Statements in Meeting with a Group of Religious Poets

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

First of all, we enjoyed the poems that friends recited; especially some of the compositions carried all the joyful criteria and standards for the advancement of poetry. Secondly, what one observes in this session and sometimes in other sessions is the presence of very strong, rich, and hopeful talents. I predict that, God willing, in the not-too-distant future, we will have a new poetic peak from these young talents. Of course, they must progress, they must complete their work, their poems must become more mature and profound, and they certainly will. God willing, in our era, a lofty structure will be established that recalls the peaks of poetry in our country; because poetry has had ups and downs throughout historical periods; in some eras, poetry has flourished. We will, God willing, have this in the not-too-distant future.

However, what is appropriate for this session that I would like to recommend to my brothers are a few points. One point is that this poetry you have named ritual poetry, which is not an inappropriate designation—now you introduce religious poetry as ritual poetry, that is fine—is among the best arenas for utilizing the God-given talent of poetry, and this great blessing is a significant gift that God bestows upon someone; this blessing should not be denied. The gratitude for this blessing is that a person brings something forth and presents it to people and thoughts that is beneficial for them. It is not that I want to speak dryly and rigidly; disregarding the benefit and use of the listener, the poet should not think of his own heart and not express the words of his heart and feelings; no, there is no problem; it is not that we deny the poet's speaking from the heart and for his own heart; but we want to say that in the context of evaluation, if poetry is to have content, the best contents are precisely those of religious poetry and religious themes with the broad and extensive range they possess.

In some sections of Hafez's ghazals, there is also religious poetry. Of course, I do not believe that all of Hafez's ghazals are like this, but a significant portion of Hafez's ghazals is indeed religious poetry in the sense that we mean; that is, it expresses knowledge and divine truths in a specific form; just as the Masnavi of Molavi is also a treasure of these divine thoughts and knowledge. Therefore, these are the contents and themes, and the best use of poetry is these. Of course, when one looks at the history of poetry, one sees that this commitment and caution has not been employed by our poets throughout history; that is, they have thrown this unique gem—according to Nasir Khusraw, the “pearl of pearls”—to the feet of swine, praised and used worthless and meaningless things; some have also used it in trivial emotional and sensual meanings. These are indeed wastefulness; utilizing poetic talent in inappropriate places and contexts.

Of course, among our poets, there are not few poets who have maximally utilized this talent and produced the best poems; we have had these in various eras; both in our own time and in the past; in various styles, from ancient times, we have poets like Sana'i, poets like Nasir Khusraw. They utilized this talent; they did what they were supposed to do, honestly. We also have Saadi. In later periods, we have poets like Sa'ib. Of course, Sa'ib does not lack poetry that is unrestrained in meanings and knowledge, but his knowledge poetry is indeed very abundant. These are ethical poetry, knowledge poetry, at a high level and in the best way that one can truly define and express ghazal poetry. Bidel is the same. Almost all of Bidel's divan is knowledge poetry. Some years ago, I advised the friends of the mourners to look at Sa'ib's divan and find ethical poetry, knowledge poetry, and mystical poetry in it; which is not few. These are very mature themes that illuminate hearts.

There is no curtain that does not have your melody The world is full of you, and there is no place for you Although all of existence is a beggar at your door There is no creature that knows your abode

See, when a mourner recites these with a beautiful voice and a lovely melody in a gathering, what a revolution it creates in the heart of the listener. These poems should be utilized. Others should do the same.

I would also like to add this point here—though I have noted it, but I will say it now—some of the mourners tell us that when we recite these complicated poems, people do not understand. Well, yes, some poems are indeed like this; they are above the general public's level of thought; that is, a literary and poetic person must pay attention to understand the meaning; we do not recommend these; but keep in mind, the minds of people and the perceptions of the audience rise with your recitation. I say this to the mourners; that is, you can elevate the minds of people. Good poetry, beautiful words, high themes, and strong knowledge should be recited; well, people will be compelled to listen. When you recite well, they listen, and naturally, their minds rise. We must certainly consider this as part of our duties to elevate the vision and taste and contemplation of the people.

The next point is that supplication is also part of ritual poetry. Ritual poetry is not just about praise and elegy; supplication is also part of ritual poetry. To correctly find the theme of supplication, the best reference is the prayers. Friends should become familiar with Sahifa Sajjadiya. This talent that I see in you can beautifully bring the themes of Sahifa Sajjadiya into very beautiful poems. The late Bahjat Ardakani—our old friend—brought part of the Dua of Abu Hamzeh into poetry thirty or forty years ago, which he recited for me. The difficult parts of the prayer were there—both the phrases and the themes were difficult—yet he was able to bring this prayer into poetry. I now see among these young people talents and tastes that are higher than the taste of the late Bahjat. I see in this very session poetic powers that are stronger, sharper, and more capable than our old ones. You can bring the themes of the supplication of the Day of Arafah of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) into poetry. The supplication of Arafah of Imam Hussein is passionate. Imam Sajjad also has a supplication for the Day of Arafah—in Sahifa Sajjadiya, the forty-seventh supplication is the supplication for the Day of Arafah—that is also a very profound and meaningful supplication; but the supplication of Imam Hussein is passionate, it is something else. If you become familiar, get close, and pay attention, from one part of this supplication, you can create a very beautiful poem, a collection, a piece, or a ghazal. Therefore, for supplication and monotheism, use Sahifa and the prayers.

For the virtues of the Imams, use the ziyarat, especially the Ziyarat-e-Jame'e Kabira. Therefore, you do not need to create exaggerations in your mind. What should be said about the Imams (peace be upon them) is in Ziyarat-e-Jame'e. You can select one of the sections of Ziyarat-e-Jame'e—now there may be hundreds of sections—and with your poetic talent and imagination, create a beautiful and pure ghazal. The capacity of this knowledge is so high.

Extract the lofty Islamic and Quranic knowledge from the Quran itself and from Nahj al-Balagha and from some of the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt—narrations from Usul al-Kafi in some sections. Get familiar with these sources. Ritual poetry has a very wide scope, and you can influence the mindset of society. There is a narration in Tuhaf al-Uqul, which is the will of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) to Abdullah ibn Jundab. It is in parts: O son of Jundab, O son of Jundab. This narration is full of wisdom. Truly, everything we need for our personal ethics, our social interactions, our public activities, and for building an Islamic civilization can be found in this narration and its like. What I have mentioned is a sample and an example; there are many such examples, and you can refer to them. Therefore, base and substantiate ritual poetry on these divine truths, with the aforementioned sources.

Another issue: when one sees these talents, these bubbling tastes, one truly becomes excited. Focus on these few things: one is theme-finding. When you want to express a matter, it can be expressed with various themes. Theme-making for expressing a truth is a great poetic art; of course, its main source is the poetry of the Indian style; this poetry of Sa'ib, Bidel, Arifi, and Kalim. When you refer to these, you will see that the apparatus of theme-making and theme-finding there is extraordinarily vast. Fortunately, in the expressions of friends, there are also many new and beautiful themes; I see this. A matter can be clothed in several garments; we call each garment a theme. The meaning of being theme-rich is this. So one is the issue of theme-finding.

Another is new combinations. Well, now in the era of the revolution, the commonly spoken language has entered poetry—something that was not common before the revolution—of course in various forms; some are strong and use this language in a very beautiful way, while others are a bit lower in quality. There is no problem in using our common conversational language to express those meanings and knowledge; however, with new combinations, new forms, and new word choices.

Another issue is correctness in speech. Friends should pay attention to this point that poetry must be correct according to the standards of language; verbs should be used correctly, in their proper places; the connection between parts of the sentence should be logical and lawful.

Another point that I think is important for the group of friends who write religious poetry is the issue of environmental influence. Of course, I do not mean the general environment of society. It is obvious that the environment of society affects a person. The economic situation, the political situation, the social situation, all have an effect on every person, and naturally, it affects the poet, and consequently, it affects his poetry; I do not want to say this. Specific environments, specific cultural circles influence minds. I want to say that you, the committed and faithful young people who speak about the Ahl al-Bayt with love and passion, write poetry about divine knowledge, about monotheism, and express it beautifully and passionately, should be careful that these environments do not lead you astray. That is, be vigilant about yourselves. In this path, give yourselves steadfastness and strengthen it day by day; because poetic, artistic, and literary environments affect a person.

I always have an example in my mind. The poet I have in mind, whom I will now name, is a great poet; Mohammad Jan Qudsi of Mashhad. He is among the prominent poets of the Indian style in the Safavid era—the eleventh century—his poems are among the strongest. I believe that after Sa'ib, there are really only one or two like Mohammad Jan. He was in Mashhad, one of the servants of the holy shrine and a eulogist of Imam Reza, and his poems are religious poems, and his divan is full of these poems. Look at the divan of Haj Mohammad Jan; he has many such poems. He later traveled to India. Associating with the princes of India and the dissolute courts of that day seemingly turned him upside down. One can see this in his ghazals. I often think about this. This poem belongs to Mohammad Jan Qudsi:

It is not good for a pious person to sit among the drunken Whoever does not drink tonight is not related to us In such a season where the nightingale is intoxicated and the garden is full of flowers If all the goblets of life are empty, it is not good

That is, a drunken, dissolute, wine-drinking person has been introduced into the poetic environment; from whom? From that pure, pious, devoted person who used to praise Imam Reza in Mashhad! Well, that environment nurtures this way. Therefore, be careful of environments; and this will also be achieved through your continuous connections with each other. In my opinion, the sessions of the poets who praise the Ahl al-Bayt—both the young and the old and the veterans—should be continuous. Of course, this does not mean that it must necessarily be one session; no, there should be sessions for the purpose of nurturing the bubbling talents of the young in this environment.

The last point is that some topics in ritual poetry are less addressed; including topics related to the issues of the revolution, the issues of war and the sacred defense. Of course, there was a very good period for this. This Mr. Mo'id, during the war, when the bodies of martyrs were brought to Mashhad, perhaps every day or every few days, he would compose a ghazal, and the mourners would recite these. Others would recite them too. Now, the place for these poems is empty. The eight years of sacred defense were eight years in terms of time, but in terms of spiritual, intellectual, and cultural continuity, it may continue for centuries. The epic that was created in the sacred defense, the motivation behind this epic, the intricate events that occurred during this time, are not things that can be completed in ten, fifteen, or twenty years. You are one of the custodians of this; you must preserve this trust, you must convey it.

Of course, there are daily and new events in the revolution that must be addressed, but this should not be forgotten either. One of the things related to the war that occupies my mind is the disabled veterans who, after a while, attain martyrdom; this is a special topic; this is different from a martyr who was martyred on the battlefield and about whom poetry has been written; this is a person who has gone through an experience and endured suffering, and in the end, he has become a martyr. Seek to find such topics. Also, in topics related to elegy, the elegy of Imam Hussein and the events of Karbala. Well, one sees the various expressions that are said; of course, some may not correspond to reality, meaning they may not be things that one can endorse; but there are grounds. For example, regarding the tragedy of Hazrat Abalfazl (peace be upon him), it seems to me that one of the important and attractive sections that can express this tragedy is the voice of the mother of Hazrat Abalfazl; the same “Do not call me, O mother of the sons,” or that other poem attributed to her. Well, these are two poems. Of course, these have also been translated into poetry, but the translation is not very interesting, not very strong; however, this is a field: a mother; she mourns the graves of her four sons who were martyred in Karbala, and she creates an epic. It is not all about shedding tears and hitting one's head—though shedding tears is there, and there is no problem—but it is about creating an epic, pride in these young men. This is a very good field, and for tragedies, much should be utilized from such fields. Or describing some of the spiritual states of the heroes of Karbala, including something similar to what Oman Samani has said, which depicts the moments of Imam Hussein's going to the battlefield—now how much reality there is, I do not know; of course, the reciters recite it—that Hazrat Zainab came forward, blocked the way, and a conversation took place between these two great figures. Oman uses this conversation to illustrate the character of Hazrat Zainab.

O you who hold the reins, am I Zainab Or the sighs of the mourners in the night

Then follows this: “Do not say a man is born in the world.” See, he uses this occasion—the conversation between this brother and sister—to illustrate the character of Hazrat Zainab (peace be upon her). These are important fields. That is, the narratives and voices should not only express the state that the hero of the story has at that moment; rather, it can also describe his characteristics, his personality, the subtleties of his spirit, and the greatness that exists within him; all of these are fields.

In any case, God willing, may God grant you success and support, and may you be able to advance more in this field. Today was a good day for me. I greatly enjoyed the poems that friends recited. I pray for you. God willing, may God activate your minds day by day, enrich your talents, make your tongues more eloquent, and direct your work more straight and better.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.