Saif Farghani's Beliefs, the Tendency toward Shi'ism Discourse and Socio-Political Criticism

Saif al-Din Farghani (d. 1348/ 749 AH) is among the lesser-known poets of the Iraqi period. He lived in the 13th-14th centuries, during the Mongol invasion and domination, and spent most of his life outside the borders of Iran in Aksaray (modern-day Turkey). The primary issue of the research is to discuss his merits in comparison with numerous Persian poets and writers, especially Qasida (ode) authors. As a criticiser and social reformer, he was committed to society and avoided praise poetry and a courtly career. In this paper, we will first examine the background of him, and then there will be a commentary on his beliefs, which can be helpful as a backdrop to comprehending Saif's qualities and works. Afterwards, we extend the main discussion into three parts: first, we have an overview of the troubled situation of his time. Second, we discuss Saif's response to that situation in the form of socio-political criticism included in his poems, which is significant from the perspective of the sociology of literature. And thirdly, we draw upon his moral and artistic behaviour according to the above topics. The research method is descriptive-analytical and, due to the extreme lack of first-hand sources, directly referring to the text of Diwan (Qasidas) and extracting facts related to the main subject. Drawing the attention of critics of the political aspect of Persian classical poetry to a rare and admirable poet is a side goal of the research. Among the findings, we should point out the inconsistency of some of Saif's beliefs with the progressive side of his character, including his opposition to reason, philosophy and the historical background of Iran; and on the other hand, the impact of Saif's adoration for the truth of Sufism and Shiism in pursuing a path that ultimately ended in his anonymity.