Mahound

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Mahound and Mahoun are variant forms of the name Muhammad, often found in medieval and later European literature. [1] The name has been used in the past by Christian writers to vilify Muhammad. [2] It was especially connected to the demonization of Muhammad as inspiring a false religion. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Pejorative connotations

According to Bernard Lewis, the development of the concept started with a demonization followed by pagans. In the late medieval and early modern period around the Reformation, Muhammad was accused of being a cunning imposter. [6]

A similar belief was the claim that the Knights Templar worshipped an idol called "Baphomet", which was attached to the generic transliteration of the Muslim name "Mahomet". [7]

In literature

The name appears in various medieval mystery plays, in which Mahound is sometimes portrayed as a generic demon worshipped by villains such as Herod and the Pharaoh of the Exodus. One play depicts both Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas as worshipping Mahound, [8] while in another play Pharaoh encourages the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites into the Red Sea with the words: Heave up your hearts ay to Mahound. [9]

In Scottish popular culture, the variant form "Mahoun" was also used as the name of the devil, who was called Old Mahoun. [10] Robert Burns wrote:

The Deil cam fiddlin thro' the town,
And danc'd awa wi' th'Exciseman;
And ilka wife cries auld Mahoun,
I wish you luck o' the prize, man. [11]

G. K. Chesterton uses "Mahound" rather than "Mohammed" in his poem Lepanto. [12] More recently, Salman Rushdie, in his novel The Satanic Verses , chose the name Mahound to refer to Muhammad as he appears in one character's dreams. In reference to the Burns' poem, the novel Child of the Moon features a character named "Mahoun" who is responsible for seducing others into satanic rituals. [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mahound" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Other spellings include Macon (for example, in Orlando Furioso ) and Mahun (for example, in Cursor Mundi ).
  2. ↑ Esposito, John L. (1999). The Islamic threat : myth or reality? (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press. p.  250. ISBN   0-19-513076-6. Mahound.
  3. ↑ Annemarie Schimmel, Islam: An Introduction, 1992.
  4. ↑ William Montgomery Watt,Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, Oxford University Press, 1961, p. 229
  5. ↑ Juferi, Mohd Elfie Nieshaem (September 20, 2005). "The Christian Missionaries & Their Lies About Muhammad". Bismika Allahuma. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bernard Lewis (2002), p. 45.
  7. ↑ Barber, Malcolm, The NewKnighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple, Cambridge University Press, 1994, p. 321.
  8. ↑ N-Town Cycle: The Death of Judas, and the Trials of Christ Before Pilate and Herod Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine , line 165.
  9. ↑ The York Cycle: The Israelites in Egypt, the Ten Plagues, and Passage of the Red Sea Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , line 404.
  10. ↑ The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Mahoun.
  11. ↑ Robert Burns, The Deil's Awa Wi' Th' Exciseman.
  12. ↑ G. K. Chesterton, Lepanto.
  13. ↑ Valinora Troy's Review of Child of the Moon
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