceticism, pretending to uphold justice. The deceitful tyrant raises the blood-soaked flag of Amen. The appearance of righteousness is a concoction of unholy union, where the offspring of Satan mixes with the venom of deceit.
The marketplace of lies flourishes, as the dirty tactics of political manipulation reveal their true nature. The cloak of purity becomes the garb of duplicity. The disgraced heavenly bodies shine falsely on earth. The arrogance of the corrupt will lead to disgrace and shame. The faith of illusion becomes a false display of clarity. The blindness of truth becomes visible insight. The deceptive hypocrisy is like prayer without ablution, empty and hollow.
The venomous shadow of turmoil spreads across the realm of tranquillity. The evil of misfortune and the enemy of God are divine signs of doom. The dreams of the market of illusions become the truth of honesty. The coin of injustice is the emblem of tyranny. The falsehood of trickery is the sacred method. The false humility is the embodiment of the deceitful enemy. The pride of the oppressed turns to dust.
The soil of earthly desires, the reign of delusion, and the powers of the devil’s illusions spiral into an abyss of endless darkness. The deceptive sorcery twists the mind into a maze of self-deception. The tyrant’s force, built on the delusions of desire, crafts a reality of perilous foolishness.
The sorcery of deceit manifests only in the grasp of those caught in the snares of desire, never reaching those who ascend to the divine realms, possessing souls of kindness and lives of sanctity. The magic of such illusions, bound in the webs of falsehood, will be vanquished by the might of the divine.
My dawn is the symbol of the covenant of existence. My dawn illuminates the true beauty of human nature. It heralds the awakening of clarity and joy. It is the moment of the encounter with the One, the beginning of all things true. The deceptive tales are revealed, exposing their hidden enmity. It marks the end of the false humility of the devout who remain grounded in superficial appearances.
My dawn destroys tyranny and cuts the chains of deceitful governance. It raises the banner of truth and dashes the fox’s deceitful schemes. It dismantles the very foundations of falsehood, shaking the pillars of the wicked.
My dawn burns the oppressors and crushes the necks of those who harm the righteous. It drowns the pride of Pharaoh, reduces Nimrod’s arrogance to nothing, burns the ruthless cruelty of Shaddad, and exposes the false prophets of deception.
The enemy of God, a broken and fearful soul, is the murderer of true devotion. His wickedness leads to the destruction of purity and love. The sorcerers of deceit, wrapped in their false religion, are unmasked, their fraudulent displays crushed beneath the weight of divine justice.
The market of illusion is doomed, and its power is illusory. The true force lies not in the deceived but in those whose souls belong to the divine realms, who possess the light of true righteousness.
The Wrath of Divine Justice
The wrath of Divine Justice, when it rises in fury, brings chaos to the world.
Mercy upon every oppressor is, in fact, a denial of faith.
When God’s anger is unleashed,
He authorizes sudden destruction and devastation.
The tyrant is made to tremble as the wolf preys upon the spoils of oppression,
The jackal, newly emerged, is struck low into the dust of humiliation.
A thunderclap smites the wretched, disgraceful boast of the arrogant.
God slays the oppressors,
And casts them to hang from the gallows of shame.
A wild crocodile, a predator of murder and crime,
Is the despicable, treacherous, deceitful hyena of the unjust.
A bloodthirsty rat wielding the sword of rancour,
With a heart filled with insatiable desires,
Makes a mockery of virtuous suffering,
Turning joy into a mask of sorrow.
Alas for the soul of the villain,
Worse than Ibn Ziyad, a devil incarnate,
The smiling wolf, the hypocrite,
The hydra-headed giant who tears apart the righteous,
Breathing forth vain thoughts to delude misguided disciples,
The beautiful, rabid wolf, a grotesque and impure face,
Bringing an end to piety and faith through force and deceit.
He speaks carelessly of everything and everyone,
A voice of disgrace, suffering, and sorrow.
The wrath of God, when it rises,
Slays to purify the soul of servitude.
Love, in its purity, emerges from this divine wrath,
Ending the pretensions of cruelty and violence.
It tightens the grip on the corrupted tale of oppression,
Bringing forth a virus of tyranny and cruelty,
A stain of disgrace, a mark of misfortune and degradation.
The soul of the trickster is exposed,
Becoming the “slain” in the eyes of justice.
Oh, how fortunate is the one whose heart is not as hard as stone,
Nor the soul bound by the narrow cage of suffering,
How fortunate is the one whose breath is pure,
And whose chest does not burn with the flames of oppression.
The wickedness of his actions is futile and unworthy,
And how fortunate is the one whose heart is not filled with strife.
Though oppression intoxicates the tyrant,
It is destined that such a one will never find peace.
The scorpion-like figure, filled with restless venom,
How fortunate is the one who does not carry the mark of such a beast.
And how pleasant is the image of one who has attained purity,
While the misguided one has fallen into despair.
The Purity of Love
Selected from the best Ghazals of the “Divine Love and Knowledge” collection, “The Purity of Love” presents a collection of passionate verses reflecting the burning passion of love, and the eternal devotion to a pure, undying loyalty.
Every reading of these ghazals feels as fresh and vibrant as the opening of a new blossom, revealing new meanings, hidden symbols, and mysteries of the heart, as though one is gazing at the unveiled face of the beloved.
These ghazals echo a prayer to the Divine: “You are the entire essence of my being, the hidden truth of my soul. Your gracious presence is the foundation of my existence. In the intoxication of your love, I am both lost and found, naked before the shelter of your mercy. I am the love of my Beloved, seeking nothing but union with Him.”
The chaos of the world revolves around the delicate dance of your love, the ultimate purpose of life being the beauty of your presence. Your face is the epitome of closeness to the Infinite, and your endless nature is reflected in the soul’s longing for reunion with you. The world fades away in the overwhelming beauty of your presence, as every path leads to your love and every fleeting moment is filled with the ecstasy of gazing upon you.
The Beloved’s Embrace: A Sacred Struggle
I am the lover of love, born of a simple heart, pure in devotion, and filled with eternal longing. I am the embodiment of loyalty, in a state of constant surrender to the beloved. In the midst of suffering, isolation, and tribulation, I find solace in the love for your Divine Self.
The hardships of life, the torment of separation, and the sacrifices of devotion are all the price I am willing to pay for your love. The true cost of your love is the complete renunciation of self: giving up all pride, identity, and ego, shedding all ties to the world and embracing the solitude that comes with being lost in you. I have surrendered to this love, and in doing so, I have found a path without fear of death, for in your embrace, I live eternally.
Even in the face of death and despair, I remain steadfast in my love for you, for every pain, sorrow, and longing is a testament to my devotion. My soul, without concern for worldly attachments, remains dedicated to the truth of this love. The divine intoxication of your love fills my being, and I find peace in this endless devotion.
The Ecstasy of Light
“The Ecstasy of Light” encompasses the finest literary works of the complete collection of Nekoo’s poetry, in all its various forms, including ghazals, qasidas, masnavis, do-baytis, couplets, and rubais.
In addition to its strong literary structure, the most significant characteristic of these poems is that they speak of collective love. Love, in this context, is of the kind that is rooted in knowledge (ma’rifah). The steadfastness and durability of the lover, which is an act, are the consequences of this love. When action rises, it transforms into “knowledge” (ma’rifah), and when this knowledge penetrates the “heart”, it brings forth “love”. The Day of Judgment is the countenance of “knowledge”, and even actions emerge with the identity of “knowledge”, which is why they are enduring and eternal. All actions and worship are manifestations of knowledge, shaped in this manner. Actions are tested in the intermediate state (barzakh) and grow until they transform into knowledge. The divine saints carry their actions from this world without needing to be tested or refined through barzakh and the Day of Judgment, unlike ordinary people, whose actions remain unrefined. For the saints, their actions in this world are already knowledge, and their knowledge is their actions, creating a unity between knowledge and action that cannot be separated. It is only the complete saints who embody the collective and pure love. In love, what matters is the community, and only the complete saints are those who embody collective love in their actions. This possessor of collective love holds all the stages of love in a bestowed manner, and their heart is pierced and shattered by the delicate wounds of the beloved, to the point that their heart becomes devoid of self. It is such a heart that embodies the entire “face of love”, and this “face of love” is evident in all their actions. Their actions are filled with freshness, happiness, light, joy, and the “ecstasy of light”, and the core of this light, joy, and ecstasy is the pure and luminous being of the divine saint. True light and joy can only exist in the realm of collective love.
The Solitude of Innocence
“I sat with you and my soul arose in rebuke,
My heart left my faith, and my health left me!”
“I sat happily at this feast of joy and revelry,
Your face created an upheaval, and the color of regret arose.”
“The flame of my soul does not boast of the dawn,
It took away the night of the lovers and their sorrow.”
“You are the cypress of my heart, the secret of the spring of existence,
You took a glance at the mirror and my stature arose.”
“Intoxicated by your sight in the solitude of innocence, O Kingdom!
The turmoil of gazing and the resurrection arose.”
“Burn your hypocritical cloak of asceticism, O ascetic!
For the falsehood and hypocrisy has faded, and only the colors of grace remain.”
“You are not worthy of binding my heart,
The trap of Satan became evident when my leadership arose.”
“The breast of my heart is the face of existence,
Until my heart and soul arise in reproach.”
“I revealed the secrets of duality to a follower of the Jews,
As my heart sought unity and guardianship.”
“The fragrance of unity settled in the alley of guardianship,
The shadow of negligence left the heads of the community.”
“Nekoo burned like the wings of a moth,
Until the sorrow of love caused my heart to ache.”
Burning and Creating
The Persian poetry tradition, throughout its long history, has had various forms. The “Complete Collection of Nekoo’s Poetry” includes a variety of poetic forms. “Burning and Creating” in this collection is in the form of a qasida.
The term “qasida” is used because it conveys a specific purpose, mostly consisting of praise, exhortation, or description of someone or something. The main body of the qasida contains the poet’s intent, which includes praise, encomium, advice, or complaint.
Our qasidas, in addition to discussing unity and mystical knowledge (which we have also addressed in other poetic forms), speak of the light of the Ahl al-Bayt and the beloved ones. The beloveds live through love, and love sustains their existence, for the love of the Almighty fills their being. In whatever path or endeavor they embark on, love gives them strength and providence, and this love flows from within them; for this reason, they have easily detached themselves from the material world and its existence. They do not seek any reward or payment from God; they work with passion and are engrossed in their work, for which they do not seek remuneration—neither in this world nor the next. They do not even seek God’s favor for their own sake and have no selfish desire towards themselves, others, or God. When they sit with the Divine in the solitude of the night, they do so without expecting anything in return; it is only love that awakens them and drives them to action. The beloveds have found worship to be an existential truth, not an act for gain, as they seek God only for their own worship and are not bound by desire or ambition. The beloveds have lost all their sense of self to God, and they see no one else as other than the Divine. They have even discarded all hopes for the afterlife and have no worldly desires; if they breathe, it is the manifestation of God’s presence within them. They see all their life’s possibilities as being for God, and if God takes something from their lives, so be it. They walk a path that no one else can tread and enter a dangerous valley that reeks of blood, and only those chosen by God travel this path. The qasidas of “Burning and Creating” tell the story of the beloved ones and the chosen ones of God, revealing their secrets and mysteries through this poetic form.
These qasidas are praise and glorification of God. God is both inward and outward. His outward appearance is the visible manifestation of love. Love is the expression of God, the face of love that emerges in the world. Love desires to manifest and break any barrier, for when it is pure, it does not need to hide. The full expression of God’s love is seen when He gazes upon His creation, for He loves it, and it is His love that has shaped it. The ultimate expression of God’s love is when He looks upon one of His servants; in His love, He predestines them. In pure love, destiny is shaped by the consideration of the lover’s heart, and no opposition can stand against a servant who seeks good and wisdom.
“Burning and Creating” speaks of pure love, which is akin to gambling for the sake of loss, going towards hardship to lose oneself. One reaches pure love when they truly understand the pain and burning sorrow of the heart. The path of pure love is one of burning, creating, dissolving, and perishing. Sorrow, pain, and shedding allow the heart to rise to greater heights. The power and strength of the heart are formed in the crucible of suffering, and by practicing this, the lover learns to detach from desires and illusions, transcending ego. When one burns, creates, and loses in the furnace of love, they let go of habits and expectations, seeing the subtle and delicate pleasures of the beloved in every corner. Every time they surrender to the beloved’s charm, they find peace and security. A person who possesses pure love works with love and wisdom, without concern for worldly gain or calculation. The fire of love melts the stone of reason and turns it into the fragile crystal of the heart. The lover does not seek profit or loss; they are not merchants, but rather those who are devoted and dedicated to love.
On the Gallows
This head of mine is full of pain, with many thoughts,
Whom shall I tell, for who is worthy of speaking of it?
I offer my head on the gallows and fear nothing,
For I deserve to be the keeper of divine secrets.
I fear not the day when my father’s hand is lost,
I am unafraid, like a lion, in pursuit of wolves.
My heart has been trapped in pain and sorrow,
For both disbelief and faith have tormented me.
Disbelief, disbelief, religion, religion,
I am tired of the adornments found in every marketplace.
My pain is the pain of those ensnared by suffering,
When will I be freed from the claws of serpents and ants?
The scorpions and vipers abound,
In the sight and presence of cruelty and inhumanity!
Trust, honor, and manliness have been forgotten,
Along with purity in heart, soul, and attire.
Frenzy, intoxication, and purity are no longer seen,
Only tales and statistics of former dignity remain.
“Ingratitude and treachery abound in prosperity, yet kindness and chivalry are tarnished beyond recognition.
Dishonesty, deviation, and crookedness have become fashionable, and the storehouses of human loyalty have emptied.
Desire no longer recognises the boundaries of justice, purity, and fairness; the prevailing norms of society have transformed into walls of division.
What has the herald of truth witnessed in the people? Crowds of roosters, tails, horns, and cattle chewing cud have appeared!
Health has dwindled, and ailments have surged; what one sees is sickness and the sick.
The spirit of gallantry and manliness has vanished from among the people; all that remains is indifference within the ranks of the dishonourable.
The efforts and struggles of the people have become worthless; the lowly enemy now boasts of breaking the backs of those in this conflict.
The man of villainy is none other than the cursed Satan, who spills blood before thorns.
Humanity has adopted an ugliness that reflects the times; within the hearts of the heartless, there is constant denial of truth.
The house of the poor is devoid of the glamour of this world, filled with ignorance, and empty of the people of truth within its court.
Knowledge, wisdom, and mastery are now scarce, while deceit, trickery, and hypocrisy abound.
Poverty and destitution have increased, as the lust for material wealth intensifies; so, what has become of the people’s honour and self-sacrifice?
Work and effort have lost their value, and now only the value of the dollar prevails; the vigour of endeavour has faded, and unemployment spreads like a plague.
No one is advising others towards purity and righteousness; on the contrary, sin and disobedience are being persistently encouraged by everyone.
The good man has become silent, having sealed his lips; his religion is now in autumn, and his garden of flowers withers.
In this poem, some of the consequences of governing society with the slogan of “social justice” are illustrated. I have previously presented the concept of “Public Wilayah” in my books concerning the management of the Islamic society. Currently, the society is governed with the slogan of “social justice,” a direction that leans toward materialism. In fact, for over three decades, the existing regime has not based the management of society on true Shi’ite Public Wilayah, which is superior to social justice. Islam has established its rule on this principle. There is a significant difference between these two doctrines, and it is not feasible to regard both as correct. The dominance of the social justice theory has had negative consequences for the nation, notably the loss of its Islamic identity. Social justice can be compatible with societies of disbelief, and such societies accept this framework, but Public Wilayah has no place in non-Islamic societies and is a blessing exclusive to the Shi’ah. In the poems of this book, I have pointed out some of the consequences of the dominance of the “social justice” slogan and the distancing from Shi’ite Wilayah.
At the beginning of the revolution, there were times when I took charge of the affairs and implemented religion through the framework of Public Wilayah, which produced very beautiful and promising results. In presenting this concept, I have drawn from both the external and the internal dimensions—both from what I observed and from what was revealed to me. I have discussed this concept in my lessons, writings, and in the poems of “Complete Works of Neko.”
Secrets and Pleasantries
The Proximity of the Beloved
The first volume of the “Complete Works of Neko’s Divan” contains the ghazals that have “heart” and “love” as their main themes. The heart, which often experiences moments of despair, is constantly oscillating between life and death, giving hope to life through the prospect of death, and bringing vitality to a sense of mortality. This heart has a tumultuous nature, capable of both destruction and resurrection, and it is surrounded by the eternal truth of the Divine. The first time I encountered death, I came face to face with “the heart” and “love,” and it is these themes that I explore throughout this collection.
Love is my essence and manifestation, a force that has shaped much of my inner turmoil. Love has pointed me towards my ultimate purpose, compelling me to move forward, and made enduring its burdens more bearable. The heart, entwined with love, does not know defeat; it transforms every defeat into victory. Love is my means and my workshop. I know nothing but love, a love that is absolute and free from any constraints. It is through love that I write poetry, and it is from love that my heart dances. My voice is the voice of love, and these rhyming ghazals echo that call. These songs are the dance of the heart of truth, which, through death, revives me—death that is born of love and brings with it eternal life.
The core of the present collection of poetry is the story of “pure love.” Pure love is one that knows no greed, a love that rejects selfishness and reaches towards divinity. The path to this love, for the mystics who seek it, is short and swift, traveled through the power of affection and love. It is a love one can attain, a love for which a clear path exists.
The Sin of My Eyes
The turbulence of my heart, arising from the moon-like glow of your hair, from the beauty of that dark beauty mark on your face,
My heart never found peace—was it the sin of my eyes or your gaze?
In the Realm of Being
The world of existence is a manifestation of your gaze,
The entire cosmos is veiled by the light of your moon-like face.
I sit in the midst of existence, hidden from view,
For my only desire is to gaze upon your two dark eyes.
Drunk with Restlessness
Love reveals itself through my gaze,
My heart is restless in its love and intoxication.
I forsake the two worlds in sorrow for my love,
For I see that my beloved is without any place to call home.
The Sound of the Beloved’s Footsteps
It is not only wine that comes from the heart,
Both joy and sorrow arise from it, too.
Come, listen to each beat of my heart,
For the sound of the beloved’s footsteps comes from my heart.
The Idol of Love
My clay is love, my heart is love, my body is love,
My soul and spirit are love, and I am love!
From love came the call of truth to the world,
My Lord is love, and my religion is love, and my beloved is love.
Simplicity
O God, when has servitude ever been easy?
You made divinity seem easy and cheap!
For just two days, sit in my place and bear the weight,
You will be astonished by the poverty and deprivation.
Blood of the Heart
The section titled “Blood of the Heart” is written in the form of rubā‘ī (quatrains). The rubā‘ī is one of the finest poetic forms, known for its brevity, coherence, and elegance. These rubā‘īs narrate the tale of a heart filled with burning passion that, from the moment of its childhood, glimpsed the truth and abandoned the world. This is the story of a person who has run through the winding and arduous path of love, dragged through the rugged stones of this earthly realm, and shown the way to proximity and vision with immense effort. It is a path where words fail and one is left with an ineffable state.*
The rubā‘īs convey an elevated state of consciousness and a yearning for the Divine that transcends all worldly desires. These poems are infused with words like “heart,” “love,” “sincerity,” “compassion,” “friendship,” “gentleness,” “humility,” “generosity,” and “sacrifice”—each a manifestation of divine mercy and affection. Upon examining these words, it becomes clear that love cannot exist without a collective union; the lover is one who has transcended the ego and merged with the Beloved. Only one who has reached the Divine can see the world through the lens of love and beauty.
The Eternal Truth
The world and the corporeal realm are but a fleeting dream, and it is only love for the Divine that remains. The lover who sacrifices their soul for the Beloved sees no other pain but the absence of the Divine. Such a lover is one who has reached the state of annihilation (fana) in love, and their only concern is for the Beloved and their creation.
The Judgment Day
What concern do we have for the Day of Resurrection, the reckoning, and punishment?
In the heart of sorrow, the sound of the harp and tambourine fills the air.
This judgment is of our own making, not that of a friend—
From the separation of the Beloved’s face, I am drowned in torment.
The Love of the Heart
The words of my liberated heart are all from love,
The simple poems and songs I write are from love.
Love is my way and my path to freedom,
The sweetness of this cup of wine is from love.
The collection moves through various themes, but the overarching motif is a celebration of love—a love that transcends both individual and collective existence, seeking union with the Divine and expressing itself in purity, sacrifice, and devotion. The poems reflect the mystical longing and the transformative power of love that is presented as the path to spiritual fulfillment.
The Kindly Beloved
The Lutf-e-Naznin is a collection that presents both couplets and a portion of quatrains. This divan speaks of existence and the tender grace of the beloved. Existence is a lofty abode, without an abode of its own, where each phenomenon becomes a dwelling for the pure beauty of the beloved, and each resting place becomes a nest of friendship and the intoxication of the moon, whose face appears everywhere as a manifestation of divine grace. The beloved is the delicate one whose presence is the abode of everlasting love and the blazing hearth of sublime passion; a lover without adornment and a charm that is seen moment by moment through the sweet ecstasy of the beloved’s face. Existence is an infinite readout, the soul, life, and being itself; visible and invisible, the spirit of the world and the hidden lover. It is both heresy and faith, mysticism and timelessness; it is a creation of grace and love, and full of desire—eyes and lips, solitude without expectations, the unity of the self.
Existence is playful and joyous, a tale of merry-making. It is a chaotic scene of creation, a dance of simplicity and nature’s heart, fleeting sweetness, time’s sharpness, and bitterness in the safety of intoxicated solitude. Existence, the freshness of beauty, the day of judgment, and the proximity of divine presence, are woven together under the bright light of cosmic glory. It is a vision of divinity, a swirl of every dance, filled with the serenity and rapture of beholding the beloved’s presence.
The world and mankind are enmeshed in sweetness, longing, sorrow, and fire; in the renewal of the soul and in devotion, the flowers, water, and mirrors, the eyes, the glances, the lips, and the fine details that form the path to the beloved. Existence speaks of this eternal grace, this endless beauty, and the beloved’s ceaseless tenderness.
The beloved, the gentle one, is the life of my heart. My beloved is the embodiment of grace and beauty, the joyful spark that dwells in the heart. He is the essence of every joyful tale and the light of spring, forever pure and steadfast. The beloved is the divine soul, the deity of my inner life. Even before the world existed, I was aware of the secret arts of the lover’s heart. The beloved is the joy in my troubled times and the comfort of my distant years.
The beloved is the burning heart of the desert of existence, the fearless and devoted lover whose call echoes within my heart. In this secluded corner of serenity, where I am lost in the chaos of life, the beloved remains my solitary flame. His face is the gentle touch that brings light to every hour, and his soul fills every crevice of my being with longing. He is my eternity and my beginning, my silent, fiery witness to all that is.
The Divine Essence of Existence and Its Manifestation
The Divine Essence of existence is the source of the flourishing of the realm of being, the illumination of the unseen, and the blossoming of the attributes of the Self. It manifests in its every moment and through the immediate, present actions. The flourishing of the inner realm resonates with the unceasing tumult of the outer world. The abode of the manifest is the continuous journey of truth, the encounter with the radiant face of the One, the beauty of the beloved, and the noble soul of God. The spirit of all phenomena in existence is the pure love and intoxicated clarity of the Creator.
The “Era” is the sacred domain of the beloved; it is the purity of the soul and the enchanting grace of familiarity. It is comfort and mercy, the gift of generosity, the truth of the inner being, and the proximity to divine presence. It embodies goodness, the dance of existence, the ebbs and flows of identity, and the face of the Self. It is the eternal bond and the unswerving loyalty that exists everywhere, the moon of existence and the verses of the love connection. It is the solitude of the beloved and the affection of divine approval, the standard of love and the faithful response. It is the essence of beautiful life, the paradise of unity, and the domain where the call of “I am the Truth” resounds. It is boundless, an expression of the annihilation of the ego, the solace for the people, and the flame that illuminates the lives of all creation.
The waves of existence lead the heart into the depths of the beloved’s world, where in manifestation there is endless love. The divine shadow of the Merciful One stretches across everything, and His hidden essence creates a gentle, peaceful tumult everywhere. The act of surrender before the Divine, the homage to the radiant face, is an act of worship and devotion. The grandiose manifestation of divine grace in the deserts of existence becomes a beautiful, desolate landscape. The lofty stature of the beloved is both awe-inspiring and commanding, as the majestic heights of the spirit reside in the observation of divine beauty. The sacred and pure soul of the beloved continues to dance in the sublime rhythm of divine intoxication, capturing the hearts of all creation.
The phenomenon of existence is filled with longing and love, where all beings are lost in the face of the beloved, intoxicated by their visions. The various aspects of existence, from the sky to the earth, from the smallest sand grain to the vast oceans, are all immersed in divine love. The heart and the eye of each phenomenon are both beautiful in their own right, reflecting the grandeur and elegance of the eternal. Every glimpse, every movement, from the fluttering of a leaf to the dance of the stars, is an expression of divine joy and love.
The world and mankind are both submerged in manifestation and grace, overwhelmed with love and purity. All phenomena—whether the sorrow of the mundane world or the bliss of divine presence—are, in essence, immersed in this purifying love. Day and night, highs and lows, joys and sorrows, all find their meaning and ultimate purpose in love.
All the phenomena of existence are, in essence, expressions of the heart, where every moment and every being is intertwined with love. The sand dunes of the desert, the ripples of the sea, the drops of rain, the fresh dew, the petals of flowers—each of these elements are soaked in divine love. The heart and the eye of every being reflect the perfect form of beauty, seeing through the grace and splendor of the beloved. Each manifestation, in its own way, is a manifestation of the beloved’s divine beauty.
Existence itself is a manifestation of divine love and grace. It is the essence of the beloved, the eternal companion that guides all beings. Existence is love, joy, and unity. It is a seamless connection of the self with the divine, the embodiment of eternal truth, and the continuous dance of creation. The universe is filled with the song of love, the scent of the beloved, and the radiance of divine presence. The spirit of all creation, from the soul of the sky to the essence of the earth, is captured in the beloved’s gaze.
The Love of the Beloved: An Eternal Manifestation
The manifestation of the beloved is a reflection of the purest love. It is a vision of grace that captures the heart of every being. The beloved, with His grace and beauty, is the eternal source of all joy and rapture. He is the embodiment of love, and through His presence, all creation is constantly renewed. The beloved’s face is the radiant moon in the sky of existence, and His beauty is the manifestation of divine love.
Every moment of existence is imbued with the grace of the beloved. From the flicker of the stars to the calm of the seas, from the fluttering of a leaf to the blooming of a flower, everything is touched by the divine beauty of the beloved. This love transcends time and space, becoming the very essence of existence itself. The world, in all its forms, is but an echo of the divine beauty and love that the beloved brings to every corner of creation.
Existence itself is the heart of the beloved’s being. It is the living embodiment of His love, joy, and divine presence. The eternal dance of creation is the beloved’s embrace, the rhythm of His divine affection that sustains all beings. Through this divine love, all things are renewed, reborn, and given meaning. The manifestations of existence, in all their myriad forms, are expressions of the beloved’s love, joy, and grace.
