Two Nativity Stories: The Example of Jesus And Muhammad in Literary Texts

Abstract This article aims to examine the birth of Jesus and Muhammad through literary texts dealing with religious or theological issues. In this literary text, the details, similarities and differences regarding the births of the two figures were revealed by subjecting content analysis. In the research conducted reveals numerous works, poems, and hymns dedicated to these figures. When these texts were analyzed, it was seen that the poets transferred the religious rituals and practices they witnessed and experienced into their poems by shaping tem with the concepts of their own religion and culture. In the Turkish literature, accounts of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad are found in mawlid texts. In contrast, in the Western literature, the nativity of Jesus Christ is discussed in works related to Christmas, Mary, and the Church. As a result of this comparison, some similarities and differences were identified and examined. As a result, when the poems written on the subject of birth are analyzed, it is seen that the content is nourished by religion or theology, and theological elements are widely included in these texts.