The fourteenth century poet, Hafez, has been described as one of the "Iranian oil wells that never run dry." He was a mystic, a philosopher, who translated the ancient Zoroastrian world view into an Islamic mileau. His vision was so large as to speak across the centuries and touch, lovingly, upon virtually all aspects of life. His spiritual genius was recognized by western poets such as Goethe, Nietzsche and Emerson. Haleh Pourafzal points out that Hafez criticized the tendency of the human mind to fixate upon any one idea. He used the metaphor of intoxication to symbolize the spiritual path.

Haleh Pourafzal is co-author, with Roger Montgomery, of The Spiritual Wisdom of Hafez.