Compare the poetry of Rumi and Hafez

Rumi and Hafez were both Persian mystic poets, separated by roughly a hundred years, whose writing encouraged unity with God. Both poets focus heavily on the belief that God is not only a deity that exists in the heavens, but is also someone whose presence can be felt within communities on Earth. Rumi and Hafez also differed in their personal religious beliefs. Although both were considered Sufi Muslims, they had differing opinions on the traditional customs outlined by Sufism. Hafez focuses much of his work on material pleasures, whereas Rumi opts for a more minimalist approach on life’s necessities. Another notable difference between the two was that Hafez had grew up in a lower class, working family, which influenced the style of his poems relative to Rumi. Hafez began writing poems by improvising his form, and thus, some of his older poems may differ from Rumi in terms of structure.