Love Through the Eyes of Majnoun
Layla and Majnoun is not your usual love story; it is a profound exploration of love’s depths. Qays and Layla fell in love when they were young, but as they grew older, Layla’s father forbade them from being together. Qays became obsessed with her, and his tribe, Banu ‘Amir, along with the community, gave him the epithet Majnūn, meaning “crazy man.”
This obsession transcends the simple notion of falling in love; “falling in love” seems too underrated. Layla was Qays’ everything, and losing her was devastating. His mind couldn’t accept the loss. Since he couldn’t have her physically, he chose to hold on to her spiritually, keeping her alive in his mind. He reached a point where he didn’t need her physical presence to feel her beside him. Everyone labeled him as crazy for simply being in love.
People today often say they are “crazy in love,” but do they truly understand what it means to be genuinely crazy in love? Does love like Qays and Layla’s really exist, or is it just a fairytale that the world exaggerates? I’m not sure, but loving someone to the extent that your existence hinges on their presence seems wild to me.
I read somewhere that an emperor, intrigued by their story, wanted to see Layla for himself. He wondered if she was extraordinarily beautiful or possessed some rare quality that drove a man to madness. When he finally met her, he was shocked. Layla wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful either; she was just a normal woman. The emperor asked Layla what was so special about her, and she smiled and answered, “To know what is special about Layla, you need to see Layla with the eyes of Qays.” This response epitomizes the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Majnoun loved her so much that he no longer needed her physically; she loved him and stayed loyal to him until her final days. Their story has a sad ending, two lovers who couldn’t be together. This is why it’s famous; we have a soft spot for impossible love. We always remember the love that was lost, not the love stories that end happily.
As a hopeless romantic, I always dreamed of a passionate love story, a man who would sacrifice his life for me, and who would write poems about me like Qays. But I now understand that love is simple; it’s in the little things — the smiles, the touches, the care. I don’t want a hero who will sacrifice his life for me, but a partner who will choose life with me.
So, dear reader, have you ever fallen in love or looked up to someone with such intensity?
