# LXXIII explained — The Luzumiyat

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

## What happens

The speaker responds to inquiries about faith and lineage by declaring themselves a child of Time, belonging to all of mankind, and viewing the world as a temporary resting place.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Transience

The world is described as a 'caravanseri,' a temporary inn, emphasizing life's fleeting nature.

### Spiritual Search and Agnosticism

The speaker rejects conventional faith and creed, instead identifying with universal human existence and time.

## Key lines

> What is thy faith and creed,” they ask of me, “And who art thou? Unseal thy pedigree.”⁠— I am the child of Time, my tribe, mankind, And now this world’s my caravanseri.

When asked about my religion and ancestry, I reply that I am a product of time, my people are all of humanity, and this world is merely a temporary inn.

_The speaker rejects sectarian identity in favor of a universal, temporal belonging._

## Links

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