# The Sultan — The Luzumiyat character guide

> The Sultan in The Luzumiyat by Abu al-ʻAlaʼ al-Maʻarri.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0005-ii

## Who they are

A symbolic figure of worldly authority and power critiqued in the poems.

## Relationships

### [Fate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/characters/fate)

_psychological_

Fate is personified as a force that overrules or challenges the Sultan's power, reflecting al-Ma'arri's deterministic worldview.

## In the story

### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/dedication)

Emir Feisal is addressed as His Royal Highness, a figure of leadership and hope for the Syrian people.

### [To Abu al-ʻAlaʼ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/to-abu-al-ala)

Implied in the contrast of freedom, as the speaker compares the poet's freedom to that of 'the bearers of the sceptre.'

### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/xxvi)

Symbol of temporal power whose palace, despite its glory, is subject to the same fate of ruin as all mortal works.

### [LXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/lxvii)

Depicted as a corrupt ruler enthroned amid wine and carousing courtesans, embodying worldly power and hypocrisy.

### [CXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/cxv)

Depicted as a mortal who must abandon his throne and face the darkness alone, becoming part of the universal secret.

### [Chapter CXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/cxvi)

The mighty Sultan is destined to return to clay, illustrating the leveling power of mortality.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/characters/the_sultan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/characters