The tale of Laila and Majnun dates back nearly a millennium and is recounted in various ways, but all versions converge on one fundamental theme – the purity of their love. Here’s the poignant narrative we embrace:
In the heart of a vibrant young man named Qays ibn Mulawwah, a son of the Banu Amir tribe, resided extraordinary artistic talents and skills. However, his life took a different course when he fell head over heels in love with Laila, known as Laila Amiriya, the daughter of Mahdi Ibn Sa’ad, though her real name was Laila. Gradually, Qays began expressing his affection through heartfelt care and subtle signs. He became so entangled in love that when Laila was absent from school, he would become entirely distracted, unable to focus on anything else. His mind was consumed, and he would sit by the door, longing for her return.
One day, Qays’ heart swelled with hope, and his emotions threatened to burst forth. He found himself unable to write anything other than Laila’s name on his paper. His fellow students observed this and voiced their concerns; they felt he had gone too far in his devotion to her. In the same period, Laila’s feelings for him also began to blossom, and the entire school bore witness to the emergence of a profound love between the two.
Qays shared his intense love for Laila with his father, and the astrologers revealed a grim future for him. They predicted suffering and misfortune in his life, and they implored him to be honest, as his obsession could potentially drive him to madness. His father tried to help him, resorting to medicine and prayers, but the intensity of Qays’ affection for Laila persisted.
Laila was the daughter of the tribal leader of the Sharwaris, who had a longstanding enmity with Qays’ Banu Amir tribe. Yet, Laila and Qays were inseparable, and if one fell ill, the other would too. Their connection was so deep that it became the talk of the entire school. Qays even composed songs dedicated to Laila, which he would recite wherever he went. One of his songs went like this:
“I love you, O’ Laila, your beauty is unparalleled,
Brighter than the moon and stars above.
You’ve captured my heart, you’re my guiding star,
Without you, I can’t go on living in this world.”
Their peers often ridiculed them, and rumors spread like wildfire. Qays was given the nickname “Majnun Laila” (Mad for Laila). The students would sometimes steal his clothes, demanding that he surrender them in honor of Laila. He never resisted. Maubin, their teacher, was greatly troubled by the situation, particularly when he witnessed Qays, who now had become Majnun Laila, replacing his studies with writings to his beloved.
Out of concern, Maubin wrote to the students’ parents about the situation. Laila’s parents then withdrew her from the school and hired a private tutor to teach her at home. Qays’ health deteriorated even further, but conventional remedies were ineffective and, in some cases, exacerbated his condition. His obsession with Laila had reached such a point that he would weep and sing incessantly, his every thought consumed by her image.
Desperate to cure their son, Qays’ parents took him to various doctors, healers, and local shamans, each making grand claims of expertise, but all failed to alleviate his condition. Friends and relatives from near and far visited, attempting to mend Qays’ broken heart and wean him off thoughts of Laila, yet all their efforts were futile. One well-meaning acquaintance suggested, “Qays, look, you haven’t even seen the half of the women in our tribe. Why don’t you come to my place, and I’ll show you a thousand women more beautiful and of superior origin, wealth, and lineage? You can choose any one of them to be your queen.” Majnun, as he was now known, looked at his well-intentioned friend and shook his head, uttering, “Majnun’s eyes desire no one but Laila. My eyes recognize no beauty beyond hers. She is divine and unlike any other in this world. She was created for me. Oh, Lord, please fulfill your promise, for I am certain you will not abandon me, for there is no beauty for me beyond Laila. Grant me Laila!”
In a desperate attempt to free him from this unrelenting love, one of his tribe members even suggested that Majnun be taken to Makkah to pray at the Kaaba, hoping that God might take away his love for Laila.