Al-Ma'arri

Arab philosopher and poet (973–1057)

Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri (Arabic: أبو العلاء المعري; December 973 – May 1057), also known by his Latin name Abulola Moarrensis, was an Arab philosopher, poet, and writer from Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Emirate of Aleppo (in present day Syria). Al-Ma'arri's religious beliefs and philosophical worldview have been the subject of extensive historical and modern academic debate. While his critical poetry led detractors and early Western scholars to characterize him as a deist, freethinker, or one of the "foremost atheists" of his time, this categorization is highly disputed by other scholars and by Al-Ma'arri's own subsequent writings.

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