| Abd al-Mu'min | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caliph andAmir al-Mu'minin | |||||
|  | |||||
| Ruler of theAlmohad Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 1133–1163 | ||||
| Successor | Abu Yaqub Yusuf | ||||
| Born | c. 1094 Tagra,Tlemcen,Hammadid kingdom[1][2][3] | ||||
| Died | 1163 (aged c. 69) Salé,Almohad Caliphate | ||||
| Spouse | Safiya bint Abi Imran | ||||
| Issue | Abu Yaqub Yusuf Aisha bint Abd al-Mu'min[4] | ||||
| 
 | |||||
| Dynasty | Almohad | ||||
| Father | Ali ibn Makhluf al-Kumi | ||||
| Mother | Ta'lu bint Atiyya ibn al-Khayr[5] | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Abd al-Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) (Arabic:عبد المؤمن بن علي or عبد المومن الــكـومي; full name:ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-KūmīAbū Muḥammad)[6] was a prominent member of theAlmohad movement. Although the Almohad movement itself was founded byIbn Tumart, Abd al-Mu'min was the founder of the ruling dynasty and creator of the Almohad empire.[7][8][9][10][11][12] As a leader of the Almohad movement he became the firstCaliph of the Almohad Empire in 1133, after the death in 1130 of the movement's founder, Ibn Tumart, and ruled until his death in 1163. Abd al-Mu'min put his predecessor's doctrine ofAlmohadism into practice, defeated theAlmoravids, and extended his rule acrossAl-Andalus (on theIberian Peninsula) and as far asTunis inIfriqiya (present-dayTunisia), thus bringing theMaghreb inNorth Africa and Al-Andalus inEurope under one creed and one government.[13][14]

Abd al-Mu'min was born in the village of Tagra,[15][16] nearTlemcen, in theKingdom of the Hammadids, present-dayAlgeria,[2][3] into theKumiya tribe, anArabized section of theBerberZenata tribal confederation.[17][18] This tribe settled in the north of what is now theprovince of Oran, not far fromNedroma.[6] His father was a potter from Nedroma.[19]
While young, Abd al-Mu'min went to Tlemcen to learn theFiqh. His tutor died before he could complete his study. He then was made aware of a learned and piousFaqih calledFeqih Soussi (later known asIbn Tumart) who was travelling from the east on his way to his native land inTinmel, present-dayMorocco. Abd al-Mu'min and his peers wanted to convince Ibn Tumart to settle in Tlemcen, so he was sent to Ibn Tumart with a letter from the students inviting him to come to their land. The two met at Mellala nearBejaïa.[20] Ibn Tumart turned down the invitation, but Abd al-Mu'min stayed with him and they continued the journey together toMorocco.[20]
Some time around 1117, Abd al-Mu'min became a follower ofIbn Tumart,[21] leader of theMasmudas (aBerber tribe of present-day western Morocco[22]), a religious and military leader of renowned piety who had founded theAlmohads as a religious order with the goal of restoring purity in Islam. His group had long been at odds with theAlmoravids and had been forced into exile in the mountains. Abd al-Mu'min stayed with Ibn Tumart as he journeyed slowly towardsMarrakesh. It was there that his mentor declared himself theMahdi (divinely guided one) and that he was opposed to theAlmoravid dynasty.[21] After this pronouncement, the group moved to theAtlas Mountains and gathered followers there. In time they created a small Almohad state. During an attack on Marrakesh, al-Bashir the second in command, was killed and Abd al-Mu'min was named to take his place.[21]
When Ibn Tumart died in 1130 at hisribat inTinmel,[6][14] after suffering a severe defeat at the hands of the Almoravids, Abd al-Mu'min and the council of ten kept the death of Ibn Tumart secret for 3 years,[23] since the Almohads were going through a difficult time in their fight against the Almoravids. Abd al-Mu'min also feared that the Masmuda (the Berber tribe of Ibn Tumart) would not accept him as their leader since he was an outsider. He did eventually lead the Almohads when a family relationship was arranged between him and Cheikh Abu Hafs, the leader of the Masmuda.[20] He then came forward as the lieutenant of Ibn Tumart, became the leader of the movement, and forged it into a powerful military force. He proclaimed himself Caliph, with the titles ofKhalifat al-Mahdi ('Representative of the Mahdi') and later – probably after theconquest of Marrakesh – ofAmir al-Mu'minin ('Prince/Commander of the Believers').[24][6] He eventually adopted an ArabQaysi genealogy that included the prophetMuhammad.[25][26][27] Under him, the Almohads swept down from the mountains, eventually destroying the power of the faltering Almoravid dynasty by 1147.
Abd al-Mu'min created his empire by first winning control of the high Atlas Mountains, then the Middle Atlas, into theRif region, eventually moving into his homeland north ofTlemcen.[21] In 1145, after the Almoravids lost the leader of theirCatalan mercenaries,Reveter, the Almohads defeated them in open battle. From this point the Almohads moved west onto the Atlantic coastal plain. After laying siege to Marrakesh, they finally captured it in 1147.[21] Traditional accounts state that after establishing his capital at Marrakesh, Abd al-Mu'min created a dilemma in that the Almohads considered it a city of heretics. He contented himself with the destruction of their palace and mosques, although it is not clear whether these were actually demolished or merely abandoned.[28]
The Almohads' involvement in Al-Andalus began as early as 1145, when Ali ibn Isa ibn Maymun, the Almoravid naval commander ofCadiz, defected to 'Abd al-Mu'min.[6][29]: 202 [14]: 75 In the same year, Ibn Qasi, the ruler ofSilves, was one of the first Andalusian leaders to appeal for Almohad intervention in Al-Andalus in order to stop the advance of the Christian kingdoms, whom the faltering Almoravids were unable to contain. In 1147 Abd al-Mu'min sent a military force led by another Almoravid defector, Abu Ishaq Barraz, who capturedAlgeciras andTarifa before moving west toNiebla,Badajoz, and theAlgarve. The Almoravids inSeville were besieged in 1147 until the city was captured in 1148 with local support.[29][14]: 74–78
Around this time a major rebellion centred in theSous valley, led by Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Massi, shook the Almohad Empire and took on religious dimensions, rallying various tribes to counter the Almohads. Some important cities such asCeuta,Salé, andSijilmassa overthrew their Almohad governors. An Almoravid, Yahya ibn al-Sahrawiyya, was declared ruler of Ceuta. After initial Almohad setbacks, the rebellion was eventually suppressed thanks to Abd al-Mu'min's lieutenant, Umar al-Hintati, who led a force that killed al-Massi. Abd al-Mu'min is said to have resorted to more draconian measures afterwards and initiated a purge of people he thought might be disloyal among the subject Berber tribes, allegedly resulting in around 30,000 executions.[29]: 203 [14]: 72–73
The rebellion had taxed Almohad resources and resulted in temporary reversals in Al-Andalus too, but the Almohads soon went on the offensive again. Responding to local appeals from Muslim officials, they took control ofCordoba in 1149, saving the city from the forces of Alfonso VII.[29]: 204 The remaining Almoravids in Al-Andalus, led byYahya ibn Ghaniya, were by then confined toGranada. In 1150 or 1151 Abd al-Mu'min summoned the leaders and notables of Al-Andalus under his control to Ribat al-Fath (Rabat), where he made them pledge loyalty to him, apparently as a political demonstration of his power.[14][29] The Almoravids in Granada were defeated in 1155 and retreated to the Balearic Islands, where they held out for several decades.[14]
For much of the 1150s, however, Abd al-Mu'min concentrated his efforts on expanding eastwards across North Africa to Ifriqiya.[14][29] By 1151, he had reachedConstantine where he confronted a coalition of Arab tribes that had been marching through Berber lands. Rather than destroying these tribes, he utilised them for his campaigns in al-Andalus and they also helped to quell any internal opposition from the family of Ibn Tumart.[21] Abd al-Mu'min led his forces to conquer Tunis in 1159, going on to progressively establish control over Ifriqiya byconquering the cities ofMahdia (then held byRoger II ofSicily),Kairouan, and other coastal cities as far asTripoli (in modern-dayLibya). He then returned to Marrakesh and left for an expedition to Al-Andalus in 1161. Abd al-Mu'min had ordered the construction of a new citadel at Gibraltar, where he based himself during his stay in Al-Andalus.[6][14]
The Almohad empire was built by Abd al-Mu'min and effectively ruled by his family (known as the Mu'minids). This plus his ongoing military activity angered those who considered themselves the founders of the Almohad movement. These founders made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Abd al-Mu'min in 1160.[30]
Abd al-Mu'min returned from Al-Andalus to the Maghreb in 1162. Over the next year he stayed in Ribat al-Fath and began to gather troops within its walls with the intention of launching another expedition to Al-Andalus. However, he fell ill and, after long period of sickness, died there in May 1163 (Jumada II 558AH).[6][14]: 90 His body was transported to Tinmel, where he was buried, following a ceremony, next to Ibn Tumart in the religious complex (which was centred around theGreat Mosque of Tinmel) he had built there years earlier. His sonAbu Ya'qub Yusuf succeeded him.[14]
Abd al-Mu'min established a central government that would controlNorth Africa for more than a half century after he died. He founded a dynasty which his family, the Mu'minids, controlled.[30] He added to the traditional clan organisations of theBerbers the concept ofMakhzan, a central administration staffed by Spanish Muslims. To keep the Empire's revenue flowing, he created a land registry. Abd al-Mu'min also supported the arts, but in keeping with the founders' wishes, when mosques were built he kept them simple and plain compared to other structures of that time.[21] He is considered as a national hero inAlgeria.[31]
He was also a prodigious builder of monuments and palaces. He notably founded theKutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh and theMosque of Tinmel.[32][14] In 1150 he built theKasbah of the Udayas, across the river from Salé, and founded an adjacent settlement. Naming the new fortressal-Mahdiyya orRibat al-Fath, he intended to use it as a staging point for future campaigns on the Iberian Peninsula.[14]: 309–310 The settlement was further embellished and fortified by Yaq'ub al-Mansur at the end of the 12th century, and eventually became modern-day Rabat.[14]
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'Abd al-Mu'min ibn 'Ali ibn Makhluf ibn Yu'la ibn Marwan, born in 1094 in Tagra (now in Algeria), was the son of Ali, a humble potter and member of the Koumiya, an Arabized section of the Berber Zanata tribe.
ʿAbd al-Muʾmin, in full ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAli, (born c. 1094, Tagra, Kingdom of the Ḥammādids—died 1163, Rabat, Almohad Empire), Berber caliph of the Almohad dynasty (reigned 1130–63) ...
'Abd al-Mu'min ibn 'Ali ibn Makhluf ibn Yu'la ibn Marwan, born in 1094 in Tagra (now in Algeria), was the son of Ali, a humble potter and member of the Koumiya, an Arabized section of the Berber Zanata tribe.
| Preceded by Ishaq ibn Ali (end ofAlmoravid dynasty) | Almohad dynasty 1147–1163 | Succeeded by |