Shifting Perspectives and Methods in Researching the Moon-splitting Episodes

Few would consider Arabic as a part of the South Asian coastal heritage. Yet, contrary to what scholars have assumed until recently, Arabic literary production on the southwestern coast of India is documented from the 1300s at the latest. Some Arabic texts from this region are at the centre of our ongoing project on Hindu–Muslim–Jewish origin legends from the Malabar Coast. In this article, I will focus on one Arabic textual tradition, which (a) transgressed various literary genres and (b) circulated between the Arab world and South Asia. This is the story of the moon splitting into two halves. The split moon is mentioned in the Qurʾān, where it is interpreted either as an eschatological sign or as proof of Muḥammad’s truthful claim to prophethood. The latter interpretation became elaborated and included in works on Muḥammad’s biography and special qualities, universal histories and praise poetry to the Prophet. It also became part of the tellings of the Muslim origin legend that circulated in Malabar. My contribution explores the moon-splitting traditions between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Malabar Coast across different literary genres.