The field of Persian literary studies is progressively accepting contemporary critical postures that conceive lyric poetry as a performative act. From the perspective of this new paradigm (inaugurated decades ago by Kate Hamburger, and recently developed by Jonathan Culler), one may regard the Persianate ghazal form as a lyric genre that can function both as a linguistic trace of simulated experiences and as a performative experience in its own right. This paper approaches the potential performativity of the Persianate ghazal by analyzing the historical contexts in which this lyric form circulated as a social practice capable of expressing and catalyzing spiritual, sensual, and aesthetic ideals. The specific context of this investigation is a widespread practice known as sam?‘. This technical term is often translated as “spiritual audition,” “mystical concert,” or through other expressions that try to grasp the literary, aural, and religious aspects of sam?‘ as a ritual. While some modern scholars have focused on this practice by exclusively considering the “mystical” framework of the contexts in which it would take place, this study frames sam?‘ as a “lyrical ritual” whose horizon of meaning and functions bridges the gap between the expression of sensual desire and the inward quest of the divine. By comparing manuals, historical accounts, and poetic excerpts that comment on sam?‘, this paper will shed light on 13th-century ghazal poetry as a ritualistic tool that constantly oscillates between the realm of language and the territory of embodied experiences. In particular, the study of premodern ghazals that directly refer to the practice of sam?‘ will show how some authors (namely Sa‘di Shirazi, and some of his imitators, Hom?m Tabrizi and Sayf Fargh?ni) would define lyric poetry as a linguistic exercise aimed at producing physiological responses in the bodies of their audiences, both in the context of shared rituals, and through the practice of silent reading.