A mystic against fanaticism

Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) is one of the most fascinating personalities in Islamic intellectual history. As a poet, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, he combined rationality with a deep mystical zest for life and a critical distance to dogmatic world views and religious narrow-mindedness. At a time when fanaticism, terrorism and ideological blindness are once again shaking the world, Hamed Abel-Samad reminds us in his lecture of the other tradition of Islam. Khayyam’s verses speak of freedom, tolerance and the preciousness of the moment.

Hamed Abdel-Samad, is one of the most prominent Islamic intellectuals in the German-speaking world. A fatwa was issued against him in 2013 for breaking taboos.