Safvat al-Safa’
Shaykh Safi Interprets Verses by Distinguished Poets
Shaykh Safi Interprets Verses by Distinguished Poets
Fol. 245v from a manuscript of Safvat al-Safa'
Iran, Shiraz, 1582
Opaque watercolour, gold, and ink on paper
AKM264
The fourth chapter of Safvat al-Safa’ contains a section on Shaykh Safi’s interpretations of verses by well-known poets. This illustration accompanies a passage in which he expounds on a couplet by the famed Sufi poet Farid al-Din ‘Attar (d. 1221), discussing the pre-Islamic prophet Zoroaster at a fire temple. Shaykh Safi considered the verse to be a metaphor for the world of spiritual love. In the illustration, the Shaykh is seated barefoot on a carpet and surrounded by disciples. This could be a generic representation of a master lecturing his pupils, or perhaps it is meant to forge a parallel between Zoroaster and the Shaykh, as he gathers his followers in a community of mystical love.