Maimonides

Moses ben Maimon; , both meaning "Moses, son of Maimon"}} (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ); }} and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (),, for ''Rabbēnu Mōše ben Maymōn'', "Our Rabbi Moses, son of Maimon"}} was a Sephardic rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a preeminent astronomer and physician, serving as the personal physician of Saladin.

He was born on Passover eve 1138 or 1135, and lived in Córdoba in al-Andalus (now in Spain) within the Almoravid Empire until his family was expelled for refusing forced conversion to Islam. Later, he lived in Morocco and Egypt and worked as a rabbi, physician and philosopher.

During his lifetime, most Jews greeted Maimonides' writings on Jewish law and ethics with acclaim and gratitude, even as far away as Iraq and Yemen. Yet, while Maimonides rose to become the revered head of the Jewish community in Egypt, his writings also had vociferous critics, particularly in Spain. He died in Fustat, and, according to Jewish tradition, was buried in Tiberias. The Tomb of Maimonides is a popular pilgrimage and tourist site.

He was posthumously acknowledged as one of the foremost rabbinic decisors and philosophers in Jewish history, and his copious work comprises a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship. His fourteen-volume still carries significant canonical authority as a codification of ''halakha''.

Aside from being revered by Jewish historians, Maimonides also figures very prominently in the history of Islamic and Arab sciences. Influenced by Aristotle, al-Farabi, ibn Sina, and his contemporary ibn Rushd, he became a prominent philosopher and polymath in the Islamic world and for Jews in general. Provided by Wikipedia