Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri
973–1057 · Syrian (Ma'arrat al-Nu'man) · Medieval Syria
Known for: The blind poet-philosopher who was an atheist, vegan, and anti-natalist — in 11th-century Syria
Al-Ma'arri was a blind Syrian poet who rejected organized religion, advocated for animal rights, practiced veganism, and argued against reproduction — positions so radical they remain controversial 1,000 years later.
What Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri would be watching
The “if they lived today” Q&A on this page gives Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri Never Let Me Go (2010) as a favourite film. Their reason: “All life is borrowed suffering.” Rankquant scores it above 59% of films, drawn from 342 IMDb reviewers individually re-centred rather than averaged raw. The full film & TV rankings are built the same way.
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