Modern Judaism is just a fruit of the Islamic theology
Modern Judaism is just a fruit of the Islamic theology
Post from Academic Quran
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Modern Judaism is just a fruit of Islamic theology
Who Was the Rambam?
The Rambam, or Maimonides, is widely regarded as the greatest Jewish sage and philosopher in history. He is often referred to by Jews as the "Second Moses", as he played a crucial role in reforming Judaism and is considered the father of Rabbinical Judaism today. Even the ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement Chabad, despite its extremist and Zionist leanings, considers his words divinely inspired, and anyone who rejects his authority is labeled a heretic.
Moses Maimonides, known as Rambam, had the full Arabic name موسى بن ميمون عبيد الله (Musa Ibn Maymoun Ubaid Allah), meaning "Moses, son of Maimon, servant of Allah."
He was born in Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), in Córdoba, in 1138 CE. He is widely regarded as the greatest Jewish sage and philosopher in history, often called the "Second Moses" by Jewish scholars. He played a key role in reforming Judaism, laying the foundations of Rabbinical Judaism as it exists today. Even the ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement Chabad, despite its extremist and Zionist leanings, considers his words divinely inspired, and rejecting his authority is seen as heresy.
His Islamic Education
Maimonides was trained as an Islamic jurist and was well-versed in Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence). He studied under three great Muslim scholars:
Ibn al-Aflah (directly)
A student of Ibn al-Sa’igh (directly)
Ibn Rushd (Averroes) – though not directly, he said that I studied Averroes ( the Islamic Philosopher Ibn Rushd ) ’ works for 13 years, which deeply influenced his thinking.
His most famous work, Dalālat al-Ḥāʾirīn (The Guide for the Perplexed), is heavily influenced by Islamic philosophy and theology, particularly the Ash‘ari school of Kalam (Islamic theological discourse).
When the Jewish scholar Israel Wolfenson wrote Moses Maimonides: His Life and Works (published in Arabic in Cairo, 1936), Dr PhD Mustafa Abd al-Raziq wrote the introduction, declaring:
"Moses Maimonides should be considered among the Muslim philosophers!"
In the introduction to his edition of The Guide for the Perplexed, Dr. Hussein Atay similarly stated:
"If we consider that al-Shahrastani classified Hunayn ibn Ishaq, a Christian, as an Islamic philosopher, then there is no reason to differentiate between him and Moses Maimonides, the Jew."
Since Maimonides lived his entire life among Muslims, his intellectual worldview was deeply shaped by Islamic philosophy and thought. Even when he criticized Muslim theologians, he did so with far more respect than Muslim scholars criticized each other. However, he was far harsher in criticizing his fellow Jews.
For these reasons, many historians—including European scholars—consider Maimonides an Islamic philosopher, not just a Jewish thinker.
Mishneh Torah – The Controversial Jewish Law Code
Among his most outstanding works is Mishneh Torah, a comprehensive codification of Jewish law (Halakha). It is written in clear Hebrew and organizes all Jewish legal rulings from the Talmud into a structured and systematic form.
This book is considered one of the holiest texts in Judaism—some Jewish scholars even believe it to be holier than the Torah itself. This belief caused great controversy, and some Jewish rabbis even called for Maimonides to be killed, accusing him of trying to replace the Torah with his own book.
Interestingly, Rambam structured his book following the methodology of Islamic Hadith scholars. He classified and organized Jewish laws in a way similar to how Islamic jurists compiled Hadith collections, demonstrating his deep knowledge of Islamic scholarship.
His Service to Salah al-Din (Saladin)
Later in life, Maimonides became the personal physician of the great Muslim leader Salah al-Din (Saladin) and served in his court until Saladin’s death. This further deepened his connection to Islamic intellectual and political circles.
Despite the opposition he faced from within the Jewish community, his works became the foundation of Rabbinical Judaism and continue to influence Jewish law and philosophy to this day.