author
Abu al-Ala al-Maarri
973–1057
A blind Syrian poet and thinker from the 10th and 11th centuries, he became famous for fiercely original verse that questioned convention and probed big moral and philosophical questions. His work is still remembered for its wit, seriousness, and unusual independence of mind.
2 Audiobooks
The Luzumiyat of Abu'l-Ala Selected from his Luzum ma la Yalzam and Suct us-Zand
by Abu al-Ala al-Maarri
The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala
by Abu al-Ala al-Maarri
About the author
Born in Ma'arrat al-Numan in present-day Syria in 973, Abu al-Ala al-Maarri became one of the best-known poets of the Arabic language. Sources describe him as a poet, writer, and philosopher, and note that he lost his sight in childhood.
He was admired for the brilliance and difficulty of his style, as well as for the originality of his outlook. His writing is often associated with skepticism, asceticism, and a darkly reflective view of life, yet it also shows deep moral concern and an insistence on using reason rather than simply accepting tradition.
Among the works most closely linked to him are Saqt al-Zand, The Luzumiyat, and The Epistle of Forgiveness. More than nine centuries after his death in 1057, he remains a striking literary voice: challenging, memorable, and hard to fit into any single label.