The Luzumiyat · Chapter
LXXII explained
The speaker calls for a rejection of myth and superstition, urging a brother to ascend to the heights where reason serves as both prophet and guide.
What happens
The speaker calls for a rejection of myth and superstition, urging a brother to ascend to the heights where reason serves as both prophet and guide.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Themes in this chapter
- Doubt and Skepticism
Rejection of myths and embrace of reason as the sole guide.
- Spiritual Search and Agnosticism
Elevation of reason to a prophetic role, suggesting a non-dogmatic spiritual path.
Characters to notice
- Abu al-ʻAlaʼ al-Maʻarri
Implied speaker advocating reason over myth.
Key passages
“Oh! let them in the marshes grope, or ride / Their jaded Myths along the mountain-side; / Come up with me, O Brother, to the heights / Where Reason is the prophet and the guide.”
Let others wander in confusion, clinging to worn-out legends; instead, join me on the summit where rational thought leads the way.
A call to abandon superstition and embrace reason.
