Ḥāfiẓ’s Flaw-covering pīr

A controversial couplet by Ḥāfiẓ (d. 1390) – in which he praises his spiritual mentor ( pīr ) for overlooking the flaws of the created world, thereby raising the Problem of Evil – has long challenged commentators seeking to reconcile it with a Sufi, Ash‘arite worldview that affirms cosmic perfection and a just creator. This article examines the hermeneutical trajectory of the couplet in both premodern and modern milieus, showing that its interpretation has largely followed a theological path. The dominant interpretive tendency – seen in figures such as Davānī (d. 1502), Dārābī (d. c. 1717), and Khurramshāhī (b. 1945) – relies on assumed doctrinal lenses, while a few commentators privilege literary and rhetorical approaches, notably Sūdī (d. c. 1600) and Dādbih (b. 1947). These perspectives reveal the wide-ranging exegetical efforts to safeguard the sanctified image of Ḥāfiẓ in the Persianate cultural memory and highlight the historically porous and continually negotiated boundaries between philosophy, kalām , Sufism, and poetry within the Islamicate commentarial tradition.