The story of The Satanic Verses chronicles an ancient legend about the Prophet Muhammad, founder of the Islamic religion. Legend has it that Muhammad, who received the Word of God directly from the Archangel Gabriel, was one day tricked by the devil into including satanic verses in the holy book of the Qur'an. Salman Rushdie's fictional version of this tale features the Prophet Mahound, founder of a religion called Submission. The social and political pressures faced by the very human Mahound tempt him to speak false verses to the people of Jahilia in the hopes of gaining personal power and prestige. Mahound repents of his actions and recants the satanic verses. His disciples applaud his courage in standing up to the pressures placed upon him by the evil Grandee of Jahilia and his beautiful wife, Hind. As Mahound's power grows, he triumphs over his former enemies...