On Islam, Wine and Poetry

Though often has he played the infidel,
And robbed me of my robe of honour, well
I often wonder what the vintner buys
That's half so precious as the stuff he sells.

A bastard offspring of Sir Richard Burton (no, not the actor) and the son of a tent maker. Coincidentally one Omar Khayyam - jolly good mathematician too.

In those days, when Jalal ed Din was struggling against the Mongol horde and Baghdad was the greatest centre of learning in the world, there was an enquiring outward looking strain of Islam. As they said to George Best as he was caught in flagrante with Miss World - where did it all go wrong?