The Almohads Educational Materials

STATES AND SOCITIES IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA HIST 1301 | History The Almohads The Almoravid dynasty did not rule for very long. A member of the Masmuda tribe, an Amazigh people from the Atlas Mountains, Ibn Tumart started a countermovement against the Almoravids' legalistic formality. Ibn Tumart had a more global perspective than Ibn Yasin due to his study at mosques and madrasas across the Muslim world, and his cosmopolitan vision contradicted Ibn Yasin's biblical literalism. A reformer, he aspired to restore Islam to its purportedly original, pure form and disapproved of all schools of Islamic law, seeing their declarations as erroneous interpretations of the prophet Muhammad's teachings. In honour of their conviction in the transcendental unity of God, Ibn Tumart's adherents took on the name Almohads, which translates to "those of the oneness." Even though his organisation had a more liberal perspective, Ibn Tumart was just as rigid as Ibn Yasin when it came to upholding what he saw as the proper Islamic practice. Once, when his sister wasn't wearing a veil, he had to take her off the horse. He was also a frequent traveller to Marrakesh, where he would often make fun of the policies and beliefs of the Almoravid regime. The Almoravids' tentative empire stretched to the southernmost point. The Masmuda nomads who lived there mostly survived Almoravid rule since their mounted armies found it impossible to combat and manoeuvre in the heights of the Atlas Mountains. Ibn Tumart started assembling the Masmuda tribes to fight the Almoravids from among these nomads. By 11:30, he had gained authority over the whole area. Ibn Tumart's soldiers successfully convinced those parties that were first hesitant to support the Almohad cause to form an alliance. After taking control of Marrakech in 1147, the Almohads demolished what they saw as the emblems of an impoverished and dishonest kingdom, such as the Almoravid mosque. They then proceeded to subjugate the Maghreb's coastal territory, reaching Tripoli by 1160. The Almohad Empire ruled over all of Muslim Spain towards the end of the century. Similar to the Sanhaja who came before them, the Masmuda controlled Almohad Spain's government and armed forces. After being outlawed and eventually destroyed, the manuals of Malikite legal philosophy were superseded by those of Ibn Tumart, who passed away in 1130. Similar to the Almoravids who came before them, the Almohads did not try to include the subjugated and conquered peoples of Spain in the government. But the Almohad dynasty's rule was short-lived. The Masmuda kingdom began to fall apart as soon as it reached its zenith around 1200, partly as a result of pressure from Christians to the north. Christian armies had taken control of all of Spain north of Granada by the middle of the thirteenth century (which fell in 1492). The Almohad Empire fell in the meanwhile due to rebellions across the Maghreb and the rebel sacking of Marrakesh in 1275. The Maghreb was ruled by the Almoravids and Almohads for two centuries. Even though they were competitors, they had a lot in common: they were both descended from militant reformists, they were free from Arab overlords (Abbasid Baghdad in the case of the Almohads, Fatimid Egypt in the case of the Almoravids), and they both preserved aspects of their native African cultures (Sanhaja remained veiled, Masmuda kept its Council of Fifty chiefs that decided tribal matters). However, they also differed greatly: Ibn Tumart's thought was cosmopolitan, while the Almoravids adhered to Malikite legalism. Ultimately, despite their brief histories, both empires contributed significantly to the spread of Islam and the Arabic language throughout North Africa and the Mediterranean region.