Al-Ma`arri

Al-Ma‘arri (full name in Arabic: أبو العلاء أحمد بن عبد الله بن سليمان التنوخي المعري, "Abu al-ʿAlāʾ Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sulaimān al-Tanūkhī al-Maʿarri", December 26, 973–May 10 or May 21, 1057) was a blind Arab [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049584/al-Maarri] philosopher, poet and writer. He is also known as The Eastern Lucretius. He was a controversial rationalist of his time and he denounced Islam as a travesty.

Life

Abu 'Ali al-Muhassin al-Tanukhi (Tanukhi) was born in Syria and lost his sight at the age of five due to smallpox. He then went on to study in Aleppo, Antioch, and other Syrian towns pursuing a career as a freethinker, philosopher and poet before returning his native town of Ma'arrat al-Numan, where he lived the rest of his life.

He briefly travelled to the center of Baghdad where he drew a great following of disciples to listen to his lectures on poetry and grammar and rationalism. One of the recurring themes of his philosophy was the rights of reason against the claims of custom, tradition and authority.

Views on Islam and religion

Al-Maʿaari taught that religion was a “fable invented by the ancients,” worthless except for those who exploit the credulous masses. He rejected all the claims of Islam as well as other religions stating:

:Do not suppose the statements of the prophets to be true; they are all fabrications. Men lived comfortably till they came and spoiled life. The sacred books are only such a set of idle tales as any age could have and indeed did actually produce.

Al-Maʿarri criticized many of the dogmas of Islam, such as the Hajj, which he called, “a heathen’s journey.” He viewed the ritualistic kissing of the black stone at Mecca the superstitious nonsense of religions that have only resulted in fanatical and sectarian bigotry and bloodshed to force their beliefs onto people at the point of a sword.

One of his poems expresses his views:

:They all err - Moslems, Christians, Jews, and Magians::Two make Humanity's universal sect::One man intelligent without religion,:And, one religious without intellect. [Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson. Quoted in Cyril Glasse, (2001), "The New Encyclopedia of Islam", page 278. Rowman Altamira.]

Works

His collections of poetry are titled "The Tinder Spark" ("Saqt az-zand"; سقط الزند) and "Unnecessary Necessity" ("Luzum ma la yalzam"; لزوم ما لا يلزم أو اللزوميات), also called the Luzumiyat. He hailed from the city of Ma'arra (المعرة) in Syria from which his name derives. He was notable for his apparent disbelief in revealed religions, which was rare in the 11th century. [ [http://www.sdsmt.edu/student-orgs/tfs/reading/freethought/islam.html Freethought Traditions in the Islamic World] by Fred Whitehead] He was also a noted vegetarian.

Abul-ʿAla is also well known for his famous book "The Epistle of Forgiveness" ("Resalat Al-Ghufran"; رسالة الغفران ) which is one of the most effective books in the Arabic heritage and which left a notable influence on the next generations of writers. It is a book of divine comedy that concentrates on the Arabic poetical civilization but in a way that touches all aspects of life. The most interesting characteristics of "Resalat Al-Ghufran" are its genius digression, deep philosophy, and brilliant language. Following Miguel Asín Palacios, some say that the "Resalat Al-Ghufran" has clearly had an influence on, or has even inspired Alighieri Dante's Divine Comedy.

Abul-ʿAla also wrote (("Fusul wal ghayat")) ("Paragraphs and Periods") a collection of poetics similar in style to the Qur'an. Some scholars have assumed that Abul-ʿAla wrote the Fusl wal ghayat in order to illustrate that the language of the Qur'an is not miraculous, but merely thought to be so because of being revered for hundreds of years. However, not all scholars agree with this interpretation.

See also

*Arabic literature
*List of Arab scientists and scholars
*Bangsian fantasy

References

* [http://www.humanistictexts.org/al_ma'arri.htm] Al-Ma'arri's poems (in English).
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049584/al-Maarri] Encyclopædia Britannica.