What is it about?
Many Jews adopted Islam in the first decades of the Islamic era. However, not all of them left behind their former religion. In a rare passage, found in an early Muslim primary source, a woman from Basra (Iraq) describes how her father, who was a preacher, divided his time between readings of the Torah and the Quran. Moreover, he celebrated, together with members of his congregation, the event which later began to be known as Simchat Torah, or the Jewish holiday marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings.
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Why is it important?
The many learned Jews and Christians who adopted Islam in its early days did not come empty-handed, and probably preserved their Scriptures for generations. Here we find solid evidence of this preservation.
Perspectives
We all stand on the shoulders of our teachers. My mentor suggested a small amendment of an Arabic text which prepared the way for this study.
Professor Emeritus Michael Lecker
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Torah and Qurʾān in the practice of Abū l-Jald, a Judaeo-Muslim preacher and akhbārī from Baṣra (d. ca. 100/718), February 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004686571_008.
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