Tolerance in Hafiz's Divan

In this article, after a brief review of the term 'tolerance' and its history in the West and the Islamic culture, regarding the interrelationships and the effects of political, historical, and social issues on the artist's mind, a brief account is provided of the Hafiz's political, historical and social era. An attempt is made to scrutinize Hafiz's viewpoint of tolerance from three different perspectives. The first is Hafiz's viewpoint about sin. In this section, sin is viewed as destined by God, Adam and Eve's first sin, the act of God's forgiving sin out of compassion which is the manifestation of God's grace, the insignificance of debauchery in the world, the uncertainty of man's destiny and his actions. In the second section, such subjects as Hafiz's tolerance, seizing the moment to commit sin, tendency to seek pleasure, and drinking as a sin-cleansing factor are discussed. In the third section, Hafiz's view of individual and social life and the provision of a behavioral pattern based on cooperation and tolerance will be investigated. This pattern is based on the compromise with enemies, condemning arrogance, acquisition of wealth and wrong-doing, promoting generosity, compassion and the unity of religions.