# LXXV explained — The Luzumiyat

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

## What happens

The chapter contrasts human judgments of saint and sinner with a higher, divine power that ultimately seals both fates. It dismisses astral worship in favor of worshiping the singular deity before whom even Saturn and the heavens bow.

## Themes in this chapter

### Spiritual Search and Agnosticism

The poet asserts worship of a singular deity beyond celestial bodies, rejecting astral religion for a higher monotheistic faith.

### Fate and Destiny

The mystic Hand sealing both saint and sinner underscores an inescapable divine decree that overrides human distinctions.

## Character check-ins

### Allah

The One before whom Saturn and the Heavens kneel, the ultimate arbiter of devotion and weal.

### Fate

Implied as the mystic Hand that seals the saint's devotion and the sinner's weal.

## Key lines

> Ay! suddenly the mystic Hand will seal The saint’s devotion and the sinner’s weal

Suddenly, a mysterious divine power will finalize both the pious acts of the saint and the worldly success of the sinner.

_Emphasizes the ultimate, equalizing judgment of a higher power over human moral categories._

> They worship Saturn, but I worship One Before whom Saturn and the Heavens kneel.

Others may venerate the planet Saturn, but I venerate the single deity to whom even Saturn and the entire cosmos submit.

_Contrasts polytheistic astral worship with a personal, monotheistic devotion to a supreme creator._

## Links

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