Omar Khayyám (1048–1131)

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

"Look not above, there is no answer there;
Pray not, for no one listens to your prayer;
Near is as near to God as any Far,
And Here is just the same deceit as There.

And do you think that unto such as you;
A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew:
God gave the secret, and denied it me?--
Well, well, what matters it! Believe that, too."

Persian philosopher, poet, mathematician and astronomer on the problem of divine hiddenness and the fanatical use of religion to surpress the popular masses. Does his simple and seemingly devasting critique resonate within Islam?

Wouldn't be surprised,the man was a sufi mystic.

I like this one:

The moving finger writes,
And having writ ,
Moves on to write another bit (as quoted by Tony Hancock)

The actual quote:

The moving finger writes,
and having writ,moves on.
Nor all your piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it (The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam)