Bibi Hayati
Bibi Hayati was a 19th-century Persian Sufi poet and mystic from the Kerman province of Iran. She belonged to the Ni'matullāhī Sufi order and is known for her passionate ghazals expressing divine love.
Biography
Hayati was born in the early 19th century into a noble family with a long tradition of Sufism, likely in the town of Bam in Kerman province, Persia. She received early spiritual guidance from her brother and was later initiated into the Ni'matullahi Sufi order by the master Nur 'Ali Shah, whom she married. They had one child together.At her husband's encouragement, she composed and published poetry, overcoming initial reluctance due to her gender; Nur 'Ali Shah reportedly affirmed that in the realm of love and Sufism, she had attained the status of "manhood" through her devotion. Hayati was known not only for her spiritual accomplishments but also for her practical virtues, including caring for and feeding the Sufi community.
Bibi Hayati compiled a divan of ghazals and other poems characterized by erotic-mystical imagery and expressions of intense longing for the divine beloved, typical of Persian Sufi literature. Her poetry demonstrates familiarity with both exoteric Islamic principles and esoteric Sufi gnosticism, as well as elements of Persian music and sama'.
Notable poems include her Saqi Namah and ghazals translated into English, such as Is it the night of power.