“I live for you
This is the madness
Bestowed upon me.
What a true blessing
That I found you,
The last scent of love.
– Majnun
Once there was a Khalif called Harun ar-Rashid. When he heard that the Bedouin poet Qais was overcome by madness due to his love for Layla, he became very curious about this woman that made a great poet Majnun (madman).
He thought to himself: “This Layla must be very special. She must be more beautiful than any woman on this planet, an enchantress with great power and splendor.”
Overcome by his curiosity the Khalif tried everything to get a glimpse of Layla. When he finally succeeded, he had invited Layla to the palace. Standing before him he commanded her to remove her veil. When she obeyed, Harun ar-Rashid was devastated. Layla was not ugly, crippled, and not old. But she was not the beauty he had imagined her to be. She was a simple human with common desires and faults- a simple woman like many others.
The Khalif did not hide his somber discovery: “Are you the one that Majnun is so crazy about? You look like everyone else. What is so special about you?”
Layla answered with a smile: “Indeed, I am Layla, but you are not Majnun. You need to see me through Majnun’s eyes. Only then can you discover the mystery that is called love.”
Have you discovered your Layla yet to be majnun?
Vanessa
A Beautiful World 