The Tale of Laila and Majnu

“Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.” — Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall

Good Morning Everyone. This is The Friday Post on a cheerful Friday Morning. Today, let’s talk about love. Or more specifically, of the love story of Laila and Majnu. Laila and Majnu occupy the same place of pride and reverence in the Orient that the Occident affords to Romeo and Juliet. In today’s post, I will not talk about their love story but of a few things about it.

Historical Accuracy

While the entire story down to its minute details might not be true, the existence of a poet named Qays who fell in love with Layla has some historical backing. Quite a few references are made to him in the books of that time and he is also believed to have been a milk-brother of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the prophet.

The Story and the Stories

There is no single story that has come down to us; many Laila and Majnu exist in the pages of literature. The most popular one comes from the illustrious pen of Nizami Ganzvi, the author of Haft Paikar and Iskandar Nama. In his version, Laila and Majnu are from two inimical tribes and their family does not approve of their love, forcing Laila to marry a prince. Majnu goes mad in his love for Laila and roams her streets taking her name.

There are, of course, other dramatised versions as well.

In some, Laila never falls in love with Majnu. In some, there are many Majnu that fall in love with Laila because of her beauty and all pine for her attention. In some versions, it is stated that Laila, which means night, is named so because she was dark. In others, they credit her name to the colour of her hair. The truth, if any, will never be known. Perhaps, therein, lies its beauty.