Abd Allah ibn Yasin.Most accounts of the origins of the Almoravids indicate that ibn Yasin (d.1059) was dispatched as a religious in- structor to the western Sahara by his master, Wajjaj b.Zallu, at the request of the Sanhaja leader Yahya ibn Ibrahim. The Sanhaja tribes of the region had only been recently Islamicized, and their knowledge of Muslim dogma and rituals was limited. Ibn Yasin was entrusted with the mission of spreading the Islamic creed and helping wipe out unorthodox religious practices among the Berbers of the western Sahara.
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The brand of Islam preached by ibn Yasin was based on a strict application of Qur’anic injunctions and a lit- eral interpretation of the sacred text. Among the first measures he adopted after settling among the Sanhaja were the imposition of Islamic law (Shari’a) in all spheres of life, the introduction of a public treasury, and the levying of the tithe (‘ushr). He also adopted Malikism as the officially-endorsed legal practice. Ibn Yasin adhered to a rigorous spiritual code dominated by asceticism and self-discipline and demanded ab- solute obedience from his followers, the growing reli- gious community later known as the Almoravids.
The term Almoravid, a deformation of the Arabic murabit, has long been the subject of controversy among historians. The prevalent view is that it derives from ribat, a type of fortified convent, and referred to the religious compound where ibn Yasin allegedly sought refuge, together with his closest followers, after a disagreement with one of the Sanhaja chiefs. Some scholars, however, dispute this interpretation and claim that the term murabit does not refer to the legendary island retreat founded by ibn Yasin according to some sources.
It would be connected, rather, with the Qur’anic root rbt, commonly translated as “wage holy war (jihad),” but also “perform good deeds.” Supporters of this version also point out that the term Almoravid is clearly linked to the name given by Wajjaj b. Zallu, ibn Yasin’s mentor, to the residents of the ascetic lodge set up by the former in the Sus region: the so-called dar al-murabitin. The reform movement inspired by the teachings of ibn Yasin spread rapidly due to the support of Sanhaja chiefs.
The three main branches of the Sanhaja, namely the Massufa, Lamtuna, and Guddala, had just been united into a loose confederation under the command of Yahya b. Ibrahim. Mostly nomads, they made a precarious living by engaging in pastoralism and often supplemented their income by charging protection dues to the caravans that circulated along the Saharan trade routes. Natural adversity, in the form of a prolonged drought in Mauritania, and the new religious ardor instilled into them by ibn Yasin’s reformist message, prompted the Sanhaja to seek alter- native sources of income that ultimately entailed wresting control of trans-Saharan commerce from their immediate competitors.
Before the advent of the Almoravids in the first half of the eleventh century, the Sanhaja had only played an ancillary role in the trade links between southern Morocco and Ghana and the western Sudan. They had been passive witnesses of the intense commercial exchanges taking place through their territory without gaining any profit from them.
Control of the trade routes was in the hands of the Soninke state in Ghana, in the south, and of Zanata Berbers—a rival tribal group—in the north. The first Almoravid campaigns were aimed, therefore, at occupying the main commercial centers. Sijilmasa, the northern terminus of the caravan trade and ruled by the Maghrawa, a Zanata clan, since 970, was seized by ibn Yasin in 1053, apparently with the acquiescence of the local population. The following year, the Almoravids conquered Awdaghust, an important commercial center, especially in salt coming from Ghana, and virtually the other end of the Saharan trade.
Once control of the commercial routes had been con- solidated, the Almoravids turned their attention to otherareas of southern Morocco with obvious economic ap- peal: the pastures of the Draa and the Sus valleys. Thisperiod of quick military expansion was marred, however, by infighting within the Almoravid ruling elite. During Yahya b. Ibrahim’s lifetime, the Almoravid polity had a de facto dual leadership:Yahya exercised political powerand oversaw military campaigns while ibn Yasin had au- thority over religious and legal matters. After the death of his royal protector, ibn Yasin fell in disgrace and went into exile, probably around 1052–1053. He soon gained favor, however, among the new Almoravid leadership, this time dominated by the Lamtuna chiefs Yahya b. ‘Umar and his brother Abu Bakr.
