The Convergence of Judaism and Islam. Religious, Scientific, and Cultural Dimensions

Encounters between Jewish and Muslim Musicians throughout the Ages r 273

Against this general background let us proceed to the discussion on the
different aspects that have characterized the long-lasting collaboration of
famous Jewish musicians and their Muslim colleagues. It should be noted
that references to this subject are found in Hebrew and Arabic sources,
in European scholarly studies, and in oral folk traditions as well. Based
on this material, it would be interesting to ask, How is this collaboration
reflected in the testimonies of non-Jewish authors and musicians? I shall
provide a number of examples gleaned from various writings extending
from the pre-Islamic period to the twentieth century and representing
important centers from Central Asia to North Africa. These examples em-
body characteristic patterns whose meaning will be clarified at the con-
clusion of this article.

Al-Gharīd al-Yahūdī

Al-Gharīd al-Yahūdī was a poet, singer, and composer who lived in Me-
dina during the early ninth century. His biography is reported by the tenth-
century author al-Isfahānī in his monumental Kitāb al-Aghānī (Book of
Songs), which contains a collection of poems from the pre-Islamic period
to the ninth century, all of which were set to music. Al-Gharīd the Jew is
described in this book as a Kohen (priest) of the posterity of Aharon ben
Amram and a member of the Jewish group living in Yathrib-Medina. Al-
Isfahānī mentions other Jewish poets belonging to the same group, but
the very fact that he dedicated a special entry to al-Gharīd points to his
artistic ability and reputation. Al-Isfahānī even reports that Muhammad
was pleased with one of al-Gharīd’s songs.^3

Hirra al-yahūdiya

A second figure from the same period is the Jewish South Yemeni singer
and poet Hirra. She was the daughter of Binyamin, and her activity was
also linked to Muhammad but in a pejorative way.
In an article by the famous French scholar Charles Pellat entitled “Sur
quelques femmes hostiles au prophète,”^4 the author analyses testimonies
concerning the participation of women poets and musicians in the cam-
paign of propaganda against Muhammad’s preaching for his new religion. 
It is a well-known fact that in the Bedouin society of that time in which