Bite-Sized Philosophy
Amin Maalouf On Expanding Our Definition Of Prayer
“Only a man at peace with his Creator could find sleep in a place of worship.”
In his stunning historical fiction Samarkand, Amin Maalouf crafts a historically-based story about Omar Kayyam during the time he was composing his famous Rubaiyat. Omar Kayyam was an 11th century poet, astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician.
In the fictionalized account, Omar has been accused of insulting Islam (for many reasons including sleeping in a Mosque) and has been dragged before a judge. He defends himself by saying:
Only a man at peace with his Creator could find sleep in a place of worship.
The idea that true connection with God can run contrary to the performative expectations of a religious or non-religious society at large is nothing new. Omar expands the idea into a little bit of a speech whereby he breaks down his impression of prayer:
I am not one of those for whom faith is simply fear of judgement.
