The Luzumiyat · Chapter
CXIII explained
The poet reflects on the countless souls throughout history who have sought to tear the veil of mystery, only to fall under a burning blast, suggesting the futility and peril of seeking hidden knowledge.
What happens
The poet reflects on the countless souls throughout history who have sought to tear the veil of mystery, only to fall under a burning blast, suggesting the futility and peril of seeking hidden knowledge.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion and Reality
The 'veil of mystery' represents the illusion of hidden truths, and the attempt to tear it suggests a quest for reality that ends in destruction.
Fate and Destiny
The image of being 'cast like a pebble' and falling 'accursed' underscores a deterministic fate that thwarts human striving.
Key passages
“How many like us in the ages past Have blindly soared, though like a pebble cast, Seeking the veil of mystery to tear, But fell accurst beneath the burning blast?”
Countless people before us have foolishly risen up, as if thrown like a stone, trying to uncover hidden secrets, only to be cursed and destroyed by a scorching force.
The poet laments the repeated failure of those who dare to seek ultimate truths.