Al-Ma‘arri (full name in
Arabic: أبو العلاء أحمد بن عبد الله بن سليمان التنوخي
المعري,
Abu al-'Alā Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allāh ibn Sulaimān
al-Tanūkhī al-Ma'arri,
December 26,
973–
May 10 or
May 21,
1057) was a
blind Arab philosopher, poet and writer. He was a
controversial
rationalist of his time,
he attacked the dogmas of
religion, and
rejected the claim that
Islam possessed any
monopoly on truth.
Life
Abu 'Ali
al-Muhassin al-Tanukhi (Tanukhi) was born in Syria
and lost his
sight at the age of four due to smallpox. He hailed from the city of Ma'arra
(المعرة) in
Syria from which his name derives. 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, practicing asceticism and vegetarianism.
He briefly travelled to the center of Baghdad where he drew a great
following of both male and female disciples to listen to his
lectures on poetry, grammar and rationalism. One of the recurring
themes of his philosophy was the rights of reason against the
claims of custom, tradition and authority.
Although an advocate of social justice and action, Al-Ma'arri
suggested that women should not bear children in order to save
future generations from the pains of life.
Views on Islam and religion
Al-Ma'arri was
sceptic in
his beliefs and denounced superstition and dogmatism in religion.
Thus, he has been described as
pessimistic
freethinker
Al-Ma'arri taught that religion was a “fable invented by the
ancients,” worthless except for those who exploit the credulous
masses.
In
al Ma'arri's lifetime, many Caliphates had
appeared in Egypt
, Baghdad
, and
Aleppo, which had all used religion as a tool to justify
their power. He rejected 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-Ma'arri 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.
He rejected claims of any
divine
revelation. His creed was that of a
philosopher and
ascetic,
for whom
reason provides a moral guide, and
virtue is its own reward.
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 was notable for his
apparent disbelief in revealed religions, which was rare in the
11th century.
Abū al-'Ala al-Ma'arrī in
elegy composed by
him over the loss of a relative, combines his grief with
observations on the ephemerality of this life:
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 it 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
References
-
http://books.google.com/books?id=hbHv0Hi-VbsC&pg=PA55&dq=al+maarri
- Philip Khuri Hitti, Islam, a Way of Life, page 147.
University of Minnesota Press
- By Philip Khuri Hitti Islam, a way of life
p. 147
- Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, 1962, A Literary History of the
Arabs, page 318. Routledge
- Lamia Ben Youssef Zayzafoon, The Production of the Muslim
Woman, page 141. Lexington Books
- James Hastings, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part
3, page 190. Kessinger Publishing.
- Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, 1962, A Literary History of the
Arabs, page 319. Routledge
- Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson. Quoted in Cyril
Glasse, (2001), The New Encyclopedia of Islam, page 278.
Rowman Altamira.
- Freethought Traditions in the Islamic World by
Fred Whitehead
- Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, 1962, A Literary History of the
Arabs, page 317. Routledge
- Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, 1962, A Literary History of the
Arabs, page 323. Routledge
- William Montgomery Watt, Pierre Cachia, A History of
Islamic Spain, page 183. Edinburgh University Press
Sources
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