On Jan. 27, 2024, 4:29 p.m. hamed:

The chapter of “در عشق و جوانی” (On Love and Youth) in the Bustan (The Orchard) by Saadi Shirazi contains many stories and verses that describe the love and admiration of men for young boys, which was a common theme and practice in classical Persian literature and culture. However, this does not necessarily mean that Saadi or his characters were homosexual in the modern sense of the word. Rather, they were following a tradition of pederasty, which was a form of mentorship and education between an older man and a younger boy, often accompanied by erotic and aesthetic attraction. This tradition was influenced by the Greek and Roman cultures, as well as by the pre-Islamic Iranian customs, and it was accepted and celebrated by many poets, scholars, and rulers in the medieval Islamic world. Saadi himself was a devout Muslim, and he did not advocate any violation of the Islamic law or morality. ...