Le Traité des trois imposteurs et ses origines arabes

Abstract

Ahmad Gunny : The Traité des trois imposteurs and its Arab origins. In the 18th Century, the personality of Muhammad drew more attention perhaps than sociological, political and economic questions in Islam. The Prophet was often denounced in published works, though the fiercest attack against him is to be found in clandestine texts, particularly the Traité des trois imposteurs. The Traité, as Massignon has shown, had Arab origins and dates back to the 10th Century, the 18th-century version being a reconstruction of the earlier, Arabic text. But the reconstruction was not as fantastical as Massignon thought. This article shows that a major episode, found in the French text only, may have had a later, historical origin.