139404-jiJna.qxp 4/25/06 3106 PM Page 23 (.BMaJI.w...... ~ • • Original Article • Moses Maimonides (Musa ibn Maymun), aJewish • Philosopher, Theologian and Physician: His Life and • Works, an Islamic Perspective • Hareth M. Raddawi, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.G. • Chicago, Illinois, USA

Abstract: MUsa ibn Maymfin (Maimonides) is a well knownJewish philosopher, theologian and physician. He was born in QurPlba (Cordova) in 1153 where he was tutored in various fields ofknowledge, including theol­ ogy. He later moved to Pas, Morocco and then Acre, Palestine. He finally settled in Cairo, Egypt, where he became a physician in the court ofSultan $a1al:l al-Din and the leader oftheJewish community in Cairo.

Miisi ibn Maymiin's major books ofmedicine and phUosophy were written in Arabic. His major theological work, the Mishneh Torah, was fourteen volumes in length and remains a major source of]ewish theology and law to this day.

Miisa ibn Maymt1n is a prime example ofIslam's tolerance and high respect for science and scientists. Non­ Muslims were given the full opportunity to flourish, achieve and be appointed to high places in Muslim countries. This represents the true spirit ofIslam.

+ ~aliQ + Key Words: Maimonides, Miisi ibn Maymiin, Jewish theology, history ofmedicine, Islamic medicine, al-DIn

Introduction Aportrait ofMoses Over thirty-five books and hundreds ofarticles have Maimonides. been published in the United States and Europe on the life and works ofMoses MaimonideS.1-3 It is high time that Muslim physicians and scholars- especially those of us who have elected to emigrate and become citizens ofthe United States and western Europe-learn more about Ibn Maymiin. It is nowa­ rule at the time ofIbn Maymiin but also the benevo­ days even more imperative than ever before that we lent nature ofIslamic culture and civilization. For it highlight not only the great spirit oftolerance and was under Islamic rule andjurisdiction that rabbi respect ofother faiths that prevailed under Islamic and physician Miisi Ibn Maymiin was able not only to excel in the field ofMedicine but to vastly con­ clinical Associate Professor ofMedicine and Gastroenterology, tribute to Jewish theology. University ofnIinois College ofMedidne. Presented at the International Institute ofIslamic Medicine (IIIM) and Islamic Medical Assodation ofNorth America The earliest known biography ofMaimonides is the (IMANA) Meeting. January 2005, Dubai. United Arab Emirates. famous book 'Uyiin al-anba' fi tabaqat al-apbba' (Sources ofinformation on the generations ofthe Pictures courtesy of Dr. Fred Rosner, Professor ofMedicine, physicians) by the noted medical biographer Ibn Abi Mount Sinai School ofMedidne, New York Usaybi'a (1203-1270 CE), himself a physician and an

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, . 139404-jimaoQXp 4/25/06 3:06 PM Page 24 (Black Plate)~ • acquaintance ofMaimonides's son Abraham.4 utilized his services and introduced him to the court ofal-'A414, the last ofthe Fatimid rulers ofEgypt. Musa ibn Maymiin was born in Qurtuba (Cordova) AI-Malik al-Na~ir Sultan Salahuddin AI-Ayubi the capital ofAI-Andalus (Islamic Andalusia) in 1135. (Saladin) took control ofEgypt around 1169 and suc­ His father and mentor was a well-known scholar and cessfully united Muslims to victory in the famous judge in theJewish community that flourished there. battle ofHittin in 1187. His army captured Bayt al­ In Arabic, the language he employed in most ofhis Maqdis Oerusalem) later that same year.5,s writings, Maimonides refers to himself as Abu 'Imran Milia ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn Maymun. In Maimonides was introduced to Sultan ~alal). aI-Din Hebrew he is known as RAMBAM which stands for and became a prominent court physician. In addi­ Rabbi Moses Ben Maimun. tion, ~alal). aI-Din appointed him leader oftheJewish • community in Egypt. Maimonides' reputation was so Beginning in the second halfofthe eighth century great that he was invited to be the personal CE, two rival centers ofknowledge emerged in the Physician ofKing Richard II (Richard the lion­ Islamic world, the Eastern Caliphate ofthe Abbasids Hearted), the king ofEngland, who was participating with Baghdad as its capital and the Western in the Third European Crusade. It is said that King Caliphate ofthe Umayyads with Qurtuba as its capi­ Richard had heard about Maimonides from ~alal). al­ tal. Two schools ofphilosophy and medicine subse­ Din's brother al-'Adil. Ibn Maymun declined the invi­ quently developed, the Eastern school ofAI-Razi tation and elected to stay in Ayyubite Egypt. In (Rhazes) and Ibn SIna (Avicennia) and the Western Egypt, Ibn Maymun built a busy and successful pri­ school ofIbn Zuhr (Avenzoar) and Ibn vate medical practice. He would fulfill his duties as Rushd{Averroes ).5-7 court physician to the Sultan and his family in the mornings and attend to his clinic patients in the Maimonides was thoroughly tutored in Qurtuba in afternoons. On Saturdays (Sabbath), Ibn Maymiin the fields ofmathematics, astronomy and astrology, would attend to the needs oftheJewish community medicine, philosophy, theology andJewish studies. in Cairo as the appointed head Rabbi. It is said that Ibn Maymun was a student oftwo distinguished ~alal). aI-Din had eighteen physicians in his service, + Cordovan Muslim scholars; Abu Marwan ibn Zuhr eight Muslims, five Jews, four Christians, and one + (Avenzoar; 1091-1162) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes 1126­ Samaritan.9 Several historians agree that ~alal). al­ 1198). Maimonides repeatedly refers to his Cordovan Din's stellar performance as a leader in the battle­ mentors in several ofhis Medical writings as "the field was matched only by his legendary tolerance. outstanding elders in the land ofal-Andalus."5 Following his capture ofJerusalem from the Europeans in 1187, he allowedJews to worship in the Qurtuba was conquered by the al-Muwal;1l).idun city even before he allowed his own Muslim people. (Almohades) in 1148. The Maymun family fled their This noble act was reminiscent ofanother incident persecution to the city ofFas (Fez) in Morocco in that had taken place inJerusalem over five hundred 1160. There, Ibn Maymun studiedJewish theology years before that, when another great Muslim leader, under the famous rabbijudah ha-Kohen. Around the second Khalifa 'Umar, elected to take his prayer 1165 the family sailed to Acre, Palestine. Their mat away from a Christian church for fear that some sojourn in Palestine was brief, and they finally set­ ofhis followers might one day claim it as their own tled in Fustat (old Cairo), Egypt. place ofworship. Both leaders certainly displayed vision, wisdom and a true understanding ofthe core When his brother David, a jewel merchant, perished ofthe Islamic faith.s-1o in the Indian Ocean, Ibn Maymun turned to medi­ cine to earn his livelihood in order to sustain himself Medical Writings and his brother's family. Maimonides's endeavors in A total often works ofIbn Maymun (all written in his new occupation proved successful, and within a Arabic) have been well preserved and short time he attracted the attention ofthe Islamic authenticated.5-7 ChiefJustice, Vizier al-Qa4i al-Fa4il aI-Baysani, who

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, . 139404-jimaoQXp 4/25/06 3:06 PM Page 25 (Black Plate)~ • 1. Al-Mukhta~arat - The Extracts These are a carefully selected compilation ofthe 9. IT tadblr al-sil).l).a - On the Regimen ofHealth works ofGalen. The extracts were quite popular and (Figure 1) used as a "digest" ofGalen's work. Ibn Maymun wrote this work at the behest ofal­ Malik al-Af<;lal Nflr aI-DIn 'Ali, the son ofSalahuddin, 2. FU~iil Milia fi al-Tibb-The Medical Aphorisms of who died in 1193. Nflr al-DIn succeeded his deceased Moses father as king ofEgypt. This book, composed between 1187 and 1190, was perhaps the most popular ofIbn Maymun's medical 10. Maqala fi bayan ba'<;l al-'a'ra<;l wa al-jawab 'anha - A compositions. It consists of 25 chapters which treatise in elucidation ofsome symptoms and the include over 1,500 aphorisms. In these he quotes response to it • Galen plus several Muslim writers such as Ibn Zuhr, This treatise, like the Regimen, was written at the al-TamlmI, Ibn waRd, Ibn Ri<;lwan, and al-FarabI. The request ofKing al-Af<;lal ibn ~alal). aI-DIn. unlike the book was translated from Arabic to Latin and Regimen, it is not a discourse on a general topic such Hebrew. as the regimen ofhealth, but rather a compilation of detailed and often elaborate answers to specific 3. sharl). fu~fll Abflqrat - A Commentary on the questions posed by the ailing prince to his famous Aphorisms ofHippocrates. and trustworthy physician. This work included his commentary on the works of Hippocrates as translated into Arabic by Hunain Ibn All ofIbn Maymfln's medical works were written in Ishaq. It was divided into seven books. Arabic, the language ofscience and medicine ofhis 4. ITal-jima' - On Coitus/Intercourse. age. The last two treatises are available in original Two treatises were written on sexual hygiene and manuscripts at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. aphrodisiac remedies. The longest ofthe two was written at the request ofal-Mu?affar ibn Ayyflb, Maimonides's works inJewish Theology Sultan ofHama, Syria (1172-1192). Ibn AbI Usaybi'a referred to Ibn Maymfln as "al-RaTs Mflsa;' as he was the head (RaTs) and Rabbi ofthe + 5. ITal-bawaslr-On Hemorrhoids. Jewish community in Egypt, a position to which + Composed in 1187 on the management ofhemor­ Sultan ~alal). aI-DIn appointed him. Ibn Maymfln was rhoids. soon recognized as an authority onJewish law and its interpretation. 6. Maqala fi al-rabw - A Discourse on Asthma. Written in 1190, it outlines symptoms, treatment, His first major religious work was commentary on and prevention. the Mishnah written in 1168. His medical practice notwithstanding, Maimonides continued to pursue 7. Kitab al-sumflm wa al-mutal).arriz min al-adwiya al­ his religious and philosophical studies, and in 1180 qattala - A Book on Poisons and Protection against he wrote his major religious work, the Mishneh Lethal Drugs. Torah, in which he organized, edited, summarized, Written in 1198 at the request ofIbn Maymun's and codified the immense collection oflaws, cus­ benefactor, theJudge Vizier al-Fa<;lil. It discusses toms, opinions, and regulations found in existing organic and inorganic poisons, their toxicity, anti­ Jewish scripture. This work offourteen books dotes, and remedies as well as general advice on remains one ofthe major sources ofJewish theology emergency measures. andJewish laws until today.6,7 In 1190 he completed the Dalalat al-hayrIn (The Guide 8. sharl). asma' al- 'uqqar - A Commentary on the to the Perplexed), considered the crown ofhis philo­ Names ofDrugs sophical achievements. In it, he tried to reconcile This work, which was cited by Ibn AbI Usaybi'a, was Jewish thought with Aristotelian philosophy. only recently discovered in the library ofthe Aya Sofia in Istanbul. It contains 2,000 names ofdrugs Summary and Conclusions listed alphabetically in Arabic. JIMA: Volume 38, 2006 - Page 25

, . 139404-jima.qxp 4/25/06 3:06 PM Page 26 • Moses Maimonides (Mllsa ibn Maymiin) was an out­ Konigsberg, Germany: 1884. • standing physician and scholar. a superb clinician 5. Moses Maimonides. Moses Maimonides' two trea­ • and a prolific writer with everlasting contributions tises on the regimen ofhealth. Pi tadbir al-sil;tQa and • to medicine, philosophy and humanity. He was a fine Maqalafibayan ba'gal-'a'rag waaljawab 'anha. Bar­ product ofa great Islamic civilization. Sela A, Hoff HE, Faris E, editors and translators. • Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society; 1964. • It behooves us as Muslims not only to study the life 6. Rosner F. The medical legacy ofMoses • and legacy ofIbn Maymiin but to take pride in it as a Maimonides. Hoboken, N]: KTAV Publishing House; • shining example ofthe spirit oftolerance inherent 1998. • in Islam. This fact has enormous relevance and ger­ 7. Rosner F. Medical encyclopedia ofMoses mane significance in this day and age where we find Maimonides. Northvale. N]: Jason Aronson; 1998. • ourselves in the midst ofa tide ofmisinformation 8. Reston]. Warriors ofGod: Richard the Lionheart and misunderstanding ofIslam fueled by some in the and Saladin in the third crusade. New York: Anchor West who are ignorant ofthe true nature ofIslam., Books, May 2002. on one hand, and by the acts ofa tiny minority of 9. Islamic culture and the medical arts: a brochure to misguided Muslims who have adopted a false inter­ accompany an exhibition in celebration ofthe 900th pretation ofIslam based on distorted self-righteous­ anniversary ofthe oldest Arabic medical manuscript ness and a skewed tunnel vision on the other hand in the collections ofthe National Library of Medicine. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of References Health. National Library ofMedicine; c1994 [updated 1. Rosner F. Maimonides the physician. Arch Intern 1998 Apr 15, viewed 2006 Apr 15]. Available from: Med.1986 Aug;146(8):1637. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ exhibition/islamic_med­ 2. Bloch S. Moses Maimonides' contribution to the ical/islamic_oo.html. biopsychosocial approach in clinical medicine. 10. Lewis B. From Babel to dragomans: interpreting Lancet. 2001 Sep 8;358(9284):829-32. the Middle East. New York: Oxford University Press. 3. Novak D. The mind ofMaimonides. First Things. 2004. 1999 Feb;90:27-33. + 4. Al;1mad ibn al-Qasim ibn Abi Usaybi'a. 'Uyiin al­ + anba'fi taOOqat al-.apbba' (Sources ofinformation on the generations ofthe physicians). MUller A, editor.

Figure 1. Scan offirst FI T ADBIR AS-SIHHAT. page ofthe published Gesundbeltsanleltung des MalmoIIides filr den Sultan edition ofPi tadbir al­ AI-Malik al-Af~aJ.

sil)l;la. Courtesy of Dr. Zum erslen M3.lc im UT'lcXlC hcrausgtgebeo. ins Oct:B,c1H~ ubertragen Fred Rosner. ugd krilisch crl1utcrt. Rabbiner I)r. H. KRONER. Obtl"~orr~Bop4ngel), Wtl/ltC't:Qbc.l'g.

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