A question for our literary and Muslim members (and anyone else who knows of this guy's work!): what do you think of Hafez?
I heard a report on NPR this morning that people make yearly pilgrimages to his grave; they read his works for inspiration; they pray at his grave and believe he is guiding their lives; they use his works for fortune-telling. (They use them in the same way that some believers use the Bible - they pray for guidance, close their eyes, open the book, tap their finger on the page, and whatever verse they chose is a message that god wants to give them that day. It's a ouija board with a proper godly twist.) Some bookstores in Iran sell special 2-book sets, one of Hafez's work, one Koran.
From Wikipedia: (since I had never heard of him) Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī, known by his pen name Hafez (1325/26–1389/90) was a Persian poet who "lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy". His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day.
It sounds to me like they're treating this guy as more than a brilliant poet. They are treating him like he was a prophet. Can anyone tell me more about this?
I heard a report on NPR this morning that people make yearly pilgrimages to his grave; they read his works for inspiration; they pray at his grave and believe he is guiding their lives; they use his works for fortune-telling. (They use them in the same way that some believers use the Bible - they pray for guidance, close their eyes, open the book, tap their finger on the page, and whatever verse they chose is a message that god wants to give them that day. It's a ouija board with a proper godly twist.) Some bookstores in Iran sell special 2-book sets, one of Hafez's work, one Koran.
From Wikipedia: (since I had never heard of him) Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī, known by his pen name Hafez (1325/26–1389/90) was a Persian poet who "lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy". His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day.
It sounds to me like they're treating this guy as more than a brilliant poet. They are treating him like he was a prophet. Can anyone tell me more about this?
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
