Hasdai Ibn Shaprut Research Paper

Throughout much of history, various groups of Christians, Muslims, and Jews have fought with each other rather than cooperating with each other. For example, the current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict between Israel, a Jewish majority country, and the state of Palestine, a Muslim majority territory, started due to disputes over land, especially over the holy city of Jerusalem. Wars have also been ignited between different groups of the same religion, such as the Thirty Years War, which was fought between Protestants and Catholics (of Christianity). This was due to the fact that Emperor Ferdinand II of Bohemia tried to contain his subjects’ religious freedom to strictly Catholicism, which angered Protestants.

Umayyad Spain, however, started …show more content…
Abd ar-Rahman, the Emir and eventual caliph of Spain at that time appointed Hasdai (Abu Yusuf ben Yitzhak ben Ezra) ibn Shaprut, who was a Jewish scholar, as first a court physician, and then an official minister and diplomat. Hasdai ibn Shaprut helped stop the fighting between the two smaller kingdoms of Leon and Navarre. According to a famous Jewish versifier, “(Hasdai ibn Shaprut did this) by the charm of his words, the strength of his wisdom, the force of his cunning, and his thousand tricks.”

Because of Hasdai ibn Shaprut’s deeds for the caliph Abd ar-Rahman, Jews gained a more prominent role in Muslim society. Cordoba eventually became the "Mecca of Jewish scholars who could be assured of a hospitable welcome from Jewish courtiers and men of means.” Not only did scholars succeed in helping with the development of Cordoba, but Jewish poets and writers were also supported by Hasdai ibn Shaprut. Hasdai himself brought many poets, innovators, and writers to Cordoba. This includes Dunash ben Labrat, who created beats in Jewish poetry, and Menahem ben Saruq, who made the first Jewish