Mystical Roots and Sufi Poetry

Mystical Roots:

The Conference of the Birds is a spiritual poem, a morality story from the Sufi faith. The Sufi religion believes that God is not external or separate from the universe, but is all of the universe together. This is considered to be the mystical spiritual part of Islam. Unlike mainstream Islam, however, Sufis believe that one should strive to become close with God and that this is possible in life, not just in Paradise after death.

The main obstacle in achieving this closeness with God is one’s ego. Sufis believe that God is present in every thought and feeling, but one’s ego and feelings such as depression, self-pity, anger, and boredom can promote a mistaken impression that one is separate from God, and a prisoner in one’s own mind. Therefore, Sufism emphasizes overcoming ego to recognize one’s closeness with God.

Sufi Poetry:

The experience of Sufism inspires encounters with God, love, and the deepest aspects of human consciousness, leading to some of the most profound and beautiful poetry ever written. Famous Sufi poets include Rumi, Attar, Hafiz, Hallaj, Ibn Al-Farid, and Yunus Emre. A common theme in Sufi poetry was the exploration of the soul, usually represented by a bird, as it found its wings in faith.

Farid ud-Din Attar, author of The Conference of the Birds, inspired a young man who would later become the most famous Sufi poet of all time. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī is better known simply as Rumi. The works of Rumi were widely appreciated in the Middle East and South Asia and have been translated into many languages. In 2007, the BBC stated that Rumi was the most popular poet in America.

Rumi’s greatest life’s work, is the Matnaviye Ma’navi, which translates to “Rhyming Couplets of Profound Spiritual Meaning.” Rumi integrates many stories and parables from the Qur’an into this work, demonstrating the influence of Attar’s technique of telling smaller stories within the larger one.
 
Hafiz of Shiraz learned all of the works of Attar and Rumi, as well as the Qur’an, by heart. In fact, “Hafez” was his pen name and is the honorable title for someone who has learned the Qur’an by heart.

The majority of Hafiz’s work incorporates the style of ghazals, a lyric poem consisting of 6 to 15 rhyming couplets and a refrain with each line sharing the same meter. Many of Hafiz’s poems are addressed to a woman he calls “Shak-i-Nabat,” which means “Branch of Sugarcane.” Entranced by her beauty, Hafiz is said to have held a mystic vigil to realize this love that he felt was unrequited. During this vigil he encountered an angel of extraordinary beauty and this transformed his quest into one for spiritual love and beauty.

Hafiz’s most famous work is a collection of his poems published posthumously called Divan; editions vary in including 573 to 994 poems.