Origins & Early Life

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yāsīn (Arabic: عبد الله بن ياسين; born in "Tamanart", died 7 July 1059 C.E. in "Krifla" near Aïn El Aouda, present-day Morocco) was an Islamic theologian, spiritual leader and the founder of the Almoravid movement. Abdallah ibn Yasin was from the tribe of the Jazulah (pronounced Guezula), a Sanhaja sub-tribe. His mother was Tin Izamarren of the Jazula or tribe that lived in the village of Tamanart where he was born, she was from Temamanaout, at the edge of the desert bordering Ghana.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

A theologian of the Maliki school, he was a disciple of Waggag ibn Zallu al-Lamti, a relative of his, and studied in his Ribat, "Dar al-Murabitin" which was located in the village of Aglu, near present-day Tiznit. In 1046 the Gudala chief Yahya Ibn Ibrahim, came to the Ribat asking for someone to promulgate Islamic religious teachings amongst the Berbers of the Adrar (present-day Mauritania) and Waggag ibn Zallu chose to send Abdallah ibn Yasin with him. The Sanhaja were at this stage only superficially Islamized and still clung to many pagan practices, and so ibn Yasin preached to them an orthodox Sunnism. After a revolt of the Godala he was forced...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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