Layla Iyo Qays - The Greatest Love Story Ever!

[Muhammad]

..: Dhamaan Salaan Wacan! :..

 

I saw a Somali girl yesterday, and I was first suprised to see her carrying a book. I was suprised because I am a very big fan of books, some may call me a book-worm, anyway, I greeted her and asked her what she was reading?

 

She told me the book was about Romeo and Juliet, and asked me if I heard their story. I said yes and then asked her if she had heard of the Story of Layla And Qays (Majnun)?

 

She said No!

 

This is the Greatest Love Legend in the Islamic World, and personally I would say it is the Greatest Love Story of All Time! I was very sad to see that a Somali girl was reading some copycat story.

 

Anway, I opened this Topic so that the Nomads can discuss about love stories, Somalian and others.

 

What do you think is the best love story of all time? which is your favorite? maybe you are in Love or have been in Love - tell us your Tale!

 

And lastly, If you have read both Stories which one do you think is the best:

 

Romeo and Juliet Vs Layla And Qays

 

.:Ma'A Salaaamah

.: Peace

[Muhammad]

 

"Layla & Qays in the Desert

Persian Miniature, Herat Style

( 15th - 16th Century )"

[J.Lee]

I adore books so much I'm addicted to Barnes and Nobles like dope to a fiend. My brothers often teases me that once I marry, My husband will divorce me on the grounds of "Irreconcilable reading Problems"

Back to the topic. Well I have heard of Layla Iyo Qays..in somali songs but never had the pleasure to read their Story. Thou' I have read Romeo and Juliet.as many people have whether for a Class profile or pleasure....just out of curiousity Where I can find Their Story? is there any specific book store that may have the book in their collection?

 

Salaams

[Muhammad]

salaam MsWorld..:

 

I'm not sure if you can find them in anybook stores, but you can find it @ Amazon. com

 

you can ask Barnes & Nobles if they have it too, most of the books have in their Title: The Story of Layla & Majnun

[OG_Girl]

What do you think is the best love story of all time? which is your favorite?

I would say with out hasitation mt favored love story is " Qays o Layla"

 

is set in the in Mecca's nomadic aristocracy a period which we call it "Jaheliyah" was before the Islamic revelation ...but we still study in Arabic class and enyoy it .

 

Thanks Murad for the topic.

 

Salam

[Gabbal]

Originally posted by MsWord:

My husband will divorce me on the grounds of "Irreconcilable reading Problems"

lool. ah dear sis then i'll be your advocate and get you a gift card to last you at B and N. Wouldn't that be a nice settlement for you.

[NGONGE]

The story of Qays and Leila Al Camiriyah is one of the legends of Islamic literature (not that either lived in the days of Islam).

 

Qays was Leila’s first cousin. They grew up playing together and were the best of friends. But, once Qays became a man and started to write poems about Leila, he was banned from seeing her! That’s what started the legend. The idea of forbidden love! This idea is prevalent in Muslim society even now. Any girl in this forum will be horrified to hear people reciting poems about her. If she’s not, her family and brothers will. How dare Qays make love poems about a woman he’s not even married to? Who did he think he was?

 

Of course, he was in love. He was infatuated with his Leila. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But, even then, he was not interested in her beauty alone. People told him about other more beautiful women but he was totally, utterly and completely besotted with Leila!

 

The story of Qays (or Majnuun) has been passed down through the centuries. It’s known in places as far and wide as Somalia, the Arab world, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many of the former Soviet republics! They all have their own interpretations of Qay’s love. Even old philosophers ruminated on this unique case of love (maybe our resident PK can give us more on that ).

 

Many commentators attribute the inspiration for European stories (such as Romeo and Juliet and the many others) to this original and real one. For Qays preceded these other lovers by at least a thousand years!

 

Qays’s love was unhealthy though. In his love for Leila, he was blind to everything else. His only purpose in life was to LOVE Leila! When she was refused to him, he ran into the wilderness and started reading his poems to the wild animals and asking them to pass his words to Leila. He would recite a poem to total strangers and tell them about his beloved Leila! When his father took him to Mecca to pray for a “cure†from GOD, he instead prayed that his love become stronger!

 

The beauty of Qays’s love came through in his poems. The pain, joy, love and infatuations were all displayed in his poems. At times, Leila didn’t even matter; all that mattered to Qays was this LOVE. Qays was pathetic. However, because of his poems, I too enjoy reading his story and love.

 

A better man than Qays, in my humble opinion, is Cantar Bin Shadad! He too recited many poems about his beloved. But unlike Qays, he was not mad. Or, maybe he was! Check the following verse from one of his famous poems:

 

 

I remembered you though the arrows were raining down on me

And the swords were trickling my blood

But I wanted to kiss the blades

Because

They shone like your beaming grin!

 

ولقد ذكرتك والرماح نواهل مني

وبيض الهند تقطر من دمي

Ùوددت تقبيل السيو٠لانها

لمعت كبارق ثغرك المتبسم

[Bess.]

if u luv arabian lit. u have probably read the "alif layla wa layle" or the one thousand and one nights tales.....i luve arabic fairy tales....found an old copy at this tiny book store near the university....it is called tales from the arabian nights....by n.j.dawood....

[Salma]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

Qays’s love was unhealthy though. In his love for Leila, he was blind to everything else. His only purpose in life was to LOVE Leila!

I have this feeling he wasn't in love with her. Her beauty was an inspiration for him, that's all. I mean the girl was his cousin (As you mayknow Arabs loves to marry between the man and his cousin) and there were no problems between the two families so why they had refused him??!! Coz he said poems about her.

 

There is this kind of Love (Self-torture) where the person likes to torture himself by creating his special miserable atmosphere. Certainly it was unhealthy & worthless love

 

There is anotehr wonderful poem by Qays for Layla:

 

تذكرت ليلى والسنين الخواليا

 

وأيام لا نخشى على اللهو ناهيا

 

ويوم كظل الرمح قصرت ظله

 

بليلى Ùلهاني وما كنت لاهيا

 

بثمدين لاحت نار ليلى وصحبتي

 

بذات الغضى تزجى المطي النواجيا

 

Ùقال بصير القوم : لمحة كوكب

 

بدا ÙÙŠ سواد الليل Ùردا يمانيا

 

Ùقلت له : بل نار ليلى توقدت

 

بعليا تسامى ضوءها Ùبداليا

 

Ùليت ركاب القوم لم تقطع الغضى

 

وليت الغضى ماشي الركاب لياليا

 

Ùيا ليل كم من حاجة لي مهمة

 

إذا جئتكم بالليل لم أدر ما هيا

 

وقد يجمع الله الشتيتين بعدما

 

يظنان كل الظن أن لا تلاقيا

 

لحا الله أقواما يقولون : إنني

 

وجدت طوال الدهر للحب شاÙيا

 

Ùشب بنو ليلى وشب بنو ابنها

 

وأعلاق ليلى ÙÙŠ Ùؤادي كما هيا

 

ولم ينسني ليلى اÙتقار ولا غنى

 

ولا توبة حتى احتظنت السواريــا

 

خليلي لا والله مـــا أملك الـذي

 

قضى الله ÙÙŠ ليلى Ùˆ لا ما قضى ليا

 

قضاها لغيري وابتلاني بحبهـــا

 

Ùهلا بشيء غير ليلى ابتلانيـــا

 

Ùهذي شهور الصي٠عنا قد انقضت

 

Ùما للنوى ترمي بليلى المراميـــا

 

Ùلو كان واش باليمامـــــة داره

 

وداري بأعلى حضرموت اهتدى ليا

 

أعــد الليالي ليلــة بعد ليلــة

 

وقد عشت دهرا لا أعد اللياليــا

 

وأخرج من بين البيوت لعلني

 

أحدث عنك النÙس بالليل خاليا

 

أراني إذا صليت يممت نحوها

 

بوجهي وإن كان المصلى ورائيا

 

وما بي إشراك ولكن حبهـــا

 

وعظم الجوى أعيا الطبيب المداويا

 

أحب من الأسماء ما واÙÙ‚ اسمها

 

أو أشبهه أو كان منه مدانيـــا

 

خليلي ما أرجو من العيش بعدما

 

أرى حاجتي تشرى ولا تشترى ليا

 

خليلي إن ضنوا بليلى Ùقربـــا

 

النعش والأكÙان واستغÙرا ليـــا

 

Dead Man Saying Poems

It's a very meaningful and lovely poem, sorry I dont have the translation. Perhaps Ngonge can get it.

 

To be Honest< I prefer Cantar Bin Shadad and his Cabla. Cantara showed his strength,manhood and power when he represented himself well infront of his father: First, when he was denied by his father just cause he was born black. Then when he saved his tribe and at last when he fought with honor for his LOVE: Cabla

Hakatha falyakune alrejaal

 

About the Somali Love Stories, well I heard only about Celmi Boudhari and his Hodan, but in brief I don't know about the details.

 

Salam

[sheherazade]

I knew they'd be more closet Geeks out there!

 

I wouldn't mind a few poems being written about me(hint hint), however, obsession in any form is a no-no. The man was in love with love. I'd have stuffed a sock into his mouth.

 

Somebody remind me of Cantar Bin Shadad and his story. I have a vague memory of my mother telling me about him when I was a girl. I'll start you off..

 

kaan ya makaan fii qadiimi zamaan...

 

[NGONGE]

Shehrazad, I’m sure someone somewhere wrote a few sweet verses about the great storyteller!

 

As for the story of Cantar Bin Shadad, I think the love aspect was secondary here. His name was immortalised in Arabic literature because of his poetic ability rather than his love for Cabla bent Malik.

 

Cantar was born to an Arab dad and an Ethiopian slave. He took after his mother and had a dark skin. The Arab custom back then was that a son of a slave is treated as a slave (even if his father was the chief/king of the tribe). Therefore, Cantar spent his childhood amongst the slaves. He was a proud man though and he refused to stay a slave all his life. He taught himself horse riding and how to be a “knightâ€!

 

 

One day, a rival tribe raided his tribe’s dwellings. They stole all their camels and livestock. Cantar’s tribe (Bani Cabs) gave chase to the bandits. While chasing these raiders, Cantar’s father shouted for him to join the pursuit and fight the intruders. Canter retorted that “fighting†and giving chase was not a slave’s function! His father promised to release him from his slavery if he did. Cantar did and fought heroically to retrieve his tribe’s stolen goods. That day, he made his name as one of the bravest Arab knights in history.

 

It’s also reported that one day, a member of his tribe taunted him about his colour, slavery and inability to recite poetry. Cantar responded by composing his famous “hanging poemâ€(there was an Arab tradition to suspend the best poems on the K‘aba in Mecca - The seven suspended (or hanging) poems are arguably the best in Arabic poetry)!

 

His love for Cabla is obvious in most of his poems. This love though, is not the weak, pathetic love of Qays. Cantar was a proud man and in praising his beloved and showing her his love, he also saw fit to praise himself, his bravery, heroism and lineage (Cabla was his cousin). It’s as if he was telling her that all these great traits were a result of his love for her! Where Qays’s love was devastating, debilitating and destructive, Cantar’s was wholesome, satisfying and fitting!

 

 

PS

The raining arrows in the earlier poem is not, strictly speaking, correct. Rather in Arabic the arrows are “drinking†his blood! Erm, since it’s a poem, I’ll go for the “poetic licence†defence.

[sheherazade]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

Shehrazad, I’m sure someone somewhere wrote a few sweet verses about the great storyteller!

 

A few bittersweet verses about how I got away.

Thanks for the story. No wonder my mother mentioned him in passing so much, Cantar was quite a guy. Pity he's not real.

[NGONGE]

^^ He was

Edit:

Both Qays and Cantar were real and genuine tales. A lot of mystery, romance and legend surround both stories but the main details are authentic facts.

[MR ORGILAQE]

Muad Thanks for reminding us of our great history

 

i wonder can anyone suggest where i can find a copy of this book.I am ignorsant of it's existence

[sheherazade]

They were? Well, two extremes, huh? How come I only here of the Qays type of infatuation happening more than the solid, true Cantar type of love? Is is that people prefer talking about the negative more? Shame.