The Reflection of Hypocrisy and Deception in Jami's Poems

Hypocrisy and deception are the moral vices which human societies have suffered from throughout history – the hypocrisy of the people who aimed at gaining social influence and prestige among people by showing an acceptable character. Jami is one of the outstanding poets of Iran's didactic literature who dealt with ethical issues, including hypocrisy, in his valuable works. It seems from his poems that pretending to be Sufi, forming bands of Sufis around a Sheik, residing in a convent for worldly purposes, and misusing religion and people's sincere beliefs have all been widespread in his time. In his poetry, particularly, in Silsilat-ul-Zahab, Jami criticizes this moral vice and reveals some examples of demagogy of the pretenders and hypocrites of his time. Therefore, it is necessary to examine his poems from this angle, so that we could clarify his poetic diction, and his view on hypocrisy and harms arising from this social vice. Undoubtedly, elicitation, examination and analyzing Jami's view on this issue can make a great contribution to better understanding of the ugliness of hypocrisy and the virtue of sincerity. The present article explains the concept of deception and uses library method of research to represent Jami's view towards it.