Shaping of Islamic Culture
Owes Much to Jews, Prof. Says

During Mohammed's
Jews and Arabs are two
Semitic nations, who are invasion of Khaibar
both said to be descendants about 628 no Moslem
of one father, Abraham. Ac- warrior dared to answer
cording to ancient Arab and his challenge to single
Jewish historians, they are combat except Moham-
cousins on the father's side ,;„.med's cousin 'Alib Abi
(Arabic: Abna"Amm) in Talib. In the course of the
Hebrew, Bene Dodim, a duel, Marhab's sword
term which it used in He- stuck to 'Ali's shield and
the latter killed the poet.
brew to the present day.
The Koran bears the best
According to Shmuel
Moreh, professor of modern evidence for the great
Arabic at the Hebrew Uni- spiritual and cultural influ-
versity in Jerusalem, both ence of Judaism on Arabs
Hebrew and classical before and during the
Arabic are Semitic lan- Mohammedan Mission.
However, during the first
guages. Strong ties of
neighborhood, craft, culture part of Mohammed's mis-
were forged between the sion when Mohammed
two nations through 3,000 (571-632) hoped that the
Jews would follow him, the
years of history.
The influence of these ties Koran praised the Jews.
But Jewish indifference,
is clear not only in the
poetry of the Jahiliyya indeed, hostility, toward
(pre-Islamic period) but also Mohammed, ended the con-
flict between Jews and
in the Koran.
Some Jewish poets Arabs in Hejaz with the de-
gahied a place in the his- struction of Jewish forts and
tory of Arabic literature cities, such as Khaibar, the
from the pre-Islamic massacre of their inhabi-
period until modern tants, and the final expul-
times, yet the number of sion of those who refused to
Jewish authors in the Is- embrace Islam from Hejaz
lamic world greatly ex- but leaving unmistakable
ceeds those mentioned by influence on Islam in reli-
gious laws, practices, and
Arab historians.
Jews gained fame in customs.
However, hostility be-
literary and scientific fields
mainly in the pre-Islamic tween Jews and Arabs
period; during the period of did not continue. Under
Islamic rule in Baghdad, the reign of liberal Arab
and Spain; and in the 19th and Moslem rulers, many
Jews distinguished
and 20th Centuries.
In the pre-Islamic period, themselves in commerce,
Jewish poets were promi- politics, science, as-
nent in Arabia, notably the tronomy, philosophy and
warrior-poet Samaw'al Ibn' medicine, such as the
Adiya and members of his philosophers Ibn Malka
family, who lived in the first and Ibn Kammuna (12th
and 13th Centuries).
half of the Sixth Century.
He lived in his
Others held high-ranking
grandfather's castle which
positions in government as
became a stopping place for viziers, and some Jewish
travellers.
officers were even entrusted
His refusal to deliver to with Arab armies, such as
the enemy the armor and
warriors and scholars
other weapons deposited
Samuel Ha-Nagid and Ibn
with him by the Arab war-
Gabirol.
rior poet and prince,
Some of these distin-
Imru'al-Quays, caused him
guished Jewish scholars, of-
to witness the tragic death ficials and doctors were
of one of his sons by the be-
forced to convert to Islam.
siegers of his castle. This
One was the vizier
noble deed gave rise to the
first Egyptian Fatimid
proverb used by the Arab to
Caliph; Ya'qub Ibn Killis (d.
the present day "more faith-
991), the founder of the Al-.
ful than al-Samaw'al."
Azhar University in Cairo.
The Jewish poetress
Others were killed from
Sara A1-Quraziyya be-
envy of their power over the
came famous for her
Moslems.
elegies for the dead of her
It was only during the
tribe who were betrayed
period of Islamic rule in
by its Arab allies.
Spain that Jewish writers
During the pre-Islamic
and poets reappeared in the
period (which ended in 692)
accounts of Arab historians.
the Jews introduced de-
Outstanding among these
veloped methods of agricul-
was the Spanish poet Ib-
ture, arts,crafts and trades rahim Ibn Sahl of Seville (d.
to Arabia.
1260).
After the rise of Islam,
Under the pressure of the
and because of the animos-
zealous al Muwahhidun's
ity between Mohammed
rule, he was converted to Is-
and the Jewish com-
lam, yet most of the Arab
munities and tribes of his
sources doubt whether he
day, Jewish poets, writers
sincerely became a Moslem.
and scholars were rarely
Some of his poems are of a
mentioned by later Moslem
religious character wing
historians, although
Jewish symbols in his love
Arabic-speaking Jews are
poetry.
known to have been promi-
Jewish scientists who
nent in science.
wrote in Arabic gained fame
A notable exception is
at this time in Spain, North
Marhab al-Jahudi, the
Africa and Baghdad.
Jewish warrior-poet distin-
In Moslem Spain (711-
guished by his uncommon
1492), Arab-JeWish cooper-
strength and bravery.
ation in science, philosophy,

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economics and culture
reached its golden age.
Arabic literature,
rhetoric, poetry (including
classical Arabic prosody
and strophic verse) and sev-
eral literary genres such as
the Maqama (Hebrew:
Mahberet) and risala (Epis-
tle) influenced to a great ex-
tent equivalent genres in
Hebrew literature.
This literature cannot
be fully" studied or ap-
preciated without a,
thorough- study of
classical Arabic litera-
ture and its rhetoric.
This center of Jewish lit-
erature was extinguished in
1492 with the fall of
Granada, the last Moslem
citadel of the Arabs in
Adalusia. Ferdinand of
Argon expelled both Jews
and Moslems who refused to
be converted.
. In the 19th and 20th Cen-
turies Jews were active in
Arabic culture. Many won
praise from their Moslem
colleagues and some were
considered by Arab literary
historians to be leading
pioneers of modern Arabic
literature.
Jewish writers were first
attracted to the theatre and
journalism, since the former
offered virtually unlimited
scope for education, and the
latter scope for apologetics.
Among the first Jewish
journalists and writers to
enter the field was Ya'qub
(James) Sanua.
Many Jewish writers
engaged in the transla-
tion of novels from. var-
ious European lan-
guages, such as Ester
Moyal. However, all
the Jewish writers of
Arabic novels with the
exception of one Egyp-
tian were Iraqi Jews who
emigrated to Israel dur-
ing the 1950's.
Greater distinction was
gained in the field of the
short story. The Jewish role
in this genre was more sig-
nificant in Iraq, where the
Arabic short story was vir-
tually created by the Jews.
Short story writers such,
as Anwar Shaul, Meer
Basri, Ya'qub •Bilbul and
Shalom Darwish called for
social reform. Moreover,
Iraqi Jewish poets played
an important part in de-
velopment of modern
Arabic poetry from roman-
ticism to realism.
The contribution of the
Israeli Orientalists to the
development of scientific
research in Arab and Is-
lamic heritage is recognized
by Arab scholars.
Together with Jewish
writers and Arab coun-
tries in Israel they are
building a strong founda-
tion of mutual under-
standing and apprecia-
tion of the Arabs and
their Islamic heritage,
Which one day may help
in establishing a lasting
peace between Israel and
the Arab countries.

When men quarrel, even
God's anger does not
frighten them. — Zohar.

•

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, October 6, 1918 15

Lillian
Rosenthal

sincerely hope that

THE
NEW YEAR
WILL GRANT
YOUR FONDEST
WISHES

and bring great happiness
and good health to be
shared with your family
and friends.

North Park Plaza, Room 120
17117 W. Nine Mile Road
Southfield, Michigan 48075
(313) 559-6140

1: M A '!..t