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Satanic Verses, a glossary

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Vijay Raghavan

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May 8, 1989, 10:44:59 PM5/8/89
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
.TL
A Glossary to \fISatanic Verses\fR: Part I
.AU
Vijay Raghavan
.LP
.ce
Page 3
.IP "Gibreel Farishtha "
"Farishtha" means a messenger of God or an angel. Literally, the Angel Gabriel.
Gibreel is pronounced Jib-reel.
.IP "Ho ji! Ho ji! "
Literally, O Sir! O Sir!
.LP
Rushdie uses some simple motifs in Gibreel's and
other Indians' dialogues
to convey a sense of "Indian" English. Foremost, of course, is the use of
Hindi/Urdu words here and there. Sometimes, words are spelt the way an
Indian would pronounce them (for example, "anti-queue" for antique [page 14],
"Amrika" for America [page 56]);
sometimes interesting words derived by a logical process (which works for
Indian languages but fails to cut it in English) are given as they would appear
in conversation (for example, "misfortunately" [page 56]). The Indian accent,
which does not always allow for a good pause between words, is captured by a
technique of collapsing neighboring words together ("butthenagain"). There are
a few other devices used in \fISatanic Verses\fR that are not as easy to
classify. A good rule of thumb is to attribute puzzling constructions in
dialogue to pure Indian English. Page 23 provides a good example, although
the quote below may not have actually come from a conversation conducted
in English:
.br
"It is for appearance only," the Babasaheb said. "Rama is my good friend and
we have discussed. A small part to begin, then it is up to you. Now get out
of my sight and stop pulling such humble faces, it does not suit."
.LP
Gibreels's words are often ridden with dialogues from
Hindi films. "Ho ji! Ho ji!" is found in many Hindi film songs.
.IP "Tat-taa! Takathun! "
Onomatopoeia used by dancemasters of many Indian dance schools.
.IP "Baba "
A catch-all word which could mean, depending on context, any of father,
grandfather, an old and revered person, an ascetic, and (as used here) a friend
or "buddy".
.IP "Chumch "
Literally, "spoon" in Hindi/Urdu. The word "chumch" has the other connotation,
used later by Zeenat Vakil (Pages 54, 58), of "toady". The derivation of this
latter meaning is probably from the time of the British Raj in India, when
a "chumch" was a person who, imitating the British, used silverware for meals.
(Indians generally eat with their bare hands).
.IP "Bhai, yaar "
The three words "baba," "bhai" and "yaar" can all be roughly translated to
"buddy" or "pal". "Bhai" also means "brother".
.sp 2
.ce
Page 4
.IP "Bostan "
Garden.
.IP "Gulistan "
A garden of roses.
.IP "Vilayet "
Foreign country or distant land. Colloquially, Britain.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 5
.IP "O, my shoes are Japanese ... "
From the Hindi film song "Mera jootha hai Japani ..."
.sp 2
.ce
Page 7
.IP "Rekha Merchant "
Merchant is a common surname in the Parsi community of India.
.IP "Namaqool "
It is difficult to determine exactly what this word is supposed to mean,
although the context
would seem to indicate that it is uncomplimentary. Possibly, it is the
opposite of "maqool" (or "makhul") which means "anointed" (with \fIkohl\fR,
or antimony). Or the word may be derived from "namak" meaning "salt". For
example, "namak-halal" means "loyal, faithful" and "namak-haram" means
"unfaithful."
.IP "Suchmuch "
Rushdie often collapses adjacent words in Gibreel's spoken English
(like "butthenagain"), presumably to indicate an Indian accent. However,
"suchmuch" is not an instance of the Indian accent but a Hindi/Urdu
word (the second 'u' is pronounced as in "put", the first as in "cut").
The word means "genuine" or "true".
.sp 2
.ce
Page 8
.IP "Al-lat "
One of three goddesses worshipped in Mecca before the coming of the Prophet
Mohammed. (The main reference is given under "Lat", Page 91).
.sp 2
.ce Page 11
.IP "Reincarnation "
Reincarnation is, of course, strictly a Hindu belief. In lieu of heaven or
hell, Hindus are born again, the caste/personality in the new birth being
determined by the conduct in the previous life. Many reincarnations may be necessary
before a person finally achieves \fInirvana\fR, a state of divine bliss. It
is not at all surprising that Gibreel (being an Indian Muslim) should be
conversant with reincarnation. Gibreel's initiation into the "reincarnation
business" is described on page 21 of the book.
.IP "Justlikethat "
Just like that. Indian English.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 12
.IP "Maharaj "
King, emperor.
.IP "Na "
"No" in Hindi.
.IP "Ekdumjaldi "
Or, "Ek dum jaldi," meaning "at once, immediately". Apparently, the Indian habit
of speaking fast and collapsing words is not restricted to foreign languages
like English.
.IP "Willingdon Club "
A legacy of the British Raj. Clubs like the Willingdon and the Gymkhana still
thrive in different parts of India.
.IP "Pimple Billimoria "
This is certainly not the name of any real actress but it is close. There
are two sisters named Dimple and Simple Kapadia who act in Hindi films.
.IP "Tantric "
"Tantric" rituals are formulas supposed to be compiled by Lord Shiva (the
Hindu God of Destruction) for the attainment of supernatural powers.
.IP "Chandela period "
The Chandela dynasty was founded early in the 9th century AD by Nannuka
Chandela who became the overlord of the southern part of Jejakabhukti
(modern Bundelkhand) in Vindhya Pradesh. From Nannuka sprang a dynasty of twenty
kings. Khajuraho's temples, the fortress at Kalanjar, and the palace at Ajaygarh
were the achievements of the Chandelas. They developed a magnificent school of
architecture. Examples of the Chandela sculpture can be found in the temples
of Khajuraho.
.IP "Beedi "
Indian cheroot.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 13
.IP "Chhi, chhi "
Expression of distaste, disgust.
.IP "Phoolan Devi "
Bandit queen of the 1970s who terrorised the Chambal region of India.
.IP "Malabar Hill. [Also Kurla and Colaba on Page 14]. "
Districts of Bombay.
.IP "Marine Drive "
Coastal road of Bombay bordering the Arabian Sea, called "The Necklace"
because it looks like one when lit up at night.
.IP "Vilas "
House, mansion, apartments.
.IP "Blitz "
India's political National Enquirer.
.IP "Busybee "
The nom-de-plume of a wellknown satirist.
.IP "The Daily "
Pure fiction; there is no such newspaper.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 14
.IP "Doordarshan "
Radio and television in India is owned and controlled by the government. Doordarshan
is India's television industry. The word means "long range vision".
.IP "Anti-queue "
Indian pronunciation of "antique".
.IP "Chola "
The Chola (pronounced "Cho-zha") dynasty was one of three\(em the other two
being the Pandyas and the Cheras\(em who inhabited the southernmost parts
of India in ancient times. The earliest recorded Chola king was Karikkal
(~AD 100) and the last was Rajendra IV (1246-79). In the fourteenth century,
the Mohammedans under Malik Kafur overran all the Hindu kings of the south
and absorbed them in the kingdom of Vijayanagar. Chola art was purely Indian
with no foreign influence. All the Chola temples are marked by a massive
grandeur, the best example being the Shiva temple at Tanjore built
by Rajaraja Chola in 1000 AD.
.IP "Natraj "
Nataraja (or Natraj) means "Lord of Dance," a title of the Hindu god Shiva
when he is represented performing his world-shattering dance in a ring of fire.
One of the finest Nataraja images is the one still worshipped in the
Brhadisvara Temple at Tanjore.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 15
.IP "Lala "
A term of address used for a Kayastha and some other Hindu castes. The word
can also be used to address a respectable person.
.IP "tharaap "
A Hindi/Urdu word typically used to indicate the sound of a crash.
.IP "Begum "
Mistress, lady.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 16
.IP "The Illustrated Weekly [of India] "
A family magazine, dating from the colonial period of the British, which covers politics,
sports, films, and just about everything else. "Celebrity" and "Society" are not
real magazines.
.IP "Blue-skinned as Krishna "
Krishna was one of the most important incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu.
He was dark-complexioned and most paintings render him as being blue-skinned.
Krishna's later life is told in the epic \fIMahabharata\fR; his advice to
his cousin Arjuna in the battlefield constitutes the \fIBhagvad Gita\fR.
.IP "Gopi "
Cowherd.
.IP "Gautama "
Gautama Buddha (566-486 BC) was the Founder of Buddhism. He was born in the
princely Kshatriya family of Kapilavastu in the Nepalese Tarai (north of the
Basti district in Uttar Pradesh). His mother died in childbirth and Gautama
(then called Siddhartha) was brought up by his aunt and stepmother. He lived a
luxurious life in his father's palace until the three visions of old age,
disease, and death made him realize the hollowness of worldly life and
pleasure. The very night a son was born to him, Gautama renounced (at the age
of 29) all his worldly possessions and assumed the life of a wandering monk
determined to find a way out of disease, old age and death. Enlightenment
came when he was meditating under the famous Bodhi-tree (a variety of fig)
of modern Bodh-Gaya. From then on, Gautama (now called the Buddha) moved about
the Gangetic plain preaching and converting thousands to his faith Buddhism.
It is interesting to note that, like Mohammed a thousand years later, Gautama
claimed no divinity for himself and discouraged any idea of being worshipped.
.IP "Bodhi-tree "
The holy fig tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment.
.IP "Akbar "
The third Mughal Emperor (1556-1605), Akbar was the real founder of the Mughal
Empire in India. At his accession on the death of his father Humayun, Akbar
possessed no definite territory, but within the next twenty years he conquered
the whole of northern India and eventually annexed Kabul, Qandahar, and
Baluchistan. Akbar had a grand dream of creating a united India. Feeling that
it was religion that kept Hindus and Muslims apart, he created a new religion
called the Din-Ilahi (or Divine Faith) whose principles were taken from the
Koran, the Vedas, and the Bible. The religion lost all its adherents shortly
after Akbar's death.
.IP "Birbal "
Raja Birbal was a Rajput chief who voluntarily entered into the service of
the Emperor Akbar and rose high in his favor. Many stories, some just part
of an oral tradition, are told about his wit and cunning. He was defeated and
killed in 1586 when leading the Mughal army against the Yusufzi tribe on the
north-west frontier of India.
.sp 2
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Page 17
.IP "Avatar "
Incarnation.
.IP "Vishnu "
One of three primary Hindu Gods, the other two being Brahma and Shiva.
.IP "Pune, Vadodara, Mumbai "
Places in the western part of India, the names being changed by the British
to "Poona, Baroda, and Bombay."
.IP "Rajneesh "
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931-) is the consummate Indian guru, godman, teacher
and philosopher. He is no stranger to America from where he was evicted in
1985 following allegations of subverting the immigration process. He was a
Professor of Philosophy until 1966, but he quit his job in
order to devote himself to the spiritual awakening of others, founding ashrams
in Poona and Oregon.
.IP "Ismail, Ibrahim "
Ismail is the biblical Ishmael and Ibrahim, Abraham. See the main reference
to page 95.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 18
.IP "Dabbawala "
Itinerant street urchin, who makes a living by selling boxed lunches. A "dabba"
is a box, "walla" (or "wala" or "vala") is a common suffix used for a general
tradesman. Thus, "Doodhwalla" is a milkman, "Doodh" meaning milk.
.IP "Babasaheb "
Common form of address used for a revered old man.
.IP "Santacruz"
Bombay airport.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 19
.IP "Muqaddam"
The noun "muqaddam" means a leader. Used as an adjective, the word means best
or necessary.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 21
.IP "Baprebap "
An exclamation. Literally, "Father, O Father."
.sp 2
.ce
Page 22
.IP "Sari "
Indian woman's dress.
.IP "Pallu "
Border of the sari. Modest young brides cover their heads with the "pallu".
.sp 2
.ce
Page 24
.IP "Annie Besant "
A renowned theosophist, Mrs. Besant \fInee\fR Ward (1847-1933), figured
prominently in the history of India's freedom movement as the founder of the
Home Rule League. J. Krishnamurthi was her \fIprote'ge'\fR and she set him up
as the
coming world teacher when she founded the Order of the Star. She travelled
widely in England and America eloquently urging Krishnamurthi's claims to be
the new Messiah. In her book \fIHow India wrought for Freedom\fR, she called
India her motherland, formally separating herself from her native Ireland and
Britain.
.IP "Ganesh "
Ganesh is the Hindu God of prudence and policy, and the patron of letters. The
eldest son of the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati, he is represented as a
short and fat red-colored man with a large belly and the head of an elephant. He is
frequently attended by a rat, sometimes riding on one. He generally has four hands,
but sometimes six or eight and sometimes only two. He is invoked by Hindus of all
sects.
.IP "Hanuman "
Hanuman was (is?!) the son of Vayu and Anjana, and is commonly represented
as half-monkey and half-man. He first came to know Rama, an incarnation
of the Hindu god Vishnu, when Rama was searching for his wife Sita. Through a
boon granted by Rama, Hanuman is supposed to be immortal.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 26
.IP "Gracekali "
Grace Kelly. "Kali" (the word rhymes with "gulley") means a flower-bud.
.IP "Jaisalmer "
Princely city of the Rajputs (and a state by itself during the British Raj),
Jaisalmer is now in the state of Rajasthan.
.IP "Chhatri "
Umbrella.
.IP "Kerala "
Southern state of India.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 27
.IP "Lafanga "
Loafer, vagabond, man of loose character.
.IP "Haramzada "
Bastard.
.IP "Salah "
Literally, wife's brother, but a vicious curse in common parlance.
.IP "Kanya Kumari "
Southern tip of India, at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean,
and the Arabian Sea.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 28
.IP "N.T. Rama Rao "
The actor-politician, N.T. Rama Rao (5/28/23- ), also known as NTR, has been the Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh since January of 1983. He actually started in government service as
a Sub-registrar but quit after a few months and joined films; he acted in
leading roles in more than 320 films, but gave up his film career and re-entered
politics "for the service of the people". His portrayal of Hindu gods
in his film roles has helped his political image and his party \fITelugu Desam\fR
(Land of the Telugu) has acquired many followers, not
a few of whom consider him to be an incarnation of god.
.sp 2
.ce Page 29
.IP "Forbidden foods "
Islam prohibits the eating of pig's meat.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 31
.IP "Yahudan "
A "Yahudi" is a Jew, a "Yahudini" a Jewess. "Yahuda" is Judas.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 34
.IP "Accha, means what? "
"Accha" means yes. This question indicates Saladin's puzzlement in his modified
state. Apparently, he has so reverted to his Indian state that he cannot
immediately figure out that a "drink" means an "alcoholic beverage."
.IP "So okay, bibi, give me one whisky soda only "
More Indian English. "Bibi" means, depending on context, one of lady, wife, or
mistress.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 37
.IP "Yellamma cult "
The tradition of the Yellamma cult is an interesting fusion of Aryan and
Dravidian cultures in South India. According to one legend, Mariamma was the
mother of Parasurama, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu. Obeying his
father's command to behead Mariamma for some imagined crime, Parasurama took
Mariamma to the woods where they met a Pariah woman. Mariamma appealed for
mercy and the Pariah woman embraced her and would not let go, so Parasurama
beheaded both of them. When he came back grief-stricken, his father was
impressed by his obedience and granted him one boon. Parasurama asked
for the life of his mother. His father (a famous Rishi, Jamadagni
was his name) gave him an incantation to use to restore the two women
back to life after putting their heads back on the bodies. Parasurama,
in his haste, restored the wrong woman to the wrong body. The woman with
the Brahmin head and Pariah body is now worshipped as Mariamma and the woman
with the Pariah head and Brahmin body is worshipped as Yellamma.
.IP "Karnataka "
Formerly Mysore, a state of Southern India.
.IP "Ellowen Deeowen "
Children's game in which one player ("it") turns his/her back on the others
and chants, "L-O-N-D-O-N. London!" while the others creep up. If any of the
others is not completely still by the time the chant is over, and is observed
to be moving the chanter, he/she becomes "it" and the game starts over again.
.IP "Brabourne Stadium "
The name of a cricket ground in Bombay.
.IP "... prayed for an English victory ..."
A few Indians share this feeling, even some people who were around before
the English left. Anglo-Indians (or Indo-Anglians, depending on your point of
view) are called "Dings" in some parts of India, a derogatory term used
to describe the community's unusual solidarity with the English. A cricket
match between England and India gives expression to dormant emotions; one
can sometimes see a group of "Dings" waving the Union Jack defiantly, ignoring
the jeers of the rest of the crowd.
.IP "Ayah "
Governess.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 38
.IP "Dhoti "
Loose cloth worn around the waist by men.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 39
.IP "Ammi "
Mother.
.IP "... heaped garlands around his neck ... "
This is a common scene at airports and railway stations, when a male leaves
on a long journey. He is garlanded while well-wishers gather around to give
him their blessings and bid him Godspeed.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 40
.IP "... latest Western hits as heard on Radio Ceylon ..."
All India Radio (AIR) does not keep up with the ever-changing Western pop music
scene very well. Many Indians therefore prefer to get the music from Radio
Ceylon, even though the reception is not good.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 46
.IP "Khali-pili khalaas "
"Khali" means black, "pili" means yellow, "khalaas" means finished, released.
Apparently, this is Bombay slang for "finished off without good reason".
(I have never heard this one).
.sp 2
.ce
Page 48
.IP "Shaitan "
Devil. Common parlance relegates "shaitan" to a mere imp. "Shaitani" is
mischief.
.IP "Goodness Gracious Me "
A song from the film --- with Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren in which Peter
Sellers plays a goofy Indian doctor.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 53
.IP "Binaca "
An Indian brand of toothpaste.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 54
.IP "Dalda "
Brand name of clarified butter (\fIghee\fR) product, used in frying.
.IP "Joke-shoke "
Indian English often extends words in this fashion for no good reason. Thus:
"The brakes-shakes weren't working when we hit the tree."
.IP "Hijra "
Hermaphrodite.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 55
.IP "Scissors, Panama "
Names of Indian cigarettes.
.IP "Bustee "
Dwellings, slums.
.IP "Shiv Sena "
Militant group in the Bombay/Poona area which agitates for keeping the
region free of "invaders" from the rest of India.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 58
.IP "Seven tiles "
Game in which seven tiles are stacked up. One team attempts to break the stack
with a ball and then stack the tiles up again without getting tagged by the
other team.
.IP "Kabaddi "
A martial game played with two teams. The teams face off on two sides of a line
and individual members of each team take turns crossing the line and tagging
members off the opposite team and getting back without being tackled on the
wrong side off the line.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 60/62
.IP "Mamoulian "
Apparently nothing more than an Armenian Jewish name. The juxtaposition of
Maxim and Mamma Alien on page 62 evokes Maximilian and Mamoulian. It is
interesting to note that the Hindi/Urdu word "mamouli" means ordinary,
common or petty.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 66
.IP "Thums Up "
An Indian pop drink.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 68
.IP "Pooja "
Homage, worship.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 69
.IP "Hamza-nama "
Hamza, the paternal uncle of the Prophet Mohammed (see the main reference to
Hamza, page 104), was noted for his courage in the battlefield. Paintings
depicting Hamza's valour are quite common.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 70
.IP "Ravi Varma "
An Indian artist/painter, Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was related by marriage to the
Maharaja of Travancore. Mostly self-taught, he also received some help from
British artists in South India. He won prizes at many art exhibitions in
India, England, and America. His work consisted chiefly of portraits of high
officials in the British Raj or of Indian Princes.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 73
.IP "Padyatra "
A pilgrimage on foot.
.IP "MGR "
M.G. Ramachandran (1/17/1917-12/24/87) was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,
a southern state of India, from May 1980 to his death. He was also an actor,
producer, and director.
.IP "Amitabh Bachchan "
Another actor-politico, Amitabh's entry into politics has been more recent.
The "angry young man" of Hindi films, Amitabh (10/11/42-), has received the
Filmfare Best Actor Award several times. Being a high school buddy of
Rajiv Gandhi, he entered politics shortly after Mrs. Gandhi's death, when
Rajiv himself was elected the Prime Minister. He is a member of the Lok Sabha
(The People's House in India's Parliament).
.sp 2
.ce
Page 74
.IP "Natyam "
Or Bharat Natyam, a South Indian classical dance.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 75
.IP "Lathi "
Baton.
.IP "Rail Roko "
Literally, "Stop train," a common form of public protest.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 78
.IP "Dara Singh, Buta Singh, Man Singh, Tavleen."
All of these are, of course, Sikh names. The continuing Sikh unrest in India
which has resulted in a lot of bloodshed (including that of former Indian
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) is well known. Tavleen's "Canadian accent" is
an obscure reference to the belief that much of the Sikh terrorism is
sponsored and organized by Canadian Sikhs.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 80
.IP "Hijras! Chootias! "
"Hijras" are hermaphrodites. No purpose is served by explaining the literal
meaning of "chootias". Suffice it to say that it is a vulgar curse.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 81
.IP "Funtoosh "
Finished.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 86
.IP "Cut-Sird, Sirdarji "
Sirdarjis are Sikh males, whose religion demands that they never cut their
body hair. Thus a "cut-sird" is an apostate. Gibreel's comment "She's got sharp
eyes ..." refers to the fact that Tavleen could not have figured out only from
the name that Jalandri was a Sikh.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 91
.IP "Enor\fImouse\fR "
Indian pronunciation of "enormous".
.IP "Lat "
An old Arabian goddess. The name (from al-ilahat) means "the goddess" but
was the proper name of a definite deity. She is found as early as the Palmyran
inscriptions and was worshipped by various Bedouin tribes. She had her
principle sanctuary in the valley Wadjdj. A white stone hung with all
kinds of decorations was her symbol. After the capture of Mecca by the followers
of Mohammed, the idol of Lat was destroyed with her sanctuary. But she was not
completely forgotten by her followers and there are still blocks of stone
which people call al-Lat and secretly seek help in case of illness.
.IP "Manat "
Another old Arabian goddess. Her character can only be deduced (and this may be
incorrect) from her name which corresponds to the Arabic \fImaniya\fR meaning,
"the allotted, fate, especially of death." She was therefore a goddess of fate
and of death. Her main symbol was a black stone in Kudaid, not far from
Mecca on the road to Medina. She was worshipped by many Arabian tribes. According
to some historians, she was the oldest of the three\(em Lat, Manat, Uzza\(em
but there is a poem by Ibn Hisham which describes Lat and Manat as the two
daughters of Uzza. The great sanctuary of Manat at Kudaid was destroyed
shortly after the capture of Mecca.
.IP "Uzza "
The third Arabian goddess, who formed a divine trinity with Lat and Manat.
In a moment of Satan-inspired confusion, Muhammed temporarily recognised the
trinity as being composed of lesser gods but recanted the recognition later.
(See comments on Satanic verses in the notes for pages 114 and
124). Uzza's name means "the Strong, the Powerful." Her principal sanctuary
was in the valley of Nakhla on the road from Ta'if to Mecca. It consisted
of three acacia trees in one of which the goddess revealed herself. It also
included a sacred stone and the Ghabghab, a cave into which the blood of
sacrificed animals was poured. Her cult spread among a number of the
Bedouin tribes, especially the Kuraish, the clan into which Muhammed was
born. The Koran suggests that Manat was subordinate to the other two. After
the taking of Mecca, Mohammed sent Khalid to destroy the sanctuary of Uzza.
.IP "Zamzam "
Zamzam, the sacred well of Mecca is also called the well of Ismail. It is
140 feet deep and surmounted by an elegant dome. Pilgrims drink its water,
considered to be health-giving. Zamzam in Arabic means "abundant water."
Muslim tradition connects the origin of the well with the story of
Abraham (or Ibrahim). It was opened by the angel Gabriel to save Hagar and
her son Ismail who were dying of thirst in the desert. It is at least
certain that the well was held in reverence at a very early, pre-Islamic
period.
.IP "Jurhum "
The Jurhum, or Djurhumis, were a nomadic tribe who inhabited the area near
Mecca in pre-Islamic days. As the story goes, the Jurhum filled in the Zamzam
and threw all their treasure into it. The well was rediscovered by
Abd-al-Muttalib, an ancestor of the Prophet Mohammed, who provided it with
walls of masonry and built the Kaba. He took out of the well two gazelles
of gold, some swords and some cuirasses. With the swords he made the door of
the Kaba which he covered with plates of gold made from one of the gazelles
and he put the other in the sanctuary.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 92-93
.IP "The businessman...forty four today...Mahound"
The businessman is the Prophet Mohammed, who conducted the business which
became his lot after he married Khadija, a rich merchant's widow. Rushdie
seems to have a peculiar affinity for the "Devil's synonym" Mahound for
the Prophet, which cannot be found in any Islamic literature at all. For
example, in \fIMidnight's Children\fR, Rushdie writes,
.br
"... On Mount Sinai,
the prophet Musa or Moses heard disembodied commandments; on Mount Hira, the
prophet Muhammed (also known as Mohammed, Mahomet, the Last-But-One, and
Mahound) spoke to the Archangel (Gabriel, or Gibreel, as you please) ..."
.IP
The name Mahound can be found in Western sources describing the life of
Mohammed.
.IP
Mohammed's being forty four at the beginning of this chapter correponds
roughly to other evidence that the verses of the Koran of this chapter were
revealed roughly five years after the \fIumr\fR (the period before Mohammed
came forth as a religious reformer). The fact is, the year of his birth
cannot be established with any great certainty. He was born around 570 A.D.
.IP "Cone Mountain "
Actually Hira, also written Hara, a mountain about three miles north-east
of Mecca, which is cone-shaped. The Prophet Mohammed spent a month every year
engaged in \fItahannuth\fR (a form of religious devotion) in a cave in
Hira. In the beginning, Gabriel's revelations came to him there\(em hence
the present name of the mountain Djabal al-Nur, "The Mountain of Light".
.IP "Jahilia "
Or Djahilliya, a term used generally as the opposite of the word "Islam"
and which refers to the state of affairs in Arabia before the mission of
the Prophet Mohammed; and to the paganism (sometimes even that of non-Arab
lands), the pre-Islamic period and the men of that time. The word is
used here to mean the Mecca of the time before the spread of Islam.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 95
.IP "Khalid "
According to several traditions, Khalid was, if not the fourth companion
of the prophet, at least one of the second group of three. I cannot find a
source which places Khalid as a water-carrier. He had some education and was
a rich member of the Umayyad clan and was responsible for arranging the match
of the Prophet with Habiba.
.IP "Ibrahim, Hagar, Ismail"
Ismail, the Biblical Ishmael, is mentioned in four places in the Koran as a holy
man and a prophet. Mohammed's ancestry can be traced through Ismail and Ibrahim
to Moses and beyond. The story of Ibrahim's sacrifice of his son is also
mentioned in the Koran, but whether this son was really Ismail or Isaac, the
other son of Ibrahim conceived by Sarah, seems to be open and the subject of
debate. The expulsion of Hagar and her child Ismail is described in accordance
with the Jewish tradition (Genesis XXI). However, according to Islamic tradition,
Ibrahim does not simply send them both into the desert but accompanies them as
far as Mecca. There, of course, he leaves them to their fate since he has
to go back to his wife Sarah. Rushdie's account here of Hagar's suffering and
her running between the two hills looking for water for her thirsty son and
then Gibreel's intervention to reveal the Zamzam is
all more or less part of the Islamic tradition. (To be sure, a few details
differ: for example, Islamic tradition holds that the Zamzam was revealed to
Ismail, not to Hagar.) Also according to Islamic tradition, Ibrahim returned
three times to Mecca after Ismail had married into the tribe of the Jurhum
and learnt Arabic from them. Together, father and son started building a
sanctuary around the very spot where the Zamzam sprang forth. (See the earlier
reference to the Jurhum and Zamzam).
.sp 2
.ce
Page 96
.IP "Karim Abu Simbel "
None other than Abu Sufyan of the Islamic tradition. He was a prominent
Meccan merchant and financier. As head of the clan of Abd Shams, Abu Simbel/Sufyan
joined in opposing Prophet Mohammed in the years before his flight (\fIhegira\fR)
to Yathrib/Medina. He was nearly as violent in his opposition as Abu Djahl
(whose character also Rushdie endows in Abu Simbel). In the disastrous
fight at Badr against Mohammed's followers, Abu lost his son Hanzula in
battle. His other son Amr was taken prisoner but subsequently released.
His wife Hind lost her father Utba in the same battle. He also organized
the siege of Yathrib by non-Islamic Meccans, but lost heart when this
proved a failure. After the thwarted siege, a kind of peace was negotiated
but when his allies openly broke the peace, Abu went to Yathrib to meet
Mohammed. What happened is not certain but he appears to have come to some
understanding with Mohammed. He also gave his daughter Habiba in marriage
to Mohammed, although she had at that time broken all her ties with her
father to serve Mohammed anyway. When Mohammed marched to Mecca soon after,
Abu submitted to him. Those who took refuge with Abu were guaranteed security.
Thus he did much to bring about the surrender of Mecca peacefully.
.IP "The ferocious beautiful Hind ... "
Certainly a highly passionate woman, Hind married as her third husband Abu
Sufyan. Rushdie's obscure reference to her Greek profile (page 113) is
pure invention, for she was born Meccan into the clan of the Abd Shams.
She made several violent utterances against Mohammed and her hatred was
increased still more when Hamza, the paternal uncle of Mohammed killed her
father in the battle of Badr. She accompanied Meccans to the siege of
Yathrib and urged the men on to fight. When Hamza was killed in the battle
of Uhud, she is said to have mutilated his corpse and eaten his liver raw.
She was condemned to death by Mohammed at the time of the capture of Mecca,
but was pardoned when she accepted the new faith. She remained a schemer to the
end.
.IP "The tribe of Shark "
The tribe inhabiting Mecca/Jahilia in the time of Mohammed and into which he
was born was called Kuraysh, the word being a dimunitive of
\fIkirsh\fR, meaning shark. The various factions of the tribe were collected
together by Fihr in pre-Islamic times and assigned quarters all over
Mecca. By the time Mohammed was born, the Kuraysh were prosperous
merchants who had obtained a monopoly of trade between the Indian ocean and
East Africa on the one hand, to Mediterranean on the other.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 97
.IP "Baal "
"Baal" could be any of a multitude of Canaanite and Phoenician deities
worshipped individually rather than collectively at localized sanctuaries. As
a common noun, "baal" means a false god or an idol (the root is from old
Semitic). The word also means, in classical Arabic, "husband" and the
later exploits of Baal in \fISatanic Verses\fR bears
out this meaning. The actual person on whom Baal the poet is based on
is not very clear. It is quite possibly Imru al-Kays, a pre-Islamic
Arab poet who died around 550 A.D. The portrait of Imru which emerges
from sources which sometimes contradict each other is that of an
obscure semi-legendary personality. Given to writing erotic poetry, one
source has the Prophet declaiming him as the "leader to Hell-fire" but
another source attributes the Prophet's praise and high regard for the poet
making him the "leader and standard bearer" of all poets.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 99
.IP "Hubal, sent by the Amalekites from Hit... "
This is a confusing allusion. It is doubtful whether the
statue of Hubal in the Kaba (the principal sanctuary of Islam) is that of the
son of Adam.
The Amalekites are not mentioned in the Koran at all even though the
clan is connected with the Muslim literary tradition. The Pharaohs are alleged
to be of this race and they are supposed to be one of the first to speak
Arabic. Hit is a town in Mesopotamia in Iraq, on the right bank of the
Euphrates. Rushdie's mention of Amalekites from Hit is not easily
verifiable, and appears also to be just fiction. Hubal and Kain are presumably
Abel and Cain, but I could not
find any source which suggests that an image of Kain was in the Kaba.
Hubal was a stellar deity, but his most characteristic role in the pagan
period of Mecca was that of a cleromantic divinity. The statue was used
for divining the auspicious moment to prepare for war or long journeys. The
colossus stood inside the Kaba on the ceiling above the sacred well of
Zamzam.
.IP "... three hundred and sixty stone gods ..."
One for each day of the Arabic year.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 102
.IP "Bilal "
A companion of the prophet, Bilal, is best known today as being the
first Mu'addhin of Islam. (The word Mu'addhin is commonly anglicized to
Muezzin and is a person who calls the Faithful to prayer.) Of Ethiopian stock,
Bilal was born in Mecca among the clan of Jumah. He was an early convert\(em
some sources credit him with having been the second adult to accept Islam.
He was a slave and suffered heavy punishment under the hands of his
master Umayya for being faithful to Mohammed. Finally, he was rescued and
manumitted by Abu Bakr, another early convert, who bought him off Umayya.
Although a freedman of Abu Bakr, Bilal was in constant attendance of
the Prophet Mohammed. Bilal was the Prophet's mace-bearer, his personal
servant and adjutant.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 103
.IP "Yathrib "
Later known as Medina.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 104
.IP "Salman "
Salman al-Farisi was a companion of the Prophet Mohammed and one of the
most popular figures of Muslim legend. He was born in a Iranian village
near Isfahan (hence he is described here as being an immigrant). He came
seeking the Prophet who was to restore the religion of Abraham, the imminence
of whose coming had been predicted to him by his dying teacher. Betrayed
by Bedouins who had been acting as his guides through the desert, Salman
was sold as a slave to a Jew. Eventually, Mohammed raised the money to pay
his ransom and free him from his master.
In the siege of Yathrib/Medina by the non-Islamic Meccans later, it was
Salman who advised the digging of the ditch by which the Faithful defended
themselves against the enemy (see page 365).
.IP "Hamza "
Hamza, the paternal uncle of the Prophet, played a part in negotiating with
Khadija's father for the Prophet's first marriage. On his conversion to
Islam, he became one of its bravest champions, although he had previously
been an opponent of the new religion. During the battles of Badr and Uhud,
Hamza fought with great courage, distinguishing himself in single combat. He
was slain at Uhud by the Abyssinian slave Wahshi, who thereby gained his
manumission from Hind. After he fell, Hind mutilated his corpse and
fed on his liver.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 109
.IP "Bhaenchud "
A man who commits incest with his sister.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 111
.IP "Ishvar "
God.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 112
.IP
"... epileptic fit ..."
The Prophet Mohammed was epileptic; many of his revelations are supposed to have
occured when he had a fit.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 114
.IP "The Star ... "
From here starts the controversial 53rd Sura (Chapter) of the Koran
entitled An-Najm (The Star). The words of Mahound on page 114 of Satanic
Verses are a paraphrase of the words from the Koran. Verses 19-23 of the
53rd Sura are essential to the understanding of Rushdie's book. The
sentence, "Have you thought upon Lat and Uzza, and Manat, the third the other?"
is from Sura 53, Verses 19 and 20, also translated:
.br
"See ye then (the idols) Lat and the Uzza?
.br
And Manat, the third (idol) besides?"
.br
The Satanic insertion, later abrogated by Mohammed, occured at this point in
the Koran and Rushdie claims that the insertion was "They are the exalted
birds, and their intercession is desired indeed," but it will be difficult
to get two Islamic scholars to agree on the exact words of the insertion.
Even the nature of the insertion and the later abrogation is open to question.
The Encyclopaedia of Islam claims that "[the] obstacle [presented by the three
idols] was so difficult to overcome that the Prophet seems, for a brief
period, to have consented to the continuation of the cult of the three deities."
This would argue in favor of Rushdie's viewpoint, but most Islamic
commentaries of the Koran give a more moderate view. They hold that when the
Holy Prophet was reciting the 19th Verse of the 53rd Sura, a Voice (that of
Shaitan, or Satan) was heard reciting, "These are the exalted females whose
intercession is sought," to disturb the recital of the Sura and to put the
audience into confusion. Many even go so far as to suggest that there was
no abrogation of the crucial 21st Verse while admitting that a Satanic Voice
did try to interject something. They claim that the whole context of the
Sura goes against any abrogation since the 21st Verse, as it exists today,
forms a consistent part of the entire Sura.
.LP
Rushdie's account, on pages 108-114, present an intermediate viewpoint:
the Angel Gabriel's vocal cords were being used (refer page 112) by someone,
not God ("Butbutbut: God isn't in this picture"), to answer whether Lat,
Manat and Uzza were to be considered deities.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 118
.IP "More like a mother than a. "
Almost certainly a typo, the word omitted is probably "wife". Perhaps
Rushdie meant to substitute another word and never got around to it?
.IP "A prophet, Isa, born to a woman named Maryam ..."
Isa and Maryam are, of course, the Koranic names for Jesus and Mary; the Koran
refers to Isa in no less than 14 Suras and devotes 93 verses to him, laying the
foundation of Muslim Christology. According to Islam, Jesus was the prophet who
immediately preceded Mohammed and who foretold Mohammed's coming. In spite of
the great veneration of the Son of Mary, Islam is quite clear that he was in
no sense divine: he was a mere human being, like Mohammed, chosen by God for
His mission; he was not the Son of God.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 122
.IP "Khattam-shud "
Finished.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 124
.IP
"Shall He have daughters and you sons? ..."
Thus begins the abrogation of the Satanic Verses and these lines are indeed
how Verses 21- stand today. The rhetorical question, "Shall He have daughters
and you sons?" is not without a touch of acid. In the Mecca of pre-Islamic
times, daughters were an omen of bad fortune and were often killed (by
being buried alive) shortly after being born.
.sp 2
.ce
Page 125
.IP "Submission "
Islam means "submission".

Alex Sánchez

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Feb 9, 2021, 6:40:46 PM2/9/21
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So I just started reading Rushdie I was like "damn, there are a lot of words I don't get it".
Then, I came here. You have simplify mi life ekdumjaldi.
Thanks!

ilona schissler

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Feb 26, 2021, 3:32:58 AM2/26/21
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Where is the wonderful glossary gone?
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