The Satanic Verses

Gibreel falls into another dream. This time, he returns to the town of Jahilia nearly 25 years after the events of his previous dream. By this time, the inhabitants of Jahilia have slipped into poverty. In contrast, Mahound and the religious followers are returning "in splendor and omnipotence to the place whence they fled emptyhanded" (216). Mahound is now a well-known and respected man in the region. In contrast, Baal is poor and struggling to produce any poetry of worth. Baal is woken by a man who comes into his house to warn him that Mahound is returning to Jahilia. The man is Salman the Persian, a former follower of Mahound who has become disillusioned with Mahound's new religion. To Salman, the religion (known as Submission) is too demanding and overly regulated, as though the "rules, rules, rules" (219) were designed exactly to suit the needs of a businessman like Mahound. Salman recalls a dream that gave him the idea that it was his job to test Mahound. He was given the task of transcribing all Mahound's thoughts and ideas. After the dream, Salman decided to "surreptitiously" (221) make small but significant changes to his transcription to see what would happen if he adjusted the so-called word of God.