Hafez divination, Iranian’s intangible heritage
September 24, 2008 - 0:0
TEHRAN -- Divination with the odes of Hafez has long been practiced among different Iranian peoples over the centuries, and this ancient tradition needs to be registered as part of Iran’s intangible heritage.
Divination is the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means, and this arises from the folkloric culture of people.The act of divination is deeply rooted in our culture. Actually divination and consulting with the venerated books such as religious books and divans of famous Iranian poets is rooted in our traditional beliefs.
For example, in some historical books, one can read how a commander of an army at war changes his mind and withdraws or conversely, becomes more determined to continue the battle as a result of divination.
There are different methods of divination practiced among people such as divination with a cup of coffee, combs, chickpeas, or cards. And this great attention by people to divination has produced a career of fortunetelling and soothsaying for many.
The Iranian people pay particular attention to Hafez and his poetry, and the act of divination using the odes of Hafez has its own special place among Iranians.
There are many historical documents that speak of kings who consulted the divan of Hafez during their rule. Hafez was nicknamed by the titles “Lisan-ul-Gheib” (one who knows about the future) or “Tarjoman-ul-Asrar” (one who can interpret the mysteries).
The Divan of Hafez is found in the home of every Iranian family. It is usually put beside the Holy Quran and even some put it on “The spread of the Haft Seen” (seven items beginning with Persian letter ‘seen’) put on a tablecloth at the beginning of Noruz.
However, the act of divination has its own regulations about how, when and who should carry out the process.
The act of divination usually takes place on a special occasion such as at Noruz time, the eve of Charshanbeh Suri (last Wednesday of the year celebrated by jumping over a fire), the day of Sizdah Bedar (going to parks or out of town to spend the first 13th day of the year), or Yalda Night (the last night of the fall season).
The one who is selected to practice divination using the odes of Hafez must have a pleasant voice and be able to recite poetry well. He or she is usually the host of the house in which relatives have gathered to spend time on the special occasion.
The one who does the act usually performs ablution and then holds the divan in his hand like a sacred book and murmurs the name of God. Then he waits for the requester to specify his/her intention in his/her heart; and then usually closes his eyes and finally opens the book.
The first ghazal (ode) that begins on the right page (based on Persian books, the opposite of English texts) is the divination, or, if the beginning of the ghazal is on the previous page, he should turn back to the previous page and recite it from the beginning.
The requester listens carefully and usually gets the main message of the ghazal with the response to his/her request in the first or second verse. But also during the recitation the ghazal, everyone listens carefully and tries to guess the intent of requester of the divination, and even discuss their own opinions as well.
It is the belief of people to petition Hafez during the time of divination, and they usually do it by calling the name of Hafez’s beloved Shakhenabat, or to pure water and seven bottles of rosewater, or even to the Prophet Muhammad (S) and the Imams.
Courtesy: The Persian service of CHN based on the book “Popular Beliefs about Divination of Hafez” written by Mahmud Ruh-ol-Amini