# LXV explained — The Luzumiyat

> Chapter companion for The Luzumiyat by Abu al-ʻAlaʼ al-Maʻarri.

## What happens

The chapter critiques religious hypocrisy, highlighting how those who outwardly condemn wine and forbidden pleasures secretly indulge in them, using the example of a sheikh who claims to have no cloak while having pawned it at the tavern.

## Themes in this chapter

### Critique of Power and Hypocrisy

The chapter directly attacks religious authorities who publicly forbid wine while secretly partaking, exposing their double standards.

### Illusion and Reality

The sheikh's pretense of piety versus his actual behavior illustrates the gap between appearance and truth.

## Character check-ins

### Abu al-ʻAlaʼ al-Maʻarri

The speaker or subject of the quatrain, critiquing religious hypocrisy.

## Key lines

> The wine’s forbidden,” say these honest folk, But for themselves the law they will revoke;

Those who claim to be righteous declare wine prohibited, yet they exempt themselves from the rule.

_Highlights the hypocrisy of religious figures who apply restrictions to others but not to themselves._

> The snivelling sheikh says he’s without a garb, When in the tap-house he had pawned his cloak,

The whining religious leader claims to have no garment, though he has actually pawned his cloak at the tavern.

_Illustrates the sheikh's deceit, as his poverty is feigned to cover his secret drinking._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters/lxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luzumiyat_se/chapters