Isaac ibn Sulayman al-Isra'ili: the philosopher physician
Light on the tongue, heavy on the scale: The power of supplications to “Ar-Rahman”
July 28, 2023
Reflection on climate change
August 3, 2023
Jews played a prominent role in the Arab-Islamic civilization, providing significant contributions in cultural, scientific, and philosophical fields. Unlike in medieval Europe, the Arab-Islamic civilization allowed Jews to actively participate in the intellectual life of society and contribute to its growth.
Several interconnected factors made this possible, with the most important being the suitable environment offered by the Arab-Islamic civilization. Additionally, Jewish contributions greatly enriched the Arab scientific and philosophical traditions, both in terms of scientific and philosophical material and the diversity of their contributions. It is widely recognized that these traditions were not the result of the efforts of a single ethnicity or people, but rather a joint effort of scientists and philosophers from different religions and cultures.
One of the most important Jewish philosophers who lived and worked under the Arab-Islamic civilization was Isaac Israeli Ben Solomon (ابو يعقوب اسحق بن سليمان الإسرائيلي) (Egypt, 855 - Qayrawan 955), also known as "the Israeli". He was a physician and philosopher who lived in Egypt and later moved to Qayrawan between 905-907 AD, where he met the famous physician Isaac bin Omran, who became his teacher. Dates are provided by numerous Arabic authors, but Abraham ben Hasdai,, who cites the biographer SSanah ibn Sa’id al-Qurtubi, claims that Isaac Israeli was born in 832 and died at 110 years old in 942.
When he moved to Tunisia, he worked as a physician for Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi, governor of Africa from 910 to 934 and founder of the Fatimid dynasty. Previously, Isaac Israeli had also worked as a physician at the court of the Aghlabids who had ruled Africa.
His writings include books on medicine, philosophy, and logic. One of his most important works is the book of diets, which became famous among medieval physicians and has been translated into several languages. His medical treatises were widely regarded in the Islamic world and highly appreciated even in Christian school circles. These works include the Book on Types of Fever, the Book on Foodstuffs and Medicaments, and the Book on Urine.
Later Islamic historians have reported accounts that the first and third Fatimid rulers died for not following Isaac Israeli's wise advice. However, the absence of such anecdotes in earlier chronicles, combined with their literary character, raises doubts about their reliability. Nonetheless, these accounts indicate the great respect Isaac Israeli earned among his contemporaries.
Jews played an important role in transmitting Greek culture to medieval Europe. Jewish scholars translated Greek works into Arabic, which were then translated into Latin and disseminated throughout Europe. This process of translation and dissemination had a significant impact on European culture, contributing to the birth of the Renaissance.
Editorial
