 Ben Rabbi resided in Lisbon and was respected by Sephardic Jews as well as by King Afonso I of Portugal, who knighted him for his courage by awarding him the title, "Lord of the "Aldeia dos Negros"" (), and presented him with an estate that had belonged to the Moors.Ben Rabbi's nickname then became "Yahia the Negro".Ben Rabbi was the son of Yaish Ibn Yahya (born between 1120 and 1130, died 1196) and grandson of Hiyya al-Daudi (born between 1080 and 1090, died 1154), who was a prominent rabbi, composer, and poet and served as advisor to Portugal's last king, Afonso II.