Qais and Laila fall in love with each other when they are young, but when they grow up Laila's father doesn't allow them to be together. Qais becomes obsessed with her, and his tribe Banu 'Amir and the community gives him the epithet of “Majnun” ("crazy", literally "possessed by jinn"). When Qais asked for Laila’s hand in marriage, her father refused because it would be a scandal for her to marry someone considered mentally unbalanced. Soon after, Laila was married to another noble and rich merchant. When Qais heard of her marriage, he fled the tribal camp and began wandering the surrounding desert.