Both Rumi and Hafez were Sufis who wrote poetry on their perception of Islam. As one reads both of their works, one can realize that Rumi as a Sufi does not indulge in pleasures, whereas Hafez does. In Rumi’s poem The Question, he talks about how fire is perceived to be bad, but in reality it actually is beneficial to the society. He shows that the people only view the stream (water) as the only thing that gives life giving qualities, but when people get so stuck on this mindset, they fail to realize that the fire can benefit them as well. On the other hand, when reading Hafez’s poems, one can see the impacts that alcohol and women have on his life through his writings. He shows that he indulges in drinking wine, and he mentions he in fact is in love, when Sufis themselves should only engage in higher connections with God.
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I completely agree with your analysis on the comparison between Rumi and Hafez. I feel that Rumi wrote the poem The Question to force us to think critically about everything in society and examine the effects they have on our lives. The fact that fire can be considered beneficial, even though we only see its harmful qualities, causes us to realize that issues like the obstacles we face in life actually benefit us in the long run. We must as humans use our ability to think critically to realize the great value the things around us have.