Ricoldo mocked the Qur’an’s dreamlike style while recalling his peaceful time in Muslim Baghdad.

Evidence

For Ricoldo, recollecting Muslim Baghdad when he was at peace at Santa Maria Novella in Florence, it was natural, but ungenerous, to make fun of the Qur’an and the Prophet. ‘Very often he seems to speak like a man dreaming, and especially towards the end of the Book, where there seem to be some words missing.’ — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 344

Categorization

• QUESTION: How did Ricoldo reconcile his positive lived experience of Muslim Baghdad with his harsh polemic against the Qur’an?