The Luzumiyat · Chapter
LXXX explained
A call to awaken those who have grown complacent under oppressive rulers, urging them to rise from their spiritual lethargy and recognize the cosmic irony where divine joy contrasts with demonic sorrow.
What happens
A call to awaken those who have grown complacent under oppressive rulers, urging them to rise from their spiritual lethargy and recognize the cosmic irony where divine joy contrasts with demonic sorrow.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Themes in this chapter
- Critique of Power and Hypocrisy
The 'halls of wicked masters' criticizes oppressive rulers and those who passively accept their dominion.
- Spiritual Search and Agnosticism
The call to 'arise' suggests a spiritual awakening, while the reference to Allah's laughter implies a complex, ironic view of the divine.
Characters to notice
- Allah
Referenced as the source of laughter that makes the Devil weep, highlighting divine power and irony.
Key passages
“Hear ye who in the dust of ages creep, And in the halls of wicked masters sleep:— Arise! and out of this wan weariness Where Allah’s laughter makes the Devil weep.”
Listen, you who crawl through time in obscurity and slumber in the palaces of evil rulers: Wake up! Escape this pale exhaustion, a place where God's joy causes the Devil to cry.
The stanza urges a break from passive submission and spiritual fatigue, emphasizing the paradoxical power of divine mirth over evil.
