The Forbidden Passion: Mughulṭāy’s Book on the Martyrdom of Love and its Censorship

Authors

  • Monica Balda-Tillier Ilcea-Cemra, Université Stendhal Grenoble 3

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/alqantara.2014.008

Keywords:

Passionate love, Theory of profane love, Love treatises, Islam, Book censorship, Mamluk period, Ḥadīth al-ʽishq

Abstract


Al-Wāḍiḥ al-mubīn fī ḏhikr man ustušhhida min al-muḥibbīn by Mughulṭāy (d. 762/1361) is the only love treatise whose reading was ever prohibited in the entire history of the genre. The reasons alleged in ancient sources are insufficient or not explicit enough on the reasons why Mughulṭāy’s book was burned in the public square and withdrawn from the book market in 14ᵗʰ-century Cairo. This article consists of an attempt to understand the reasons behind this prohibition.

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Author Biography

Monica Balda-Tillier, Ilcea-Cemra, Université Stendhal Grenoble 3

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Published

2014-06-30

How to Cite

Balda-Tillier, M. (2014). The Forbidden Passion: Mughulṭāy’s Book on the Martyrdom of Love and its Censorship. Al-Qanṭara, 35(1), 187–212. https://doi.org/10.3989/alqantara.2014.008

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Monographic Section