Abdul Alhazred

**Abdul Alhazred** is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. He is the so-called "Mad Arab" credited with authoring the fictional book *Kitab al-Azif* (the *Necronomicon*), and as such is an integral part of Cthulhu Mythos lore.

**Abdul Alhazred** was a pseudonym adopted by Lovecraft after reading *1001 Arabian Nights* in his early childhood. The name may have been invented by Lovecraft himself or the Phillips' family lawyer Albert Baker.

*Abdul* (*Abd al*) is a common Arabic name component (meaning "servant of the") but never a name by itself. *Alhazred* may allude to "Hazard", a reference to the book's destructive and dangerous nature, or to Lovecraft's ancestors by that name. It might also have been a play on "all-has-read", since Lovecraft was an avid reader in youth.

Another possibility, raised in an essay by the Swedish fantasy writer and editor Rickard Berghorn, is that the name *Alhazred* was influenced by references to two historical authors: Alhazen ben Josef, who translated Ptolemy into Arabic; and Abu 'Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham,
 who wrote about optics, mathematics and physics (both authors were
known in the Latin West as "Alhazen", although the latter was
substantially more popular than the former). Ibn al-Haytham is said to
have pretended to be mad to escape the wrath of a ruler. *Abdul Alhazred* is not a real Arabic name, and seems to contain the Arabic definite article morpheme *al-* twice in a row (anomalous in terms of Arabic grammar). The more proper Arabic form might be *Abd-al-Hazred* or *Abdul Hazred*. In Arabic translations, his name has appeared as *Abdullah Alḥa ẓred* (عبدالله الحظرد): Arabic '**ḥaẓara'**حظر
 = "he fenced in", "he prohibited". Hazred could come from the Arabic
word "Hazrat" meaning Great Lord with a twist that makes it sound like
"red" and "hazard" both indicative of danger. It is also thought by some
 to be a corruption of sorts on the phrase "All has read", to imply he
has read much, and has immense amounts of knowledge. However Abdul is a
common Arabic prefix meaning "Servant" and "Al" is Arabic for "the", and
 if "hazra" means "he prohibited", "he fenced in" or "Great Lord", then
the name would mean "Servant of the Prohibited", "Servant of the Fenced
in", or "Servant of the Great Lord" which would make sense considering
his role, even if it is not a proper Arabic name.

An explanation that is more in sync with Arabic usage and
existing Sufi tradition is that it is a corruption of "Abd-al-Hazra[h]"
عبدالحضرة, where "haẓrat" is the Persian and Ottoman Turkish form of the
 Arabic word "Haḍra[t]" | Hadrat
 حضرة meaning "presence" used by some speakers as an honorific title
before the names of prophets, saints, and also as a mnemonic for the
name of Allah, as well as a common honorific title for ordinary people.
The final taa marbuta is customarily variably turned into "t" or omitted in spoken Arabic in various varieties. "Haḍra" is also the name of the Sufi Dhikr.

The phrase "mad Arab", sometimes with both words capitalized in
Lovecraft's stories, is used so commonly before Alhazred's name that it
almost constitutes a title. A reference to the "Mad Arab" in Cthulhu Mythos
 fiction is invariably a synonym for Abdul Alhazred. Later writers
sometimes preface Alhazred with words such as "monk" (such as in the Chick parody tract "Who will be Eaten First?" by Howard Hallis) or "scholar".

Originating from 8th century, Abdul Alhazred is the creator of the legendary grimoire the Necronomicon, a powerful black magic tome.
 At some point Alhazred's spirit became trapped in the realm Pellucidar,
part of the Fantastic Realms in the Underworld beneath the other surface Realms. It has
been hypothesized that Alhazred died in Pellucidar or that his spirit
was transported there by the Great Race of Yith. Alhazred's spirit was
stored within the crystal of Pellucidar's reptilian Mahar race.

Around 1920, a lieutenant in a minor band of slavers was caught
stealing from his captain and hid in a cave, where he found a portal to
Pellucidar. Energies released from the Mahar crystal allowed Alhazred's
mind to control the thief, trasforming him into a more powerful version
of Alhazred's own body before the portal closed. Alhazred took command
of a band of slavers and forced them to unearth the portal to
Pellucidar. One of the slaves fled from the caverns but was pursued and
slain by Alhazred's slavers. This murder was seen and avenged by Tarzan
who then pursued Alhazred into Pellucidar. The slavers had also captured
 and African princess, Ayesha, to serve as a sacrifice to the crystal in
 hopes of Alhazred regaining his full power. Tarzan and Ayesha separated
 from Alhazred who took command of a cannibal tribe and used their ship
to speed his journey, ultimately arriving at the jungle Mahar city.
Meanwhile, the Mahar had built a sonic weapon using the crystal,
preparing to taking over Pellucidar. Locating the Mahar city, Ayesha
found the weapon's controls, turning it against Alhazred and his allies
and slaying Alhazred's pet hawk. The Mahar attacked Ayesha in their
control room, and she was forced to vlow up the control device to save
herself. Alhazred recovered and revealed his intent to sacrifice his
allies to the crystal to gain more energy. However, Tarzan the arrived,
following a stampede of dinosaurs and other creatures driven to frenzy
by the sonic weapon. Alhazred attacked Tarzan, planning to sacrifice him
 instead, but the crystal began feeding off his own energies as well,
and he was now vulnerable to other assaults. Alhazred was driven into
the crystal, which drained all of his power and life energy, causing him
 to crumble into ashes.

**Abdul Alhazred** is a mysterious and dangerous man, and the former Grand Vizier of the Isle of the Crown, and the Land of the Green Isles. He is a master thief, wizard, and a magician, and a political dignitary. The mad Arab was once the minion of the evil wizard Mordack, whom he had befriended, and is a brother of the Society of the Black Cloak.
 He owned a black cloak that signified his membership in the Society.
The mad Arab Abdul Alhazred is also known for penning the Necronomicon, an evil magic book greatly feared in Daventry. He was in league with Shadrack ("Shade").

Abdul Alhazred is said to have written the Necronomicon by listening to the combined "voice" of insects buzzing whilst in the Empty Quarter of the great deserts of Arabia. His death as described by Lovecraft is said to have been terrible: pursued and then caught and torn to pieces in mid-air in a marketplace, by an invisible but monstrous entity.