Moses Maimonides: A Fine Product of Islamic Civilization

Moses Maimonides, also known as Rambam, was a prominent Jewish philosopher, theologian, and physician who lived during the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1135, during a time when the Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim rule. Maimonides' life and work were deeply influenced by the Islamic world, and his background was shaped by the cultural and intellectual milieu of the Islamic Golden Age.

Here are some key aspects of Maimonides' Islamic world background:

Cultural and Intellectual Environment: Maimonides grew up in an environment where Islamic culture and scholarship were flourishing. The Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, was characterized by significant advancements in various fields, including philosophy, science, medicine, and literature. Muslim philosophers like Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Al-Farabi had a profound impact on Maimonides' intellectual development.

Arabic Language and Scholarship: Maimonides was fluent in Arabic, which was the dominant language of intellectual discourse in the Islamic world at the time. He not only read Arabic texts but also wrote many of his own works in Arabic, including his most famous philosophical and theological work, "The Guide for the Perplexed" (known as "Moreh Nevuchim" in Hebrew).

Influence of Islamic Philosophical Thought: Maimonides was heavily influenced by Islamic philosophers, especially the works of Aristotle as interpreted by Muslim philosophers like Ibn Rushd (Averroes). His philosophical writings incorporated elements of Aristotelian thought, which he reconciled with Jewish theology, demonstrating the impact of Islamic philosophy on his thinking.

Medical Training: Maimonides received a thorough education in medicine, which was highly developed in the Islamic world at the time. Muslims had expanded upon the Greco-Roman medical sciences with the help of Indian, Chinese, Persian, and Egyptian sciences. Maimonides inherited the Muslim synthesis and excelled in it. He became a renowned physician and served as the personal physician to the court of the Egyptian Sultan Saladin. His medical knowledge was acquired mainly through the study of Islamic medical texts.

Interactions with Muslim Scholars: Maimonides engaged in intellectual exchanges and debates with Muslim scholars and theologians, which were common in the multicultural societies of the time. These interactions allowed for the exchange of ideas between different religious and intellectual traditions.

Forced Migration: Due to the Spanish Almohad dynasty's anti-Jewish policies, Maimonides and his family were forced to leave Córdoba and eventually settled in Egypt, which was also under Islamic rule. In Egypt, he continued his scholarly pursuits and authored many of his most important works.

Moses Maimonides' background was deeply rooted in the Islamic world, and his intellectual development was profoundly influenced by the cultural, philosophical, and scholarly contributions of the Islamic Golden Age. His ability to integrate elements of Islamic philosophy and thought into Jewish theology and philosophy made him a pivotal figure in the history of Jewish and Islamic intellectual exchange during the Middle Ages.

Maimonides holds immense significance in Jewish civilization. There is a saying that between Moses and Moses, there was none like Moses.  He holds such an esteemed position for several reasons:

Philosophical Contributions: Maimonides was a brilliant philosopher who played a crucial role in reconciling Aristotelian philosophy with Jewish theology. His most famous work, "The Guide for the Perplexed," sought to harmonize reason and faith, and it had a profound impact on Jewish thought. He argued that one could use philosophy and reason to understand, appreciate, and analyze divine revelation, paving the way for a more rational approach to religious belief.

Legal Authority: Maimonides authored the "Mishneh Torah," a comprehensive code of Jewish law that covers a wide range of religious, ethical, and practical matters. This work became a standard reference in Jewish legal studies and continues to be influential to this day. It provided a clear and organized structure for understanding Jewish law, making it more accessible to scholars and laypeople alike.

Medical Expertise: Maimonides was not only a philosopher and theologian but also a skilled physician. His contributions to medicine and his emphasis on the importance of physical health in Jewish life have left a lasting impact on Jewish attitudes toward healthcare and well-being.

Integration of Knowledge: Maimonides emphasized the importance of knowledge and intellectual pursuits in Judaism. He argued that the study of both religious and secular subjects was essential, and this approach greatly influenced Jewish educational traditions. His emphasis on lifelong learning and scholarship remains an integral part of Jewish culture.

Interfaith Dialogue: Maimonides engaged in intellectual exchanges with scholars from different religious backgrounds, including Muslim and Christian theologians. His willingness to engage in dialogue and seek common ground contributed to interfaith understanding and influenced future Jewish-Muslim relations.

Legacy and Influence: Maimonides' writings and ideas continue to be studied and revered by Jews worldwide. His works remain foundational texts in Jewish philosophy, law, and ethics. His influence can be seen in the development of later Jewish thought, including the works of philosophers like Baruch Spinoza and Jewish legal scholars like Joseph Caro, who wrote the Shulchan Aruch.

Ethical Legacy: Maimonides placed great importance on ethics and moral conduct. His "Eight Levels of Charity" and his discussion of the "Golden Mean" in ethics continue to inspire Jews to engage in acts of charity and strive for moral excellence. His moral scheme was thoroughly influenced by the ethical works of Muslim theologian and mystic Abu Hamid al Ghazali.

Rationalism in Judaism: Maimonides' emphasis on rational thought and the use of reason within the context of faith had a lasting impact on Jewish thought. His approach helped create a space for intellectual inquiry within Judaism and contributed to the development of Jewish rationalism.

Moses Maimonides is a towering figure in Jewish civilization who made significant contributions to philosophy, law, medicine, and ethics. His ideas continue to shape Jewish thought and practice, and his legacy as a philosopher, scholar, and theologian remains a cornerstone of Jewish intellectual and religious life. He was greatly influenced by the works of Muslim philosopher Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi.

Al-Farabi's Influence

Al-Farabi, also known as Alpharabius in Latin, was a prominent Islamic philosopher and polymath who lived in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. He made significant contributions to various fields, including philosophy, political theory, ethics, and music. Al-Farabi's works were influential in both the Islamic world and the broader medieval intellectual landscape. While he lived several centuries before Moses Maimonides, there are notable ways in which Al-Farabi's thought influenced Maimonides:

Transmission of Aristotle's Philosophy: Al-Farabi was instrumental in preserving and transmitting the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers to the Islamic world. He wrote commentaries on Aristotle's works and attempted to reconcile Aristotle's philosophy with Islamic thought. This had a profound impact on the later development of Islamic philosophy, including Maimonides' engagement with Aristotelian ideas. Maimonides copied and imitated al-Farabi's philosophical works to reconcile the Jewish tradition with Aristotle’s rationalism.  

Integration of Greek and Islamic Thought: Al-Farabi, like Maimonides, sought to harmonize Greek philosophy, particularly Aristotle, with Islamic theology. He emphasized the compatibility of reason (philosophy) and revelation (religion), an idea that influenced Maimonides' own efforts to reconcile reason and faith in Jewish thought.

Ethical and Political Philosophy: Al-Farabi's writings on ethics and political philosophy were significant. He explored the idea of the virtuous city (al-madina al-fadila), which was an ideal society governed by philosopher-kings who followed the principles of justice and wisdom. This concept of the virtuous city and the role of the philosopher in guiding society's moral and political life had an impact on Maimonides' thinking about the ideal political order and the philosopher's role in it.

Neoplatonism: Al-Farabi incorporated Neoplatonic ideas into his philosophy, particularly the notion of emanation. This concept posits a hierarchical chain of being emanating from the One or the highest reality. Maimonides, in his "Guide for the Perplexed," also drew upon Neoplatonic thought to some extent when discussing the relationship between God and the created world.

Illuminationist Philosophy: Al-Farabi was associated with the Illuminationist School of Islamic philosophy, which emphasized the role of intellect and divine illumination in gaining knowledge. While Maimonides did not adopt this approach wholesale, the broader intellectual environment of Islamic philosophy and its exploration of the nature of knowledge influenced Maimonides' thinking on the human intellect and its relationship to divine wisdom.

Theological Ideas: Al-Farabi explored theological concepts related to God's attributes and the nature of prophecy. Maimonides followed al-Farabi’s via negativa theological approach to negate divine attributes and shun scriptural literalism. His engagement with Islamic philosophical discussions on these topics likely informed his theological writings, including his discussions on the attributes of God and the nature of prophecy.

While Moses Maimonides and Al-Farabi lived in different centuries and cultural contexts, Al-Farabi's contributions to Islamic philosophy and his efforts to synthesize Greek philosophy with Islamic thought had an indirect influence on Maimonides' own philosophical and theological work. Maimonides, in turn, engaged with these ideas and adapted them within the framework of Jewish philosophy and thought.

Maimonides was a fine product of the “Islamicate”, to use Hodgson’s term. He was, in a sense, the pure creation of the thirteenth-century Islamic cultural milieu. J. Kraemer says that “only when we read Arabic sources can we have a true picture of this period, identify the actors in this drama, and have reliable knowledge of circumstances and events.” In the same spirit, Kraemer situates Maimonides right in the middle of Islamic philosophical, theological, historical and literary context.

Born in Muslim Cordoba

Maimonides was born and raised in the Muslim Cordoba of Ibn Rushd and died in Muslim Cairo. He worked for the Muslim rulers and elites, studying and absorbing many Muslim philosophers and theologians alongside his studies of the Rabbinic corpus. Maimonides to Alexander Brodie “was steeped in Islamic philosophy.” In his Maimonides, The Disciple of Alfarabi, L. V. Berman argues that Maimonides was an avid disciple of al-Farabi. A. Eran shows similarities between al-Ghazali and Maimonides works on spirituality and soteriology. S. Harvey illustrates the influence of al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and al-Ghazali upon the 14th century Jewish philosophers and theologians. To Majid Fakhry, Maimonides was a pure disciple of Ibn Rushd.

Herbert Davidson notes that Maimonides was an admirer of Abu Nasr al-Farabi, and quoted him in his writings by name. He also quoted Ibn Bajja and was indebted to Ibn Sina, even though he considered him an inferior authority on philosophy. He knew and read some of al-Ghazali’s work, and must have known Ibn Tufayl’s philosophical novel Hayy bin Yaqzan, as he quoted an example of an isolated child. He was a contemporary Cordoban and knew Ibn Rushd’s works, as is clear from his letter to Ibn Tibban. Colette Sirat notes that “after Aristotle, al-Farabi was Maimonides’ real master. His influence is visible in a youthful work, the Milot-ha-Higayon, ‘A Logical Vocabulary’, written at the age of 16, and it remains in Maimonides’ last work, the Guide.”

Davidson notes that “Maimonides evaluated previous philosophers for Ibn Tibbon: he there offers brief assessments of the four leading figures of the Arabic Aristotelian school, Alfarabi, Ibn Bajja (Avempace), Avicenna, and Averroes. In the Arabic world, Alfarabi had the reputation of being the "second teacher," that is, the thinker who was second only to Aristotle in instructing mankind. Maimonides, in the same spirit, describes Alfarabi as "a great man," praises his books as flawless, and states that the only logical treatises one should consult are Alfarabi's. He specifically recommends a book of Alfarabi's called the Principles of Existent Beings. The book in question—better known under the title of al-Siydsa al-Madaniyya, or Political Government—opens by sketching the structure of the universe very much as Maimonides was to do, whereupon it turns to political theory.”

Ibn Bajja, Maimonides' letter to Ibn Tibbon continues, "was likewise a great philosopher" and his compositions are "correct." Maimonides rates Avicenna's writings as inferior to Alfarabi's, although he grants that they have "value" and are worthy of study. It is perhaps not pure coincidence that Averroes, a contemporary of Maimonides' and a fellow citizen of Cordova, also considered Avicenna to be inferior to Al-Farabi; the two Cordovans may have been echoing an evaluation of Avicenna that was current among intellectuals in the city. As for Averroes, Maimonides was already seen to list him among the commentators with whom Aristotle should be read.”

Al-Farabi had a lasting effect on Maimonides, especially his logic. Maimonides respected his writings, admired his insights, accepted most of his metaphysical opinions and directly quoted him with name. Davidson notes that “Alfarabi is the Arabic philosopher cited most frequently in Maimonides' writings, and to the extent that Maimonides was conscious of his sources, Alfarabi was undoubtedly the Arabic philosopher who had the strongest impact on his thought… Maimonides' Commentary on the Mishna quotes at length from an ethical work of Alfarabi's, without mentioning the author's name or the title of his composition, and it may allude to a book of his on the subject of the human intellect […] Maimonides' Book of Commandments also quotes from a logical work of Alfarabi's without giving the author's name […] In the Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides refers to Alfarabi a half dozen times, naming four of his philosophic works, [… ]and possible echoes of Alfarabi's logic have been discerned in passages of the Guide where he is not named […] Alfarabi makes one more appearance in the final chapter of Maimonides' most comprehensive medical composition. In three places there, Maimonides cites Alfarabi and, in doing so, names two further philosophic works of Alfarabi's; he says explicitly that he is quoting directly from at least one of them. The books in question have been preserved and published, but I was not able to identify the pertinent passages, and we must therefore allow for the possibility that a mistake of some sort has crept in […] All in all, there is good evidence, apart from the letter to Ibn Tibbon, that Maimonides knew, and at various times used, a half dozen of Alfarabi's philosophic compositions and weaker evidence that he used others as well.”

See details in my books "St. Thomas Aquinas and Muslim Thought", and "Concept of God in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic Traditions", chapter 2