The "Hero’s Adventure" in the "Kitāb al-anwār" of XVI century Moriscos: Muhammad as the Child-Hero archetype

Abstract

In this paper I explore how the archetypal pattern of the hero’s adventure unfolds in the Aljamiado version of the Kitāb al-anwār (Book of Lights), a pseudo-biographical account about Prophet Muhammad. I analyze how in this sixteenth century Morisco narration exhibits the three stages that pertain to the hero’s journey — “departure”, “initiation” and “return”—. I also examine Allah’s Messenger’s image as an archetype of the child-hero, whose experiences include themes or circumstances that correspond to this heroic profile: “miraculous conception”, “exile” and “return”. My study concludes that the image of Prophet Muhammad as a child-hero, as well as the archetypal pattern of the hero’s adventure in the Kitāb al-anwār, could have aroused in 16th Century Moriscos readers and listeners, the desire to adhere vehemently (but clandestinely) to their religious practices, as well as to face adversities with courage and tenacity, bearing in mind that —just like the Prophet Muhammad and his ancestors— their faith, spiritual exercises and constancy would lead them towards the Alŷanna (Paradise), metaphysical dimensión promised in the Qur’an to those Muslims who remain loyal to Islamic precepts.