Ibn Sahl Al-Isrā’īlī Al-Ishbīlī: Man Loves Man, Platonic Love and Ṣūfī Masking

Abstract

Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Sahl al-Isrā’īlī, or as he is called in Hebrew, “Abraham ibn Sahl,” is a unique literary phenomenon, who, based on the mysterious literary situation that surrounded him, made many critics unable to judge him! As a result, he did not receive the due attention from the crowds of researchers! Therefore, our study is distinctive as it seeks to present and explain this literary situation in such a way that has never been addressed before. He is an Andalusian poet and thinker who lived in the capital of the Andalusian state in the initial phases of its establishment, and coped with the problem of his Jewish origin and conversion to Islam. Unlike the Jewish-Arab poets in Andalusia who wrote in Hebrew-Arabic (Arabic in Hebrew) as was the common norm, Ibn Sahl wrote in Arabic. This rather complex situation in addition to the double standards in the character of Ibn Sahl al-Isrā’īlī made his poetry appear vague. Ibn Sahl, thus, resorted to different techniques to veil his true self. He, for example, used religious and historical masks, and his poetry was generally full of motifs, symbols and mystery. In other words, he employed dozens of symbols and masks in his poetry, among which the mask of “Moses” emerged. The study examined this mask from a variety of aspects. It regards this mask as a Jewish symbol through which the poet instilled his constant nostalgia for his original religion, i.e. Judaism. It also considers the possibility that Moses may be a symbol of tolerant heavenly religions, especially since his character presents subjects with which the Qur’an and the Torah intersect. In addition, this study looks into Moses as a character that is likely to represent a realistic terrestrial lover. And the fourth course of this study embraces the interpretation that Moses may be a Ṣūfī earthly mask intended to spread nostalgia for the greatest adoration, i.e. “God”, in the way of Muḥyi Eddīn ibn al-Arabī as displayed in his Turjumān Al Ashwāq.