'Abd al-Mu'min: Mahdism and Caliphate in the Islamic West(Makers of the Muslim World)

‘Abd al-Mu’min (c.1094–1163) did not establish the first caliphate in the Islamic West, but his encompassed more territory than any that had preceded it. As leader of the Almohads, a politico-religious movement grounded in an uncompromising belief in the unity of God, he unified for the first time the whole of North Africa west of Egypt, and conquered much of southern Spain. Studying every facet of ‘Abd al-Mu’min’s rule, from his violent repression of opposition to the flourishing of scholarship during his reign, Maribel Fierro reveals an intelligent leader and a skilled military commander who sought to build a lasting caliphate across disparate and diverse societies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword   1  ‘Abd al-Mu’min, the Zanata Berber Who Built an Empire and Became Prince of the Believers   2  Looking for Knowledge: The Encounter with Ibn Tumart Travelling East in Hammadid territory: Mallala and Ibn Tumart Travelling West Through Almoravid territory to Igiliz: Mahdism Travelling North: Tinmal and the Purges Ibn Tumart’s Death and ‘Abd al-Mu’min’s Succession History, Legend and Anthropology   3  From the Mountains to Empire: Submission to the Almohad Cause (al-tawhid) Through Jihad Discrediting and Fighting the Almoravids The Long Road to Marrakesh, the Rebellion of al-Massi and the Great Purge The Expansion Eastwards, the Rebellion of Ibn Tumart’s Brothers and the Fight Against Arabs and Normans The Conquest of al-Andalus and ‘Abd al-Mu’min’s Death Jihad, the Army and the Collection of Taxes   4  Balancing Power to Achieve Dynastic Rule: The Almohad Hierarchies Ibn Tumart’s Family and Inner Circle: The Ahl al-Dar and the Council of Ten The Almohad Tribes, the Council of Fifty and the Shaykhs Purging the Almohads (Tamyiz and I‘tiraf) and Facing Rebellion ‘Abd al-Mu’min’s Family and Genealogies The Sayyids, the Talaba, the Huffaz and the Husaba’   5  Establishing God’s order (al-Amr al-‘Aziz): How to be a Maghribi caliph Mahdism, Caliphate and al-Amr al-‘Aziz The Writings of Ibn Tumart and ‘Abd al-Mu’min Berber and Arabic, Igiliz/Tinmal and Mecca/Medina The Square: Coins, Drums, Books The Caliph, Provider of Happiness and Baraka: Banquets and Itinerancy   6  Giving Shape to the Caliphate: Buildings, Religious Practices, Law and Philosophy Building the Caliphate: Mosques, High Minarets, Towns and Gardens Purity, Islamic Rituals and the ‘Uthmanic Mushaf Forced Conversion: The Abolition of the Dhimma Malikism, Law and the Judges Re-imagining Ibn Tumart and ‘Abd al-Mu’min: Ibn Tufayl and Ibn Tahir   7  The Caliph’s Men and the Rest: Administration and Knowledge Secretaries, Viziers nd Preachers Poets, Historians and Grammarians Doctors, Philosophers and Astronomers The Ghuraba’, the Mystics and the Saints Shifting Trajectories and the Non-Almohads   8  ‘Abd al-Mu’min’s Significance and Legacy   Sources and Select Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Maribel Fierro is Research Professor at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Madrid. Her work focuses on the intellectual history of the Islamic West, particularly with respect to law, religion, historiography and political thought. She is the author of ‘Abd al-Rahman III: The First Cordoban Caliph, which is also published by Oneworld.

Review :
‘Maribel Fierro, an internationally acclaimed authority on the Almohads, presents an accessible account of the true founder of the Almohad empire, ‘Abd al-Mu’min… Despite their importance, ‘Abd al-Mu’min and the Almohads rarely receive the coverage they deserve in surveys of the Islamic world and Fierro uses her deep erudition to address the balance in a way that will intrigue the novice and encourage the expert to think again.’ ‘‘Abd al-Mu’min is a little known but very important figure in the history of the Almohad caliphate and the twelfth-century Maghrib in general. Maribel Fierro has brilliantly brought him to life. Grounded in her in-depth scholarship and with a clear narrative strand, this biography should be the first port of call for anyone interested in this controversial figure.’