Hafez was born in circa 1326 in Shiraz. After the death of his father, his brothers dispersed and he and his mother lived a destitute life. In his prime days, he became a bakery worker and simultaneously attended the traditional school. Gradually, he pursued religious and literal sciences, achieved masterly skills in the 14-fold recitation of the Holy Qur’an and conducted exhaustive research on the Holy Qur’an and probably his surname Hafez is derived from this source. Since literal sciences were a prelude to religious sciences, he acquired necessary mastery in this field too.

Shiraz was a safe haven for literati during the time of Hafez and this fact had a profound impact on the nature of education. Besides religious and literal sciences, he was interested in clerical and administrative activities as well and paid due attention to these activities.

Hafez is an indisputable master of ghazal. The evolutionary course of ghazal started from Sana’i and was brought to perfection by Hafez. He synthesized the lofty amorous and mystical subjects and is therefore the inheritor of Sa’di and Rumi.

His ghazal is the most popular form for all social strata. This characteristic can hardly be traced in other poets and this fact induced posterior poets to follow him. His regard for predecessors resulted in the fact that in his style we see the examples of remodeling, but this refashioning is metamorphosed in his ghazal and is divorced from its previous form.

The skill of Hafez in the selection of words and meanings is such that it is almost impossible for other poets to achieve. In fact, Hafez was deeply influenced by Sa’di and has intermixed his ghazals with varying subjects and a bit of Khayyamesque thinking. He has exhibited his social agonies in ghazals and wherever expedient, he struggled against ostentatious ascetics and tyrant rulers.

His frequent use of double entendre makes him a complicated poet. The readers are sometimes entrapped into a mesh of contradictory concepts. Well versed in Islamic mysticism and teachings, Hafez could create an infinite capacity of purports and an unbounded scope for inspiration.

Sacred and profane mingle together to bring forth a poetry beyond human capabilities. To Hafez, poetry is not a means to express his innermost feelings but a means to express his love for the beloved. The beloved in Hafez’s poetry is no ordinary one. He goes beyond ordinary love and arrives at the truth of love, which is God.

Hafez died in between 791/1388 and 792/1389. O preacher! Mind thy own business. What is all this frenzy meant to be? My heart hath fallen in a trap. What hath befallen thee? The connection with her which the Lord hath created from naught Is a subtly the solution of which no living being hath sought. Of her lips I was deprived to satiate my desire The counsel of the entire world is like oil on fire. The beggar of thy street hath no need of the heaven above Free of this and the next world is the captive of thy love. Intoxicated by love, senseless and numb have I grown, Thus, the foundation of my being have I once again known. O heart! Carp not of the tyranny of the one so dear Thus hath she advised thee and justice to thee this should appear Hafez! Go utter no tale; compose no verses of joy or woe Many of such wondrous conceits and verses do I know. (Rendered into English verse by Ismail Salami)