Yusuf Biscaino, also Ahmad b. Abd Allah al-Hayti al-Maruni (), was a

Morisco Moriscos (, ; pt, mouriscos ; Spanish for "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish Crown commanded to convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed the open p ...

in the service of the Moroccan Sultan

Mulay Zidan Zidan Abu Maali ( ar, زيدان أبو معالي) (? – September 1627; or Muley Zidan) was the embattled Saadi dynasty, Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1603 to 1627. He was the son and heir of Ahmad al-Mansur by his wife Lalla Aisha bint Abu Bak ...

. He was sent as an ambassador to the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

in 1610-11.''European converts to Islam in the Maghreb'' by Mercedes García Arenal p.211
/ref> He met with Prince

Maurice of Nassau Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was '' stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince ...

who inquired to him about Islamic opinions on

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. He preferred not to answer on the spot, but later sent a letter to Maurice After returning to

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, Yusuf Biscaino sent the letter in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

to Maurice in 1611, relying as a source on the work of Muhammad Alguazir.

Notes

Moroccan translators 17th-century Moroccan writers Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 17th-century Moroccan people 16th-century Moroccan people Moroccan diplomats People from Marrakesh Ambassadors of Morocco to the Netherlands 17th-century diplomats {{Africa-translator-stub

See also

Notes