Abraham Maimonides

Abraham Maimonides (Hebrew: אברהם בן רמב"ם; also known as Rabbeinu Avraham ben ha-Rambam, Avraham Maimuni, and Abraham ben Moses ben Maimon; 13 June 1186 – 7 December 1237) was a Jewish philosopher and leader of Egyptian Jewry, and the son of Maimonides.¹² Following his father's death, he succeeded him as nagid of the Egyptian Jewish community, and the office subsequently remained hereditary until the end of the 14th century.²

Abraham introduced a number of new ritual practices influenced by Muslim Sufis, which aroused strong opposition. He also defended his father's works in several publications and composed an encyclopaedic work on Judaism entitled Kifayat al-Abidin ("Comprehensive Guide for the Servants of God").²

Biography

Avraham was born in Fustat in the Ayyubid-ruled Egypt near Cairo when his father was fifty-one years old. The boy was "modest, highly refined and unusually good natured"; he was also noted for his brilliant intellect and even while a youth became known as a great scholar. When his father died in 1204 at the age of sixty-nine,³ Avraham was recognised as the greatest scholar in his community. Thus, he succeeded Rambam as Nagid (head of the Egyptian Jews), as well as in the office of court physician, at the age of only eighteen. (The office of nagid was held by the Maimonides family for four successive generations until the end of the 14th century). After his appointment, the family of (a bitter rival of Maimonides) attempted to undermine his power by claiming that he attempted to the synagogue liturgy.