Abd al-Mu'min

Lore & Background

Abd al-Mu'min was born into the Kumiya tribe, an Arabized section of the Berber Zenata confederation, in the village of Tagra near Tlemcen. His father was a potter from Nedroma. As a young man, he went to Tlemcen to study Fiqh, but his tutor died before he could complete his studies. He then learned of a learned Faqih called Feqih Soussi (later known as Ibn Tumart) traveling from the east. Abd al-Mu'min was sent to invite Ibn Tumart to settle in Tlemcen, but Ibn Tumart declined; instead, Abd al-Mu'min stayed with him and they journeyed together to Morocco. After Ibn Tumart declared himself the Mahdi and opposed the Almoravids, the group moved to the Atlas Mountains. During an attack on Marrakesh, the second-in-command was killed, and Abd al-Mu'min was named to replace him. He eventually led the Almohads after arranging a family relationship with Cheikh Abu Hafs, leader of the Masmuda tribe. He proclaimed himself Caliph with the titles Khalifat al-Mahdi and later Amir al-Mu'minin, and adopted an Arab Qaysi genealogy that included the prophet Muhammad. He also sent forces to Al-Andalus, capturing Algeciras, Tarifa, Seville, and Cordoba.

Reader's Guide

Abd al-Mu'min's significance lies in his transformation of the Almohad movement from a religious order into a vast empire. His military campaigns defeated the Almoravids and extended Almohad rule across Al-Andalus and as far east as Tripoli in modern-day Libya, uniting the Maghreb and Al-Andalus under one creed and one government. His legacy includes founding the Mu'minid dynasty, which his family controlled. He added to traditional Berber clan organizations the concept of Makhzan, a central administration staffed by Spanish Muslims, and created a land registry to keep the empire's revenue flowing. Despite these tensions, he built a durable empire that outlasted him, and his son Abu Ya'qub Yusuf succeeded him.

Did You Know?

• He adopted an Arab Qaysi genealogy that included the prophet Muhammad.