Layla and Majnun, also known as The Madman of Layla - in Arabic مجنونوليلى قيس or (Majnun-Layla) ليلى (Qays and Layla), in Persian: و لیلی and Leyla ile Mecnun (Layla and Majnun) in (Leyli and Madjnun) مجنونTurkish - is a classical Middle Eastern love story. It is based on the real story of a young man called Qays ibn al-Mulawwah (Arabic : الملوح from ( قيسبنthe northern Arabian Peninsula,[1] in the Umayyad era during the 7th century. There were two Arabic versions of the story at the time.[2] In one version, he spent his youth together with his cousin, Layla, tending their flocks. In the other version, upon seeing Layla he fell passionately in love with her. In both versions, however, he went mad when her father prevented him from marrying her; for that reason he came to be called Majnun Layla, which means "Driven mad by Layla". To him were attributed a variety of incredibly passionate romantic Arabic poems, considered among the foremost examples of the Udhari school.

Contents

1 Story 2 History and influence

3 Popular culture

4 See also

5 Footnotes

6 References

7 External links

Story

Qays ibn al-Mulawwah ibn Muzahim, a Bedouin poet, was from the Bani Aamir tribe of Arabia. He fell in love with Layla bint Mahdi ibn Sa’d from the same tribe, better known as Layla Al-Aamiriya. He soon began creating poems about his love for her, mentioning her name often. When he asked for her hand in marriage her father refused as this would mean a scandal for Layla according to Arab traditions. Soon after, Layla married another man.

When Qays heard of her marriage, he fled the tribe camp and began wandering the surrounding desert. His family eventually gave up on his return and left food for him in the wilderness. He could sometimes be seen reciting poetry to himself or writing in the sand with a stick.

Layla moved to Iraq with her husband, where she became ill and eventually died. Qays was later found dead in the wilderness in 688 A.D. near an unknown woman’s grave. He had carved three verses of poetry on a rock near the grave, which are the last three verses attributed to him.

Many other minor incidents happened between his madness and his death. Most of his recorded poetry was composed before his descent into madness.

Among the poems attributed to Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, regarding Layla:[3]

“ I pass by these walls, the walls of Layla

And I kiss this wall and that wallIt’s not Love of the houses that has taken my heartBut of the One who dwells in those houses ”

History and influence

From Arab and Habib folklore the story passed into Persian literature, and in 12th century, Nizami wrote a famous adaptation of Layla and Majnun in Persian. In his adaptation, the young lovers become acquainted at school and fell desperately in love. However, they could not see each other due to a family feud, and Layla's family arranged for her to marry another man [4]. It is a tragic story of undying love much like the later Romeo and Juliet, which was itself said to have been inspired by a Latin version of Layla and Majnun to an extent.[5] However, Shakespearean scholars deny any such influence.[6] This type of love is known in Arabic culture as "Virgin Love" (Arabic: حبعذري), because the lovers never married or made love. Other famous Virgin Love stories are the stories of "Qays and Lubna", "Kuthair and Azza", "Marwa and Al Majnoun Al Faransi" and "Antara and Abla". The literary motif itself is common throughout the world, notably in the Muslim literature of South Asia, such as Urdu ghazals.

The Azerbaijani Turkish adaptation of the story, Dâstân-ı Leylî vü Mecnûn (مجنون و ليلى The Epic of Layla and Majnun") was written in the" ;داستان

16th century by Fuzûlî. Fuzûlî's version was borrowed by the renowned Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, who used the material to create what became the Middle East's first opera. It premiered in Baku on January 25, 1908. The story had previously been brought to the stage in the late 19th century, when Ahmed Shawqi wrote a poetic play about the tragedy, now considered one of the best in modern Arab poetry. Qays's lines from the play are sometimes confused with his actual poems.

The enduring popularity of the legend has influenced Middle Eastern literature, especially Sufi writers, in whose literature the name Layla refers to their concept of the Beloved. The original story is featured in Bahá'u'lláh's Sufi writings, the Seven Valleys. Etymologically, Layla is related to the Hebrew and Arabic words for "night," and is thought to mean "one who works by night." This is an apparent allusion to the fact that the romance of the star-crossed lovers was hidden and kept secret. In the Persian and Arabic languages, the word Majnun means "crazy." In addition to this creative use of language, the tale has also made at least one linguistic contribution, inspiring a Turkish colloquialism: to "feel like Layla" is to feel completely dazed, as might be expected of a person who is literally madly in love.

Ammuru ala dhiyar dhiyar laila. Ukabilu tha alijidar wathal jidara. wamakhubbu dhiyar shaghafnaa kalbi. wala kinna khubba man sakana dhiyar.