Natan'el al-Fayyumi

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Natan'el al-Fayyumi[1] (Arabic: ناتانئيل الفيومي also known as Nathanel ben Fayyumi),[2] born about 1090 – died about 1165, of Yemen was the twelfth-century author of Bustan al-ʿUqul (Hebrew: Gan HaSikhlim; Garden of the Intellects), a Jewish version of Ismaili Shi'i doctrines. It was an imitation of Bahya ibn Paquda's book Duties of the Heart that al-Fayyumi composed to counter some of the basic principles and tenets of Judaism expressed by ibn Paquda. He wrote in the third chapter that God's unity is far greater than that described by ibn Paquda.[3]

Like the Ismailis, Natan'el argued that God sent different prophets to the world's various peoples, containing legislations suited to each nation's particular temperament. Each people should remain loyal to its own religion because the universal teaching was adapted to the specific conditions and experiences of each community. Not all Jewish depictions of Muhammad were negative. Jews who lived in environments governed by Muslims did not view them as enemies, and vice versa.

Nathanel explicitly considered Muhammad a true prophet, who was sent from Heaven with a particular message that applied to Arabs, not to Jews.[4][5] Marc B. Shapiro wrote that al-Fayyumi supports Jonathan Sacks's pluralistic views on religion.[6]

However, al-Fayyumi's explicit acceptance of Muhammad's prophecy may be unique and was virtually unknown until recent times beyond his native Yemen.[7] Rabbi Yosef Qafih, the editor and translator of Fayyumi's Judeo-Arabic Bustan al-Uqul, asserts that due to Muslim attempts to catch Jews saying something against their faith–one who said that Muhammad was a false prophet would be judged for death–Nathanel was compelled to teach his people arguments and responses that would save them from ensnarement.[8][9]

Ismaili teachings speak of an evolutionary sequence of prophetic revelations, culminating in the messianic Qa'im Al Muhammad era, which would unite all humanity in acknowledging God. Ismaili doctrine acknowledges that a single universal religious truth lies at the root of the different religions. Each historical revelation plays a role in preparing the path for that universal truth.

Within a single generation, Natan'el's son Jacob was compelled to turn to Maimonides, asking urgently for counsel on how to deal with a new wave of religious persecutions and forced conversions that was threatening the Jews of Yemen, an exchange which prompted Maimonides to compose his famous Epistle to Yemen. The letters and intellectual dialogue between Jacob, Maimonides, and Saladin had a lasting effect upon the Yemenite Jews.

  1. ^ "A history of Jewish philosophy in the Middle Ages" By Colette Sirat
  2. ^ Rabbi Yosef Qafih, in his Introduction to the book, Garden of the Intellects, writes that the name "Fayyumi" was written without the definite article "al" (the). He cites references to the effect that the name was not used in Yemen as a surname, but only a private name, named after Rabbi Saadia Gaon who was called "al-Fayyumi."
  3. ^ Natan'el al-Fayyumi, Sefer Gan HaSikhlim ("Garden of the Intellects"), ed. Yosef Qafih, 4th edition, Kiryat Ono 2016, Introduction (p. 10) [Hebrew].
  4. ^ The Bustan al-Ukul, by Nathanael ibn al-Fayyumi, edited and translated by David Levine, Columbia University Oriental Studies Vol. VI, p. 105
  5. ^ Gan ha-Sekhalim, ed. Qafih (Jerusalem, 1984), ch. 6.
  6. ^ Shapiro, Marc (2003). "On Books and Bans" (PDF). Edah Journal. 3 (2). The clearest support for Sacks' position is provided by R. Netanel ben al-Fayyumi (twelfth century), who maintains that "God sent different prophets to the various nations of the world with legislations suited to the particular temperament of each individual nation." Although Sacks is motivated by a post-modern vision, the medieval R. Netanel also claimed that God's truth was not encompassed by Judaism alone.
  7. ^ Abraham's children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in conversation, by Norman Solomon, Richard Harries, Tim Winter, T&T Clark Int'l, 2006, ISBN 0-567-08161-3, p. 137 Netanel's work was virtually unknown beyond his native Yemen until modern times, so had little influence on later Jewish thought
  8. ^ Qafih edition (Hebrew) pages י-יא, available at https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?149871&lang=eng
  9. ^ Radical Rabbinic View on the Prophethood of Muhammed, Sefer Toldoth Adam blog. 11 February 2013.