The philosophy of Al-Maʿarrī

Reflections from Abu al-Ala al-Maʿarrī

Al-Maʿarrī was a humanistic poet and philosopher who refused to earn a living by praising others. While most poets of his time relied on Madah or the art of flattery and praise to sustain themselves,

Al-Maʿarrī rejected this practice. Disillusioned by the hypocrisy and emptiness of his era, he used irony, sarcasm, and sharp wit to critique rulers, religions, and religious clerics alike.

He alternated between agnostic, atheist, and deist views, challenging dogma and embracing reason. Though despised by the powerful, his poetry resonated deeply with the public, who admired his boldness and brilliance.

Pessimism and the Nature of Existence

Al-Maʿarrī often described life as a burden, a fleeting illusion shadowed by suffering and death.

Blind from childhood and withdrawn from society, he called himself a “double prisoner”—trapped by both darkness and solitude.

“Soften your tread. Methinks the earth’s surface is but bodies of the dead.

Walk slowly in the air, so you do not,,trample on the remains of God’s servants.”

In one of his most haunting metaphors, he likens life to a fast, and death to the moment of release:

“I am fasting throughout life, and my breaking of the fast is death.

That day shall be my feast.”

He reflects on the brevity of joy:

“How can I spend an hour happily,

Knowing that death is one of my creditors?”

And he urges detachment from worldly pursuits:

“Oh, my brother, do not seek after worldly life,

For I turn away from it in the company of my brethren.”

Even the Earth, he says, consumes us all:

“The Earth is like us, seeking sustenance.

It eats of these people and drinks.”

His sorrow culminates in a lament for the newborn:

“Woe to him who begets a child.

Would that the child had died the moment he was laid down,

And not sucked the breast of his mother, who would cause him injury and suffering.”

Anti-natalist Views

Al-Maʿarrī’s poetry often questions the morality of birth itself. He believed that to bring a child into the world was to expose them to inevitable pain.

“This is my father’s crime against me,

Which I myself committed against none.”

He calls for the end of the human chain:

“If existence must be, let that one be the last.

Let the chain of offspring be cut off.

The father commits a crime against the son, even if the father is ignorant.”

Asceticism and Non-Violence

Al-Maʿarrī’s asceticism extended to his diet.

He rejected all forms of animal exploitation, embracing vegetarianism and later veganism as a moral imperative.

“Do not unjustly eat what the water has given up.

Do not desire as food the flesh of slaughtered animals,

Or the white milk of mothers who intended its pure draught for their young, not for noble ladies.”

He even condemned the taking of honey:

“Do not grieve the unsuspecting birds

By taking their industry from the flowers of fragrant plants.

They did not store it for others, nor gather it for bounty and gifts.”

His final reflection is one of regret and awakening:

“I washed my hands of all this.

Would that I had perceived my way

Before my hair turned gray.”

Al-Maʿarrī the Vegan

Al-Maʿarrī was notable for adopting a strict vegetarian diet during his later life, leading many to recognize him as one of the earliest known vegans. This dietary choice was part of the secluded, ascetic lifestyle he embraced—renouncing worldly desires and opposing all forms of violence.

His philosophy on food, rooted in social justice and rationalism, was expressed powerfully through his poetry.

Key Poetic Stances on Vegan Food

Al-Maʿarrī explicitly rejected the consumption of meat, milk, and even honey, framing his abstinence in moral and ethical terms.

On Meat and Fish:

He condemned the consumption of slaughtered animals and creatures taken from the water. He advised:

“Do not unjustly eat what the water has given up, and do not desire as food the flesh of slaughtered animals.”

“Do not seek sustenance from the wounds of slaughtered animals.”

On Dairy:

He extended his abstinence to dairy products, especially milk, emphasizing the injustice of taking nourishment intended for the young:

“Or the white milk of mothers who intended its pure draught for their young, not for noble ladies.”

On Honey:

Al-Maʿarrī included honey in his list of prohibited foods, viewing its consumption as an intrusion upon the natural labor of creatures:

“Do not grieve the unsuspecting birds by taking their industry from the flowers of fragrant plants.

They did not store it for others, nor gather it for bounty and gifts.”

So, Even honey—drawn from the soul of the bee through its labor is not spared. Man wants to take everything.

“Fear God, even when you taste the honey of bees, for the bees only gathered it for their own souls.”

“Your oppression of the bee is what it gives you of the honey.”

Context of His Diet and Regret

Al-Maʿarrī’s strict diet and asceticism reflected his deep pessimism about life and its suffering. He was described as a man who

“forbids himself the pleasantries of fruit and flowers and the flavors of pure pleasures.”

He expressed regret for not adopting his vegan lifestyle earlier, writing:

“I washed my hands of all this; and would that I had perceived my way ere my temples grew hoar!”

Despite his restrictive diet, he believed that simple, plant-based food was sufficient:

“A water from a springing plant, with bones, is sufficient sustenance for you.”

“If you fast from the food of the living and their drink, do not seek to break your fast through dishonor.”

Direct Verses Advising Against Birth – Antinatalism

Al-Maʿarrī’s poetry directly implores individuals to halt the cycle of reproduction to prevent future misery:

He advised against the propagation of offspring, stating:

“The chain of lineage connected Adam and me

Let it not be extended to offspring.”

A key verse suggests that true happiness lies in non-existence:

“The beginning of happiness is that a person was never created.”

He explicitly advises renouncing the creation of future generations: “Leave offspring, for its outcome is death.”

He advocates strict personal abstinence, implying that isolation is a way to avoid life’s suffering:

“The judgment belongs to God, remain alone forever, and do not mix with the varieties of people.”

This verse encapsulates his philosophy of withdrawal and solitude.

Poetry on the Misery of Existence (The Justification)

Al-Maʿarrī’s Luzumiyat collection reinforces his antinatalist stance by portraying life as a realm of suffering, making the creation of new beings seem cruel.

Life as Pervasive Pain

He described life as

“a house of pain, affliction, difficulty, trouble, and sadness.”

The Soul as a Prisoner

Al-Maʿarrī called himself a “double prisoner”confined by blindness and isolation.

He further described the soul’s relationship to the body as one of torment:

“I see myself in three prisons:the wicked body, the condition of the soul.

And the necessity of losing my sight and staying home.”

He likened the soul to a bird trapped in the body, longing for release:

“The soul regrets its connection to the body after separation.

It was never created to serve a purpose—so turn away from me, for I am not bound by one.”

Wasted Existence