Al-Ma'arri

Timeline

1. 973–993Ma'arra · Maarrat al-Nu'manBorn in 973 at Maarrat al-Nu'man into the Tanukh family. Blinded by smallpox at about the age of four, he learned the Quran, grammar, and early poetry by sheer memorization. He called himself the "double prisoner" (of blindness and of home) and showed world-weariness and intellectual independence early on.
2. 993–1008Aleppo · AleppoHe went to Aleppo to study with local grammarians and poets, steeped himself in the Iraqi–Syrian poetic style that followed al-Mutanabbi, and began to establish a personal voice through difficult meters and moral criticism, though he still depended on aristocratic patronage.
3. 1008–1010Baghdad · BaghdadHe reached Baghdad in 1008 and frequented bookshops and literary gatherings, but found it hard to obtain stable patronage and grew disillusioned with the lineage-consciousness and sectarianism of the capital's literati. About 1010 news that his mother was gravely ill prompted his return east, and he never again traveled far.
4. 1010–1057Ma'arra · Maarrat al-Nu'manHe retired to Ma'arra, became a vegetarian, refused marriage, and saw few visitors. In the double rhyme of the "unnecessary obligation" he wrote the Luzumiyyat, questioning resurrection, sacred tradition, and human centrality, and wrote the Epistle of Forgiveness, a journey through hell and heaven. He died in his hometown in 1057.