Daniel al-Qumisi דניאל אל־קומסי
the first eminent Karaite author to settle in Jerusalem; head of the Mourners of Zion
A native of Damghan in the province of Qumis in northern Persia; about 875 he came to Jerusalem and died there. He is the first Karaite author of such weight to settle in the city.
His design was not merely personal. He proposed an arrangement: the Karaites of the diaspora collect money and maintain in Jerusalem chosen men who live there on behalf of the whole community. Out of this grew the Avelei Zion—the Mourners of Zion.
He pushed off from Anan no less than from the Rabbanites: he disputed with him, differed from his rules, and repeated that 'those who come after will find the truth'—applying it to himself as well. Of his writings the chief survivor is the Pitron Sheneim-Asar, a commentary on the Twelve Prophets: rationalistic in method, with angels read as forces of nature, and the prolonged exile explained by the neglect of the study of Scripture.
His son, David al-Qumisi, who died about 945, was also a Karaite scholar: he is credited with a translation of the Bible into Arabic with explanations.
On the timeline
Places
Related
Sources
Rishonim
- Pitron Sheneim-Asar — the commentary on the Twelve Prophets — the chief survivor of his writing
Scholarship
- Encyclopaedia Judaica, "Daniel ben Moses al-Qumisi" — Damghan, the move to Jerusalem, the Avelei Zion, the dispute with Anan
Basis: documents and evidence.