In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful

Khatam Sharif

In honour of the venerable

Khwaja Hafiz
A Tongue from the Hidden
No one can display thoughts as Hafiz can,
No such words are written by the pen of man.

Hadrat Sahib
once explained that the depth of Khwaja Hafizs
poetry is
beyond our understanding. He narrated that Khwaja Hafizs
Divan became
popular in his own lifetime. So he decided to hide amongst some students whilst
the ustad was giving shar, explanation. As the teacher explained one bayt
(couplet), a student asked a question and he continued asking questions until he
had asked one hundred. On each question the teacher replied, giving in total one
hundred intelligent answers. Khwaja Hafiz got up and said to the student, Sad
afarin A hundred mubaraks! You asked one hundred excellent questions!
To the teacher he said, Sad afarin! You gave one hundred excellent answers!
But still you have not understood what I mean.
Divan e Hafiz is a very spiritual book of deep mysterious complexities and thoughts written in
ghazal poetry. It is considered the epitome of Persian poetry and beauty for language, which
is why Khwaja Hafiz is labelled the Shakespeare of Iran. Khwaja Hafiz is amongst the
four most famous poets of Iran, in fact the most famous poet of the 8th century. Ghazal
poetry is a special genre of love poetry which is about may (wine), bulbul (nightingale) and
the saki (cup-bearer); these are the motifs in the Ghazal and all the deeper messages are
put forward through these. A ghazal is a composition of a short poem which has an overall
theme and consists of bayts (couplets) which rhyme and tell individual stories.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 1 of 14

Khwaja Hafiz has been bestowed with many titles such as Lisan ul Ghayb, tongue of the
Unseen or Tarjuman al asrar, the interpreter of secrets. These titles and more are in fact
telling us that his poetry are not the words of an ordinary man; for his each couplet contains
within it, immense spirituality, inspiration and guidance. He portrayed that which existed
beyond the ordinary world by giving parallels contained in this world, and in doing so
accomplished the feat of expressing, the otherwise inexpressible. That he was capable to do
so, was due to his connection with the Holy Quran, as Imam e Rabbani states, It is only
through having a link with the Holy Quran that the highest stages in Sufism are attained and
perfection achieved.
Khwaja Hafizs
father, Shaykh Bahuddin
was originally from Isfahan and due to
business, migrated to Shiraz, in Iran. Khwaja Hafiz was born in Shiraz in the early part of
the fourteenth century. His full name is Shams Uddin Muhammad , and is otherwise more
commonly known by his poetic name Hafiz or Hafiz e Shirazi . Whilst still a child, Shaykh
Bahuddin
passed away leaving his family with much debt. With his two brothers, the
family struggled to make ends meet and so during this difficult period, still merely a young
boy, Khwaja Hafiz
worked in various jobs to support his family, including working at a
bakery shop, as a delivery boy.
Khwaja Hafiz
grew up in the city of Shiraz, the once epicentre of learning, with not only
great madarsas, khanaqas and over a thousand shrines, but also notable Awliya, poets and
scholars such as Shaykh Abdullah ibn e Khafif , Shaykh Sadi , and Khawjo-e-Kirmani ,
whom had all resided in this blessed place. The Holy Quran also had a strong connection
with the city of Shiraz, with the Moroccan traveller Ibn e Battuta
stating that through the
many Islamic lands he had travelled, it was in Shiraz that he had heard the most beautiful
recitations.
To be a Hafiz of the Holy Quran is considered a great blessing and Allah Almighty chooses
people to be given this honour; Allah Almighty says, We made those people heirs of this
Book, those whom We chose from among Our servants. (Holy Quran: Surah Fatir, Verse 32)

Love for the Holy Quran and Poetry

The best of you are those who learn the Holy Quran and teach it.
(Hadith Sharif)

Despite the struggles of family life and having to work at such a tender age, Khwaja Hafiz
spent his time studying at the madarsa, and so memorised the Holy Quran. He also became
a qualified scholar, and skilled in the art of calligraphy. His passion with the Holy Quran is
reflected in him being a master of the fourteen different qirats, different styles of recitation.
Having memorised the Holy Quran, Khwaja Hafiz
became a mudarris teaching students
at the madarsa. He would dedicate his life to teaching the Holy Quran, as described by
Muhammad Gul Andam , the best friend and student of Khwaja Hafiz who spent much
time with him. Muhammad Gul Andam
states, Khwaja Hafizs
passion was the Holy
Quran, so much so that whenever he went to meet with him, he would find Khwaja Hafiz

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 2 of 14

either reciting, teaching or commenting on tafsir. This association with the Holy Quran
occupied most of Khwaja Hafizs time and was everlasting throughout his life.
To rise at dawn and seek whats sound
And wholesome as Hafiz has done
All Ive done has come from the grace
And embras de richesse of the Quran

Khwaja Hafiz
also had immense love for the poets who were his predecessors, and
memorised thousands of poems including the works of Shaykh Farid Uddin Attar , Umar
Khayyam , Hakim Sinai , Mawlana Jalal Uddin Rumi and Fakhruddin Iraqi . Khwaja
Hafiz
was also an ashiq of Shaykh Sadi , and enjoyed reading and memorising his
work, Gulistan. Khwaja Hafiz says,
All agree that Sadi is the master of ghazal
But Hafiz follows Khwajus genre for style

Khwaja Hafiz mentions that he has based his style of poetry on that of Khawjo-e-Kirmani
, his contemporary, with whom he had a strong friendship. Khawjo-e-Kirmani
was a
great poet and was a murid of the great Kubrawi master, Shaykh Ala Dawlah Simnani ; he
composed a very beautiful Divan, from which Khwaja Hafiz
took great benefit. Khwaja
Hafiz
not only learnt poetry from Khawjo-e-Kirmani , he also benefited from his advice.
Muhammad Gul Andam admired Khwaja Hafizs poetry and would often request Khwaja
Hafiz to compile his poems, saying Gather together all those rare gems and assemble all
these lustrous pearls on one string, so they may become a necklace. Seeing that Khwaja
Hafiz was constantly busy teaching and giving dars and never considered his poetry to be
worth anything, Muhammad Gul Andam
took it upon himself to sought out and collect
Khwaja Hafizs poems, and eventually went on to publish the very first volume of what is
now referred to as Divan e Hafiz.
It is said that one of the outstanding features of Khwaja Hafizs kalam is that his thoughts
are the thoughts of a free person. In terms of aqidah he was a traditional Sunni scholar and
followed the shafi madhab, but he was not slave to these things. If he saw something wrong
he would speak against it, whether it was amongst the Shia or ahle sunnah, he was not a
slave of any group. Khwaja Hafiz
is of that category, which are free to speak their mind,
because they are ahle haq, speakers of the truth.
Being a speaker of truth, Khwaja Hafiz never compromised on what he would say, and so
he was granted honour by Allah Almighty and bestowed the title, Lisan ul Ghayb, tongue of
the Unseen. Sayyiduna Ali
mentions, A person is hidden behind the tongue, so the
tongue can grant a person honour by what it utters as we see with the example of Khwaja
Hafiz . However, on the other hand, what a person mentions with the tongue can backfire
and become a source of embarrassment, causing ruin in this life and in the hereafter.
"Indeed, a man will speak with words that are pleasing to Allah and by which he is not
aware of what he has attained by it. Due to it, Allah will record for him His Contentment
(for him) until the day that he encounters Him. And indeed, a man will speak with words

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 3 of 14

that are displeasing to Allah by which he is not aware of what he has attained by it. Due
to it, Allah will record for him His Discontentment (with him) until the day that he
encounters Him."
(Hadith Sharif)

Hifz ul Lisan (Guarding the Tongue)

Not a word does one utter, except that there is an (angel) watching, ready to record it.
(Holy Quran: Surah Qaf, Verse 18)

Since each and every word spoken by us is recorded and presented before Allah Almighty,
our speech must be chosen carefully, as we will all be answerable for what we say. In his
great book Al-Adhkaar, Imam Nawawi
dedicates a chapter to Hifz ul Lisan, in which he
states, Every individual who falls under the category of being responsible for his actions,
mukallaf, will be held accountable for all types of speech and so must guard the tongue.
The saliheen always guard their tongue as they are constantly aware, that if what they utter
cannot escape an angel, how could it ever escape Allah Almighty, who is always watching.
Mawlana Jalal Uddin Rumi explains the tongue can lead to a person achieving salvation,
or on the other hand lead to his destruction. Mawlana narrates, One day Hadrat Luqman
Hakim
was asked by his master to bring him a dish which was the best he had ever
tasted. Hadrat Luqman prepared a dish for his master, which consisted of the tongue and
the heart. Having tasted the dish, the master said to Hadrat Luqman , Now bring me the
most distasteful thing you have ever tasted.
Hadrat Luqman returned with the same dish, which had consisted of the tongue and the
heart. Looking at the dish perplexed the master; he said to Hadrat Luqman , I do not
understand? This is the same dish as before, Hadrat Luqman said, Master, if this tongue
functions properly, it is one of the greatest things. If this heart functions properly, it is one of
the greatest things. However, if they were not to function properly, then no doubt, they
become the worse things in creation.
Humans are a combination of organs and within us, the tongue and the heart are the two
organs that if not given consideration, are the biggest sources of evil. Hadrat Yahya bin
Muadh explains how these two organs are interlinked by illustrating the image that, The
heart is like a cooking pot and the tongue is like a spoon.
The taste of what is on the spoon is from what is contained in the cooking pot. Similarly what
will come on the tongue will be a reflection of what is contained inside the heart. If the heart
is corrupt, it will cause the tongue to utter words of corruption, whereas if the heart is pure,
the words spoken will be full of wisdom. The words we utter are of great importance and can
be a source of salvation or take us to hellfire. The Arabic proverb, The tongue may be
physically small, but leads to major sins, highlights it is necessary to give a great deal of
consideration to this tiny piece of flesh, before it slips.
The tongue is one of Allahs greatest blessings to mankind as it is what makes us distinct in
comparison to all other animals. We are able to speak, whereas all other animals do not
have speech. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz describes the tongue as One of the greatest gifts of

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 4 of 14

Allah Almighty, as it allows us to do virtuous deeds such as praising Him, reading the Holy
Quran, do dhikr and repent to Him.
Imam Ghazali states in reference to the tongue, It is a subtle but very strange creation as
it can taste sin or taste obedience.
A simple example to explain this subtleness is the use of the tongue by a person to recite the
Shahadah and become a Muslim, yet on the other hand, the tongue is used by others to
utter disbelief.

Methods to Control the Tongue

If left uncontrolled, the tongue is like a savage beast which has been let loose and is ready
to cause harm. The pious people use their teeth as a prison cage, to keep the tongue inside
and so guard their tongue. They are aware of the importance that this tiny piece of flesh
holds. Hadrat Qas ibn e Sadah and Hadrat Akhtam ibn e Safi once met, and one said to
the other, How many defects were you able to find in the sons of Adam? The other
responded, They are too numerous to count but the defects I can account for number eight
thousand. I also discovered one thing that if I was to put into practice, then all these defects
would be hidden.
He was asked what is it and he said, Hifz ul Lisan guarding the tongue.
Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant and fearful when using our tongue and not to
underestimate the devastation it can cause. Without guarding the tongue, it will constantly
slip and cause us to commit sins by actions such as hypocrisy, backbiting, pride, displaying
jealousy and envy.
The Awliya (Friends of Allah) are very strict and do not allow people to back-bite about
others in their gatherings. Neither do they highlight the faults of individuals by names, even
when correcting people as they follow the methods used by Rasulullah
who would
highlight the fault, but not name and shame people, as this would have caused
embarrassment. Khwaja Hafiz condemns fault finding in others,
I said to the master of the tavern,
Which road is the road of salvation?
He lifted his wine and said,
Not revealing the faults of other people.

Another method to guard the tongue is to practice silence, as explained by Imam Ghazali ,
who states, Know that the dangers of the tongue are great and there is no escape from it,
except to keep quiet. For this reason Rasulullah
said, He who remains quiet will be
successful, he will be saved.
However, along with refraining from backbiting, speaking the truth, and observing silence,
since the heart and tongue are connected, it is necessary the inner state is in control, to
ensure a person is controlling the tongue.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 5 of 14

The Awliya are known as Ibn al waqt, the sons of time, as they are the people who do not
waste a moment. They realise the importance of controlling the tongue as they are aware of
the harm, this little piece of flesh does and so they practice seclusion. Khwaja Baqi Billah
would speak very little and when people would ask him for advice, he would say, If you
cannot benefit from my silence, you cannot benefit from my words .
Khwaja Hafizs
method for controlling the tongue lay not just in avoiding sins with the
tongue, or practicing silence and solitude, but also in the remembrance of Allah Almighty.
Rasulullah
said, Do not talk much without remembering Allah. For indeed too much talk
without the remembrance of Allah, hardens the heart.
Like many great masters, Khwaja Hafiz
paid a lot of attention to the Tahajjud time; he
mentions, To make dua in the morning and to ask forgiveness at night is the door to
success.
This was as he was aware that if he kept busy during the night in the remembrance of Allah
Almighty and at dawn repent to Him, his tongue would have been kept busy in pious deeds,
rather than being involved in futile talk and committing sins. Tahajjud is a spiritual time of
solitude, where a person can cut off from the world and connect to Allah Almighty. Khwaja
Hafiz regarded this as a beautiful time, as emphasised in the Divan e Hafiz, where nearly
one fifth of the poems talk about the early dawn. Khwaja Hafiz
would pray at night and
compose his poems, and in the morning he would ask Allah Almighty for forgiveness.
All the honey that drips from my tongue,
Was my beautys reward for suffering so long.
Hafizs ambition and pious prayers of the morn,
Relieved me from sorrow, enmity and scorn.

The effect of guarding the tongue on Khwaja Hafiz

was such that during the night, he
received such enigmatic inspirations that secrets would become contained within his poems
and as a consequence, he would be known throughout the world as Lisan ul Ghayb,

The Oracle
The honour Allah Almighty has given to Khwaja Hafizs Divan is shown in that just like the
Holy Quran is kept in ever house, similarly in Iran the Divan of Khwaja Hafiz is also kept.
Many people memorise verses and it is common practice for those who are aware of the
mysteries of Divan e Hafiz, to use it as an oracle and do fal (gain indication). In all
civilisations, the practice of doing fal as an omen has existed. Fal is done when a person
needs to ask something, one example is to do istakhara; a person asks and Allah Almighty
gives an indication to that person. When the Safavid sultan Shah Abbas wanted to attack
Tabrez in Iran, he did fal of Divan e Hafiz, asking whether his expedition would be
successful. The verse replied, Its now your turn for Baghdad and Tabrez, and so Shah
Abbas assumed he would indeed be successful, which was the case.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 6 of 14

This practice of using Divan e Hafiz for fal was prevalent in the Mughal period, beginning
with the early Mughal emperor Hamayun, who had been defeated by Sher Shah Suri and
had escaped to Iran. When he came back to India, he did fal of Divan e Hafiz and the
couplet stated, Aziz e misr. The couplet referred to the incident between Sayyiduna Yusuf
and his brothers, where Sayyiduna Yusuf
was victorious despite the betrayal of his
brothers. Hamayun had asked his brothers for help to fight Shah Suri, but had been betrayed
by them. He understood from this fal that he was going to succeed and subsequently wrote
in his diary, As predicted by Khwaja Lisan ul Ghayb it aspired. I defeated my enemies.
Henceforth, it became the practice of all the Mughal emperors to use Divan e Hafiz for fal
before important events. The emperor Jahangir states in his writings, Many of my matters
have been resolved by doing fal; it transpired as according to Khwaja Hafizs couplet. Had
I not taken the advice from the fal, I would have lost out on all this.
To use the Divan e Hafiz for fal, it is necessary firstly to have a clear question. There are
various methods of doing fal, one is to recite Bismillah and open the Divan and wherever the
finger stops, the answer should be taken from that line. Another method is to read Surah
Fatiha on Khwaja Hafiz . Another is to open the Divan e Hafiz and whichever page you
open, go to the seventh line on your right, and that line should have the answer.
On the matter of the mysteries contained within his poems, Khwaja Hafiz
said, My
Shaykh said, Do not speak, but say it in riddles. Do not tell people what you feel; you have
to keep this inside you.
It is due to the immortality of his Divan that Khwaja Hafiz
is titled lisan ul Ghayb. His
message to us on how to control our tongues is to seek guidance, so we eventually subdue
our ego and begin to understand what are the secrets contained within his works and in the
path of Sufism.
O ignorant, try in wisdom to abide!
Be a disciple before you are a guide.
In school of love your teacher you obey,
Become mature in love-secrets some day.

Seeking Guidance
At the age of twenty one, Khwaja Hafiz
was working at the bakery shop, and during this
time he met and fell in love with a beautiful Turkish girl, known as Shakh e Nabat (Branch of
Sugarcane) due to her sweet nature. Khwaja Hafiz made a manat to do an arbain chilla,
forty day seclusion at the shrine of Baba Kuhi , one of the Awliya of Shiraz. This particular
shrine is known for people to sit in seclusion for a period of time and their wishes and
desires are fulfilled.
Khwaja Hafiz did this seclusion and it so happened that on the fortieth day a young lady
came to the shrine. As they talked Khwaja Hafiz suddenly remembered that it was the

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 7 of 14

fortieth day of his seclusion and so ran to Baba Kuhis

shrine. Having completed the
prescribed time he was guided to what he needed, a living Master.
Shaykh Mahmud Zayn Attar
was a malang wali who had a small place in the bazaar
where he would sell vegetables. He kept his distance from people, and many people were
unaware of his spiritual rank. Khwaja Hafiz
was attracted to Shaykh Mahmud
as he
noticed that his Master kept a low profile, remaining hidden. It is said that a murid is a
reflection of his master and so, Khwaja Hafiz also adopted this ihkfa e haal method.
According to another riwayat, Hadrat Shah e Naqshband
is his master. When Hadrat
Shah e Naqshband was going for Hajj, he visited Shiraz and Khwaja Hafiz took bayat
from him. As Khwaja Hafiz did not ever meet with Hadrat Shah e Naqshband again, he
lived the rest of his life burning in his masters absence; hence, his poetry reflects the desire
for his Shaykh.
Using his poetry, in recent times one person asked a question to Khwaja Hafiz , Who was
your Shaykh? He replied in the form of a couplet, Quran ni kasam hai, dont ask me that.
It is evident that even up to now, he does not want anyone to know as it is such a deep
matter, and there is a limit to our understanding.
Khwaja Hafiz was also an admirer and ashiq of Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn al Arabi , and
so has a similar message in his kalam. Khwaja Hafiz
says, Wherever I look, I see the
Beloved.
This is the state of Tawhid, where a person sees the One in everything. To attain this
station, we must go against our ego, under the guidance of a wali (master). Hifz ul lisan also
plays a big development in subduing the ego, ensuring the heart becomes pure. Those who
are successful begin to stop seeing themselves and begin to see Gods Beauty manifested
in everything. These flashes of Gods Beauty can only become more apparent under the
guidance of a master.
Khwaja Hafiz

states, The pen does not have the ability to open the secrets of love.

To be granted true honour in this world and in the hereafter, it is necessary to gain the nazar
(glance) of the Saki (cup bearer). Khwaja Hafez
uses the word Saki is reference to the
spiritual master who will prepare his murid for his meeting with his Beloved.

The Saki (Cup-bearer)

If we were to comprehend the honour that has been bestowed upon us, we would not lift our
heads from prostration. The value we have in our Lords sight, our worth in the universe, has
not been granted upon any other form of creation. In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says in
reference to Sayyiduna Adam
, And blow into him from My spirit, ( Surah Al-Hijr Verse
29), so breath is the source of creation. If we were to honour this trust bestowed upon us, we
would then excel from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, and after great
struggle against our lower self, we would rise to the station of vicegerent of God, seeing
Gods beauty apparent in everything.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 8 of 14

In the first Ghazal of Divan e Hafez, Khwaja Hafiz

pours the wine.

depicts the Saki, the wine pourer, who

Serve the cup around, O Saki, for love, I say,
Seemed easy first, yet difficult in the end

Lovers hears are bleeding, and sure will rend,
When zephyr spreads scent of her curls away

In security how can travellers stay,
When trumpets the message of departure send?

The experienced sage, advised us to say,
Wash your prayer-rug in red wine, my friend.

Those secure on the shore with peace of mind
Dont know our storm, the waves and the dark night

Alas, that at last my secrets I find,
Untold at street corners, even before my sight.

Hafiz, enjoy her company and to her bind,
Suffer the dark world for the sake of future light

The wine that the Saki pours is no ordinary man made wine, but the spirit of Divine
knowledge which is poured out for the murids. Those who are blessed with drinking this

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 9 of 14

wine, become a channel reflecting Allahs grace, beauty and love onto his fellow creation.
The fourth bayt of this Ghazal is often used to describe the relationship between a master
and murid (disciple). The murid must have complete trust in his master and offer years of
sincere khidmat (service) not for any other reason but for the pleasure of his master. The
master will transform him from a rock into a gem and so, he will be able to drink this wine.
When Sayyiduna Musa
heard a voice from the burning bush say, Without doubt I am
God, your Lord, he did not worship the tree but realised that God is using this tree to speak
to him. Likewise when the man of Allah speaks, the speech is from Allah, although it is
coming from the throat of a human being. This man of Allah has special breath and transmits
power and spirituality through that breath, as Gods Beauty is manifested within him.

The worlds captured by your beauty and grace,
With unity you capture the world and space.

The candle, divulging secrets of the friend,
Was build by the tongue and its life came to end.

Of the hidden fire of love inside my chest,
The glowing sun is the simile best.

The rose desiring to imitate her colour and scent,
Was reproached by zephyr and forced to repent
.

Sakis image reflected in the cup by fire,
Justified me, the wine cup to admire.

Drink, for those who know what comes up,
Lighted from sorrow, by taking heavy cup.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 10 of 14



With animal blood is written on the rose,
Only men of experience purple wine chose.

Hafiz since grace drips from your pen,
How can the jealous, find fault with you then.

Khwaja Hafiz
describes the wine that the Saki pours is so powerful that the person who
drinks the wine becomes drunk afterwards, never to be sober again. And so, this gives us
an indication of the level of intoxication of the Saki himself, as we contemplate how
intoxicated he must be, when he was pouring that wine into the bottle. The wine the Saki is
intoxicated on is none other than the wine of Divine Love, and as a result the Sakis very
breath and sight becomes a manifestation of Allahs love. This is reflected in the Sakis
intoxicated eyes and if in this state a mere glance falls upon a person, then that person
experiences a measure of that Divine Love. Indeed what would have taken the murid a
lifetime to accomplish is attained by a mere glance from the Saki.

The Power of His Poetry

The Khawajgan masters say, There is no Divan better then Divan e Hafez for a Sufi to
read.
It is recommend a person reads the works of pious people, as they are full of wisdom and
will enlighten us. Khwaja Hafizs kalam is held in such high esteem as it has an impact on
a person, similar to the way in which physically meeting a pious person would have. His
kalam holds universal appeal; in his lifetime, it reached beyond Iran and today it is spread
around the world. It is a kalam which appeals to many people in his homeland, where
despite the attempts of the government to repress spirituality, the people still love to read
and recite poems of Khwaja Hafiz , and annually celebrate a day in his honour. Even those
who do not understand Farsi, feel a connection to his poetry as it contains a passion within
it, such that it seems as if someone is directly addressing the soul.
Hadrat Sahib
mentions as a young boy he would sleep on the same bed as his father,
Qibla Alam and during the night, Qibla Alam would wake up and read the poetry of Pir
Neyk Alam Shah , which was very sad poetry. The purpose of reading such poetry is not to
demoralise one self; on the contrary it is so that the pain stirs feelings within the heart of
regret. This clears the mind and helps in muraqabah (meditation).
Khwaja Hafizs kalam is very poignant in that it expresses a pain of eternity, as its purpose
is to be heart rendering. For the Awliya, their Beloved is Allah Almighty and so, once a
person is in love with anything, that person knows the value of separation.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 11 of 14

Mian Sahib
relates, Khwaja Hafiz
was one day walking in the garden, and saw a
bulbul. Khwaja Hafiz asked the bulbul, Why is the lament you make, so full of the pain?
The bulbul said, I cry due to my separation from my beloved, therefore my voice is full of
pain and anguish.
Khwaja Hafiz
left and upon his return, noticed the bulbul was now perched on a branch
with its beloved. However, still the bulbul cried. Khwaja Hafiz
enquired, You are with
youre beloved; why do you cry now?
The bulbul replied, Now I cry more because of the fear, that one day I will be separated from
my beloved.
It is not uncommon to misunderstand the poetry of Khwaja Hafiz , as was the case with
Allama Iqbal
who was at first very critical about Khwaja Hafiz s
poetry. However, this
poetry would have such an influence on Allama Iqbal
that he himself would eventually
compose poems using the bulbul and saki as motifs and also wrote a poem called Zahid o
rindi. In his works, Khwaja Hafiz would often describe himself as rind.

Of all beauties capturing hearts dont expect,
All mirrors like Alexanders the world wont reflect.

All who wear costly hats with pride in town;
Are not worthy to get kingdom and crown.

Like beggars dont worship for reward,
A friend knows how his servants to regard.

I love libertines who put life at stake,
With no winners elixir of life can make.

Its good but hard to be loyal, my lad,
Its much easier to be wicked and bad.

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 12 of 14



I lost my heart and yet I could not know,
A beauty may manners of fairies show.

Dervishes are not all those who have long hair,
Many secrets exist in this affair.

Of Hafizs poems only those who are aware,
Who for fluent, versatile poetry care.

In this Ghazal, Khwaja Hafiz

states, I love libertines who put life at stake.

Khwaja Hafiz
refers to the libertine, the free thinker using the Farsi word rind, which
means rogue. The rind has carefully disguised his appearance and so in the eyes of the
people, he is a beggar, not held in high regard and viewed by many as a sinful person. The
rind hides behind this camouflage, which in essence is a cover, because in actual fact he is
always preoccupied and concerned with religion. By undergoing this spiritual detachment,
the rind is transported in ecstasy beyond time and so is elevated in spiritual rank. As the rind
has a pure heart and renounces the world, he will now be able to comprehend the Divine
Beauty and begin to fully appreciate the secrets that exist in the path of Sufism.

His Legacy
Allah Almighty has given such honour to Khwaja Hafiz that although Khwaja Hafiz with
his own tongue, referred to himself as rind, on the tongues of others throughout the world, he
is known by his poetic name Hafiz and bestowed with many titles. The legacy of his work
is reflected in that not once during the past six hundred years, has his Divan been off the
top-ten Persian best seller list. His work is both immortal and universal, attracting the
attentions of all types of people.
Khwaja Hafiz
was buried in Mussalla Gardens, along the banks of Ruknabad river, in
Shiraz. His tomb was erected twenty years after his death and is referred to as the Hafezieh.
It is regarded as one of the greatest experiences to visit the delightful garden that is laid
around his tomb, and enter under the white marble canopy that covers his tombstone.
Khwaja Hafiz bids us farewell, leaving us a verse to meditate on,
Should you pass by my shrine when I am gone
Ask for soul power and spirit-force,
For all the worlds pious rakes and holy reprobates

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 13 of 14

Will be pilgrims to my tomb.

Khwaja Hafizs
legacy is unrivalled to this day as he has not died with history and is
called lisan ul Ghayb (tongue of the Hidden) and tarjuman al Israr (interpreter of secrets) as
he is still speaking to people today, through his poetry. This rare trait of the Divan e Hafiz,
each verse being immersed in hidden secrets and providing answers for those who enquire;
became apparent to all, following the incident that occurred after the death of Khwaja Hafiz
himself.
After his death, there was a big commotion causing a dispute between people over whether
there should be a Muslim burial for Khwaja Hafiz . Some clerics questioned the piety of
Khwaja Hafiz
as they had attached a literal meaning to his poetry. They made the
presumption that Khwaja Hafiz
must have indeed drunk wine to be able to write about
such things. However, many people in Shiraz knew that Khwaja Hafiz
had taught in the
madarsa all his life, was a Hafiz e Quran and were also aware that his poetry contained
metaphors and disputed this view of questioning the piety of Khwaja Hafiz .
Eventually, it was agreed upon to open the Divan e Hafiz and to do fal from the words of
Khwaja Hafiz himself. The fal was done and the following question was asked, Is Khwaja
Hafiz a pious person, or not? The couplet that gave the answer was verse 7 from Ghazal
79 of Divan e Hafiz;

Follow Hafizs corpse to the grave with pain,
For though sinful, paradise he will acquire.

Al Fatiha

Compiled by: Afzaal Mahmood and Abd al-Majid

Khatam Sharif Date: 02/12/2010

Page: 14 of 14