THE CLASSIC ISLAMIC LOVE STORY, LAYLA AND MAJNUN
Hello, friends. Welcome to my space!
The world knows Juliet and Romeo's story. The most tragic love story of all time. But, have you heard about Layla and Kais? The most beautiful and sad love story in Islamic world.
Layla and Majnun by Nizami Ganjavi, Colin Turner (Translator)
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Publishing date: June 1st, 1997
Synopsis:
The text is a prose rendition of Nizami's 12th-century poetic masterpiece, in which he reshapes the legends of Majnun, the quintessential romantic fool, into a tale of the ideal lover. For the Sufis, Majnun represents the perfect devotee of the "religion of the heart," and the story is an allegory of the soul's longing for God. This is a beautiful production, and it includes a final chapter newly translated from the Persian by Omid Safi and Zia Inayat Khan.
My rating: ★★★★★
Kais is the perfect boy in Banu Amir tribe. Handsome and smart. He is also very good with words. His father, the leader of Banu Amir, is very proud of him. He sends Kais to study under a renowned scholar in Arab. There he meets Layla. The most beautiful girl in Arab. They fall in love. But you see, in the Arab's culture, it is haram for a man and a woman to have a relationship before marriage so they get separated. While Layla can handle the separation quite well—even though her heart is broken—Kais starts to lose himself. His mourns turn into madness. He becomes "Majnun", the madman.
Many people compare Layla and Majnun to Romeo and Juliet because both love stories have a tragic ending. But, unlike Romeo and Juliet who are fictional characters, Majnun is associated with a real-life character, Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, who probably lived in the second half of the seventh century AD in the desert of Najd in the Arabian peninsula.
This story is not just about a love story between two lovers, but also a story about love that a man has for his God. Be faithful to Him that He will turn his suffering into happiness. Be patient with the good and the bad that He gives to him.
Many movies have been created based on this story. But, most of them only portrayed the romance side of the story. They didn't bring up the spiritual side of the story, and that is quite disappointing for me.
For any of you who have known about the Layla and Majnun story, either from movies or other sources, but haven't read the original version by Nizami, I suggest you read it. You'd be surprised by how deep this story is actually about.
So, HAPPY READING, FRIENDS!
Nizami Ganjavi
Nizami Ganjavi, also spelled Nezāmi, (Persian: نظامی گنجوی) is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated and shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Source: Goodreads
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