In his book Brotherhood of the Awakened (original title: La Confrérie des Éveillés (2004), French writer Jacques Attali gives an interesting account of the Jews in the 12th century. The main events take place in Andalusia during one of the most turbulent times of its history: the Almohad Caliphate (1147-1269). Attali chose two well-known historical figures that existed at that time to be his main characters: Ibn Rushd, the famous Andalusian philosopher, scientist and physician (known to Europeans as Averroes), and Moosa ibn Maymoon (also known as Maimonides), the famous Sephardic Jewish philosopher, astronomer and physician.
The events start in Cordoba in 1149 where both characters at young age are present with their fathers to attend the public hanging of Ibn Maymoon’s uncle among others. Before he dies, the uncle shares with his nephew a great secret: the existence of a last book written by Aristoteles that holds the answers to all questions and could change the face of the planet. There are a few copies of this book around the world and its custodians are called: The Brotherhood of the Awakened.
In order for it to survive, the book has to be copied and passed on to whoever the members see fit. The seekers of the book are given a gold coin in order to be identified by the holders before it is passed to them. While Ibn Maymoon travels to Europe to try to locate the book, Ibn Rushd heads to Morocco for the same purpose. The two philosophers’ paths cross in Fes when they present the coin to the same holder of the book.
The owner suspects that one of them got the coin by chance and wasn’t initiated by a member of the brotherhood. In order to find out the imposter, he’d travel to their acclaimed sources, leaving them behind wondering along with the readers: who among those two is the next member of the brotherhood?
What makes this book interesting is the bird’s-eye view of the world of the 12th century that Attali gives the reader moving between three different countries: Andalusia, Morocco and France. He focuses on the Jewish communities at that time and their struggle to survive in the ever-changing political environments whether by conversion, migration or — at extreme cases — committing mass suicides to avoid both options.
Although the Jews were an integral part of the Andalusian and Moroccan communities — being mostly intellects who worked at royal courts — yet the constant changes of kings and governing bodies meant that their situation was always volatile. Attali also gives an account of the rise of Ibn Rushd to power, becoming the chief judge and the court physician in Sevilla and Cordoba while given the time to translate and teach the work of Aristotle.
The philosophical exchanges between Ibn Maymoon and Ibn Rushd are enlightening yet shocking at times when realising that despite its modernity, the world outlook hasn’t really changed since the 12th century. Both philosophers have one aim in mind: to fight extremism in their respected religions and try creating a more tolerant world, where freedom of expression and thought is essential. This could only be achieved if philosophy and religion were taught hand in hand as they have more similarities than differences.
The book is fast paced and enjoyable. I read the Arabic translation to discover later — to my own surprise and disappointment — that it’s not translated to English. If you’re a fan of history or have curiosity towards essential philosophy — and obviously could read in any of the two languages — the book should be on top of your reading list.
Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com
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