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Al-Ma'arri

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (December 26, 973-May 21, 1057)
    Born in Ma'arat al-Numan, Syria
    Full name is Abu al-'Alā Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allāh ibn Sulaimān al-Tanūkhī al-Ma'arri
    Agnostic critic of religions
    Traveled to Baghdad, Aleppo, and Antioch for the purpose of giving lectures
    Wrote ‘The Epistle of Forgiveness,' ‘Paragraphs and Periods,' ‘The Tinder Spark’ and ‘Unnecessary Necessity’

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a vegetarian.
    He called religion a ‘fable invented by the ancients’ that always goes wrong.
    He even went so far to criticize the Hajj, which he called a ‘heathen’s journey’.
    He was said to be misanthropic even though his lectures attracted many people.
    He told women not to give birth to children in order to protect future generations from life’s troubles.
    As an agnostic, he was full of self doubt, even on his own ideas.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He went blind at the age of four due to smallpox.
    He lived at a time when many Caliphates justified their grip by using religion.
    He was a leading intellectual advocate for modern intellectual ideas.
    Despite his blindness, he was able to travel throughout the Islamic world.
    He advocated for social justice and action.
    He inspired Dante Alighieri to write ‘The Divine Comedy’.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 50 Votes: 72.00% Annoying