Solomon Ibn al-Mu‘allim

Originally from Seville, Abū Ayyūb Solomon Ibn al-Mu‘allim was a poet, scholar, and physician at the court of the Almoravid emir ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Tāshufīn in Marrakesh. Maimonides reports an incident in which the emir died after being administered the wrong dose of theriac, despite being treated by four respectable physicians, including Solomon. Contemporaneous poets praised Solomon’s ability to write poetry in both Arabic and Hebrew, though only one poem by him in each language has survived. He corresponded with leading poets, such as Moses Ibn Ezra, Judah ha-Levi, and Abraham Ibn Ezra.