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Disinterested Love versus Fear-and-Hope Worship in Jami's Baharestan
In this section of Jami's Baharestan, Fozail Ayaz declares that he worships God out of love and friendship (mahabba) alone, unable to refrain from worship. When asked who the base person (sofleh) is, a Sufi answers: one who worships God out of fear (of hell) and hope (of paradise). By contrast, the noble worshipper is moved by love itself, and that love is what compels him to service and obedience. The accompanying verses reinforce this: the lover stands at the Beloved's door by the command of love rather than for wages, unwilling to be content with paradise or the houris. The concept expresses the Sufi ideal of disinterested devotion, in which love is both the motive and the reward of worship, superior to transactional piety driven by fear of punishment or desire for recompense.
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Humanities
Literature
Persian Literature Prerequisite Course