Of Shahnama, Divana, Gulistan, Rubiyat and Mathnawi

Word Count : 1041

AI Count : 60.1%

The people of Iran, rooted in their Persian legacy, are naturally inclined to blend heroism in battle, express love for humanity through both romance and ecstasy, and withstand tragedy as their customary resilience demands. Their psychological makeup has been deeply shaped by their cultural heritage, which spans centuries and thousands of years of vibrant art and literature, encompassing both prose and poetry.

The fighting spirit, resilience to endure hardships for the nation's benefit -- both individually and collectively -- and the expression of love amid tragedy are largely inspired by the greatest epics crafted by renowned Persian poets.The oldest known literature is the Behistun Inscription of Darius I from 522 BCE, which justified his rule by proclaiming victory over the usurper Gaumata and rebels, and sought favor from Ahura Mazda.

Of the Common Era, the earliest notable work is the Shahnama of Firdaus, created in 1010 CE to revive Persian culture. It took 35 years to complete and was presented to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni during the Samanid Dynasty. Firdaus did not invent the stories but drew from ancient tales of the ‘Book of Kings’ to compile the history and legends of the Persian Empire.

 The Shahnama is more than a mere poem; it is regarded as the identity card of the Persian people, narrated through stories of Sohrab and Rostam, the romance of Zal and Rubaba, and the tragedy of Syavas, heroes of Sistan. The Shahnama inspired some of the most beautiful art in Islamic history, and in later centuries, emperors commissioned illustrated copies of the epic to bolster their legitimacy.

The most renowned example is the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, created in the 16th century for the Safavid ruler, which stands as an invaluable record of Persian painting and life. The Shahnama remains the cornerstone of Persian epic poetry.

Like Shanama, Hafiz's Divana represents the pinnacle of Persian lyric and mystical poetry, cherished in rich Persian culture. Shamsuddin Muhammad Hafiz-e-Sirazi wrote the Divana in the 14th century, a collection of Sufi mystic poetry that expresses the soul's longing for union with the divine. It features sharp wit and criticism of the hypocrisy of the pious and the cruelty of rulers.

Copies of Divana are found in every Iranian home, memorized as everyday proverbs. To this day, October 12th is celebrated as Hafiz Day in Iran. The Divana is still regarded as a lover’s hyperbole. Mystically, it abandons the material world in search of a glimpse of divine beauty.

The next pillar of Persian literature is Gulistan, or the Rose Garden of Sadi Shirazi, written in 1258 CE. Sadi, walking with his friend in the garden, created a garden of words that would last forever, unlike the flowers that his friend was carrying home, which would fade. He compiled a collection of witty stories and maxims designed to offer the bitter medicine of advice mixed with the honey of wit.

Sadi’s 30 years of traveling through Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East exposed him to a wide range of human characters, from kings and scholars to beggars and thieves, providing him with raw material for his stories.

Gulistan details the morals of the Dervishes, the value of contentment, the benefits of silence, love, and youth, the weaknesses of old age, the effects of education, and above all, the rules for how to conduct one's life. It was not just a book but a foundation of Persian etiquette and social wisdom, guiding daily life with proverbial sayings, universal aphorisms, and messages for humanity.

If Firdaus gave Persia its epic memory, Hafiz its mystical soul, and Sadi its practical wisdom, Omar Khayyam posed its most profound and haunting question to the creator.

In the 12th century CE, Omar Khayyam was a Persian sage from Nishapur, Iran. Composed his great work ‘Rubaiyat’, or quatrains in four-line stanzas. The work focused on themes like seizing the day with joy, as life is fleeting; a deep obsession with the transient nature of existence; and questioning the benevolent creator about why he allows so much pain.

The Rubaiyat gained broad attention in the West because it blends hedonism and spiritual doubt, resonating deeply with Western readers. Khayyam was an agnostic free thinker who used the imagery of wine to literally drown the sorrows of a meaningless universe. The work was deeply esoteric and Sufi in nature, often misunderstood by literal-minded Western translators.

Jalal Uddin Rumi was a mystic poet who reached the height of Persian poetry and is still widely studied in the Western world today. If Omar Khayyam posed a question, Rumi offers an ecstatic answer not through logic but through love. 

In the 13th century, Rumi was not only a poet but also an Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. His great work, Mathnawi, is considered in the Persian world the second most important book after the Quran. 

Rumi’s core message, as expressed in Mathnawi, is simple yet radical: love is the only religion. Rumi believed that intellect has limits. It can analyze the world, but it can’t truly feel the divine. To know God, one must burn with love for the friend, for nature, for music, and for the vastness itself.

Firdaus embodies the Iranian identity, Hafiz brings ecstasy, Sadi offers wisdom, Khayyam presents doubt, and Rumi provides answers. The psychology of the Iranian people is more complex than Westerners might understand. It is shaped by wisdom drawn from centuries -- and millennia-old cultures, blending worldly and divine realities.

The love for both worldly and eternal beauty, the insight to see beyond the immediate and the infinite, the desire to fight like Sohrab and Rostam, and Iran's spirit of martyrdom do not stem from a perception of tragedy but from a love inspired by Haifz, Firdaus, Sadi, or Rumi.

This love unites the nation, not through government coercion, but through self-motivation cultivated over centuries and thousands of years of cultural richness.

Brigadier General AF Jaglul Ahmed (Retd) is a regular contributor to national dailies. He can be reached at [email protected].