The Qadi Al-Fadil

The Eminent Judge

This is a historical novel written to introduce the young adult to the world of medieval Islam. The protagonist in this story, al-Qadi al-Fadil, started his career working for the chancery of Medieval Egypt, then functioned as a judge and finally ended up as the advisor to the Sultan Salah al-Din. This tale is based on a story that tells of how the famous Chancellor befriended the well-known Jewish physician philosopher Moses Maimonides. Moses, or Musa Ibn Maimun, as he was known in the Arab world, was born in Cordoba Spain, but moved with his father first to Morocco, where the whole family was apparently forced to convert to Islam, and then to Egypt. Importantly, it was as a member of the Jewish community that the family of Maimonides was made welcome in Egypt. We have very little information regarding the events that led to the Qadi al-Fadil's defense of Musa Ibn Maimun. I have built a story around the incident with the hope of introducing my reader to life in the Medieval Islamic world. I have tried to be historical in the presentation of this material, but there is no denying that my imagination has had the upper hand. My hope is that it would lead the young reader to investigate this period of history with more interest. Suada October 2012