# LXXI explained — The Luzumiyat

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

## What happens

The chapter critiques the futility of ritualistic devotion, suggesting that even extensive prayers and acts of worship are as insubstantial as fleeting desires for feasting.

## Themes in this chapter

### Illusion and Reality

The chapter contrasts the illusion of devout ritual with the reality of human desires, implying that prayers are mere fantasies.

### Critique of Power and Hypocrisy

It criticizes the hypocrisy of those who perform extensive religious rites while their true motives are base and self-serving.

## Key lines

> And though around the temple they should run For seventy times and seven, and in the sun Of mad devotion drool, their prayers are still Like their desires of feasting-fancies spun.

Even if people circle the temple countless times and engage in frenzied, sun-scorched worship, their prayers remain as empty and fleeting as their cravings for a feast.

_The paraphrase captures the essence of the original quatrain, emphasizing the emptiness of ritual without genuine spiritual substance._

## Links

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