Sa‘di: To be human is to respond to others’ pain
What makes us human?
Many scholars would say that reason and intelligence (‘aql) set humans apart.
The great Persian poet Sa‘di of Shiraz (d. 1292) gives us an ethical way to think about humanity:
Human beings are connected as one body - in creation they are all the same. When part of the body is suffering, the other parts share in its pain.
If the misery of others does not sadden you, do not call yourself a human being.
In Persian:
بنی آدم اعضای یکدیگرند
که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند
چو عضوی به درد آورد روزگار
دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
تو کز محنت دیگران بی غمی
نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی
About this poem
This poem is known as “Bani Adam”, which means “Children of Adam” in Arabic.
It appears in Sa‘di’s work The Flower Garden (Gulistan).
Its timeless words can be seen in this gorgeous manuscript, made in 16th-century Bukhara and now held in the British Library:
