'Abd al-Mu'min: Mahdism and Caliphate in the Islamic West

Description

'Abd al-Mu'min (1094-1163) did not establish the first caliphate in the Islamic West, but his Almohad empire encompassed more territory than any that had preceded it. After defeating the Almoravids and conquering their capital Marrakesh, he united for the first time the whole of North Africa west of Egypt, and eventually took in the southern part of the Iberian peninsula. In this volume, Maribel Fierro explores how 'Abd al-Mu'min and the Almohads shaped the history of the western Mediterranean. From al- Mu'min's encounter with Almohad founder Ibn Tumart to his administration of empire, his violent repression of opposition, and the flourishing of scholarship and thought during his reign, she reveals an intelligent ruler and a skilled military commander who sought to build a lasting caliphate across disparate and diverse societies.

Maribel Fierro is Research Professor at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas 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.

'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.' -- Amira K. Bennison, Professor in the History and Culture of the Maghrib, University of Cambridge ''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.' -- Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic, SOAS, University of London