Sayyid Qutb and Persian poetry (Reflecting his appreciations regarding Hafez and Khayyam's poetry)

Sayyid Qutb is one of the prominent figures of the twentieth century. He is considered as a religious and political intellectual, and his views regarding literature and poetry is subject to consideration. Studying Hafez and Khayyam poetry, he has critically studied their poem and believes that these two Persian literary figures can be classified among mystical poets. Hafez, in general, is poet with great wit and humor mixed whit romantic ideas and occult knowledge, and Khayyam, according to him, is a grieved Sufi and poet searching for the lost truth failing to find a ray of light in darkness. Sayyid Qutb's appraisals  on the one hand indicates the degree of familiarity with the Iran's literature and culture and, on the other hand, reveals his detailed studies concerning the great poets of Iran. This paper aims at considering his critical appraisals and appreciation regarding two Iranian poets.