. Idriss I’s Arrival in the Volubilis Region (Walili).
A wide-angle cinematic reconstruction set at dusk in the rugged Zerhoun hills of northern Morocco. In the foreground, Idriss I, dressed in layered grey and white robes and a white turban, walks with a staff, his weary posture conveying hardship and determination. His companion Rashid, wearing a darker earth-toned cloak, guides the small caravan along a winding, rocky path. Pack animals carry bundles of supplies, while dust rises around the travellers’ feet.
On the surrounding hillsides, local Berber warriors stand silhouetted against the sky, holding long spears as they observe the approaching procession. In the middle distance, the landscape descends into a broad valley, revealing the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, with rows of weathered stone columns, broken walls, and monumental arches. Beyond the ruins, successive mountain ridges fade into atmospheric haze.
Above the scene, dense charcoal-grey clouds part to reveal a brilliant golden sunset. Strong rays of sunlight pierce the cloud cover, illuminating the distant ruins and casting warm amber highlights across the dusty path, travellers, and rocky terrain. The contrast between the shadowed foreground and the radiant horizon creates a mood of solemn expectation, historical transition, and cautious hope.
The image evokes the historical setting associated with Idriss I’s arrival in Morocco and the emergence of the Idrisid dynasty. It is an artistic reconstruction intended to convey the atmosphere and geographical character of the period, rather than a literal depiction of a documented historical event.
Addition / Note for Readers (English Translation):
A Historical Note on "Abd Allah al-Kamil" (The Perfect):
It is worth noting the profound secret behind the title "Al-Kamil" (The Perfect) given to Abd Allah. He was granted this title because he combined the noble lineages of both Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, peace be upon them. His father, Al-Hasan al-Muthanna, was a Hasamite (descendant of Imam Al-Hasan), while his mother, Fatimah, was the daughter of Imam Al-Husayn ibn Ali. Thus, he united the pure lineages of both grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through Fatimah al-Zahra, making him "Al-Kamil" (The Perfect) in nobility, purity, and leadership—traits that later blossomed through his sons, such as Muhammad an-Nafs az-Zakiyyah and Idris I, the founder of the Idrisid Dynasty in Morocco.
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Biography of Our Master Abd Allah al-Kamil:
He was given this title due to the perfection of his lineage from both his father and mother, and it has also been said that it was due to his resemblance to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He is Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna ibn al-Hasan al-Sibt ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his mother is Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). He was among the senior Tabi'in (successors) and transmitted narrations from Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari in his book At-Tawhid via Wasit. He was a leading figure among the Banu Hashim of his time. Ibn Sa'd stated: "He was a man of knowledge, piety, worship, dignity, and fine appearance."
Mus'ab al-Zubayri said: "None of the scholars of Medina honored anyone as they honored him." Yahya ibn Main and An-Nasa'i, among others, authenticated him. According to a narration from his mother, Fatimah bint al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them), he was born in the year 68 AH and died in the prison of Al-Mansur under a demolished wall, being buried at Al-Qadisiyyah. At the time of his death, he was 75 years old.
It was narrated on his authority: Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (the Umayyad) came to him and said: "If you have a need, write to me, or send to me, or write to my gate, for I am too shy before Allah that your eye should see me at my gate."
It is also narrated in Nazm al-Durar wal-Iqyan regarding the nobility of Banu Ziyan: Among the pieces of advice he gave to his son, Muhammad an-Nafs az-Zakiyyah, was: "Beware of men's customs, for you will not lack a forbearing master or wicked transgressors. The rule of the Banu al-Abbas will not pass for you until you treat the outgoers (Khawarij) and others alike, whether they are from the Alid House or from the paternal cousins among the progeny of Al-Abbas, out of retribution for their oppression and tyranny."
He was among the prominent figures whose mention from the House of Ali did not cease until there remained no caliph for them who was not afflicted. The first claimant among them from the Alawites was Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Dawud ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna, who overthrew the Abbasid governor of Mecca, addressed the people himself during the Hajj season, and said: "Praise be to Allah who restored the truth to its order, and made manifest the light of faith from its perfection, and completed the call of the messengers through the descendants of his uncles, and no one from the family of the Prophet (PBUH) and his pure household—from whom Allah removed impurity and thoroughly purified—was left out, and He shielded them from the hands of transgressors, making His word enduring in His threshold until the Day of Judgment." Then he recited:
- "For the unjust, what was for truth a religion / and the people of oppression transgressed and acted aggressively against us,"
- "Guiding every form of affliction from Iraq."
He remained there until he died, after which his rule was succeeded by his son Ja'far ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Sulayman, then Abu al-Futuh ibn Ja'far, then Shukr ibn Abi al-Futuh, and it expanded until it encompassed the two sanctuaries (Haramayn) and all the land of the Hijaz, while the claimant called "Al-Sharif"...
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...in Banu Hashim married the daughter of Al-Hasan ibn Sarjan, between whom and Banu Hilal there was what people used to speak of, and he died without leaving descendants. Thus, the state of the Sulaymanids in Mecca came to an end when the Hashemites from the sons of Abi Hashim, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Karam ibn Musa al-Joun, arose. There was continuous discord between these Hashemites and their paternal cousins the Sulaymanids, and when Al-Shukr died—whom Banu Hilal called "Al-Sharif Ibn Hashim," the master of the slave-girl—a man who was not from the ruling house came forward, and the Hashemites rose against him, led by Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Hashim. They expelled them from the Hijaz, and they departed to Yemen, thus ending the Sulaymanid state in Mecca.
The Revolt of al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Muthallath:
During the reign of Musa al-Hadi, Al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Muthallath ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna ibn al-Hasan al-Sibt (may Allah be pleased with them) revolted in Medina, and that was on 14 Dhu al-Qi'dah in the year 169 AH. The governor of Medina at that time was Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). The reason for Al-Husayn's revolt was that the governor of Medina, Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad an-Nafs az-Zakiyyah and a group, accused them of being among those who drank wine, and therefore ordered them to be beaten together. He poisoned al-Husayn, put chains around their necks, and paraded them through Medina. Al-Husayn went to the mentioned governor and spoke to him, saying: "This is not permissible for you, and your punishment has no basis, for you are dealing with people who do not consider it a hardship."
He was not brought before him; instead, Al-Hasan took them to the courtyard, ordered them to be returned, and commanded that they be taken to prison, where they were detained day and night. Then he addressed them and set them all free, while the Alids were under surveillance and exposure to Medina every evening like sheep. Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad was missed and found dead, killed by Al-Husayn ibn Ali the rebel, and Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil, because the governor used to execute every one of them if any of them went missing.
The two sureties, Al-Takfili and his companion, were absent from the presentation for three days, so he seized the two sureties and asked them about him, but they swore that they did not know where he was. He spoke harshly to them, and Yahya ibn Abd Allah swore that he would not sleep until he came to him or struck his door, until he knew that he had come to him. When they came out from him, Al-Husayn said: "Glory be to Allah, what drove you to this? Do you find goodness when you have no power?" He replied: "By Allah, I will not sleep until I strike his door with the sword." Al-Husayn said: "You will multiply what is between us and our companions in terms of hostility; what is between us and our companions whom we had agreed should leave in..."
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...the Hajj season, and there was in Medina a group of Kufans from their partisans. Among them was one who pledged allegiance to Al-Husayn ibn Ali. At the end of the night, they went out, and Yahya ibn Abd Allah came until he struck the door of Marwan's sword for his allegiance, and he did not remain in it and concealed himself from them. They rushed until they stormed the mosque. When the dawn prayer was called, Al-Husayn sat on the pulpit with a white turban on his head, and the people began entering the mosque while they returned and did not pray.
When they prayed the morning prayer, people began coming and pledging allegiance to him according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (PBUH), and peace be upon the Murtada from the family of Muhammad. A group from the supporters of the victory of the state came and were unable to stop them. When Al-Husayn settled in Medina, what was in the public treasury was seized, and Al-Husayn remained in Medina after the declaration of departure for 11 days, then he left it with remaining days of Dhu al-Qi'dah in the year 169 AH, heading toward Mecca.
Then the news of Al-Husayn reached Musa al-Hadi, who had set out for Hajj, and a delegation from the Abbasids came and ordered Musa al-Hadi: Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Ali, and he wrote a book appointing him to war. He set out for war and headed toward Al-Husayn ibn Ali until they met at a place called Fakh six miles from Mecca, and the battle took place between the two sides on 8 Dhu al-Hijjah. The heroes from Banu Hasan displayed extraordinary bravery, and the final outcome was that the master Al-Husayn was martyred as a hero in the midst of the battle, and a group from both sides escaped.
This battle had a great resonance in historical circles, and two men escaped from the battle who had a great historical destiny: they were Idris ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil, who passed through Egypt to the Far Maghreb, where a state began starting from the date 172–375 AH, and his brother Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil, who fled to the land of Daylam, of which we will speak.
Here we pause with deep contemplation as we examine the conditions of these heroes: how Yahya and others wandered in futility, and how deep thought is provoked regarding their lives. Many of these masters were subjected to destruction when they intended hopes for themselves other than suicide in the battle, and the driving force behind that was weak judgment in consequences. The truth is that those masters were forced to rush into these wars in which their destruction was certain, because many people surrounded the lives of those facing imminent destruction amid a hell surrounded by political, economic, and social pressure. They felt that their lives in their homeland were as prisoners, and they knew the accusation directed at them by their fearful and unjust enemy that the entire nation recognized their right, while they were stripped of it by force and unjust power, while they were alongside that under constant surveillance by direct governors...
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...whose eyes never sleep regarding them. How can a person of noble soul endure this miserable confinement? And how can he not prefer suicide in the arena of honor over a life of surveillance and disgrace every evening in his hometown? For he does not possess the freedom of movement even in matters concerning himself. How can the brilliant, genius minds not prefer suicide in the arena of honor over a life of humiliation and submissiveness to one who neither fears Allah nor monitors Him regarding the rights of His servants?
Indeed, this world is where some people suffer and others are happy. Allah Almighty says: "And if it were not that the people would have become one community [of disbelievers], We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful - for their houses - ceilings and stairways of silver upon which to mount, and doors and couches [of silver] upon which to recline, and gold. But all that is not but the enjoyment of the worldly life. And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous." There was no disruption of Abbasid state security and the insecurity of its safety arising solely from the Alids, for there were many in the nation who denounced the caliphs for their tyranny, injustice, treachery, and failure to fulfill their pledges to the nation according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. Among them were the Khawarij in various lands, whom they fought and inflicted with the worst defeats in various years of their lives.
Among the good things mentioned in what Al-Tabari narrated: Isa ibn Daan, commander of Musa al-Hadi, entered upon Musa ibn Isa upon his return from Fakh, and found him weeping, seeking an excuse for whoever was killed, saying: "May the Amir be righteous, and he recited a verse from the poetry of Yazid ibn Muawiyah after the killing of Al-Husayn, whose opening is:"
- "O early rider to his riding mount / over thorny bushes in its secret journey," until he said:
- "Do not abandon transgression, for injustice is disastrous / and the drinker of the cup of transgression is satiated with destruction,"
- "Do not equalize your people, do not perish with lavishness / from the centuries and has begun with days, injustice with extravagance has vanished from ancient times."
It was said: Musa saw in some what he felt from grief, then he looked forward to the return of the Fatimid party to the heart of the state after they saw the sons of their uncle Abbas showing harshness toward the two elders, and they presented the two elders to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Then they intensified the restrictions on the family of Ali, until they became like the caged bird in the House of Ali. Al-Mansur tried to escape from him on the wrong path, after Al-Mansur's mocking of the news of the Alids while remaining silent about their remnants, but he sufficed with taking them with harshness and violence.
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And when Muhammad al-Mahdi came, he placed them under his supervision in Baghdad, and those who were in Medina with the surveillance of his amir for them, so they were presented to him every day like livestock, except for his father's policy with them and releasing everyone who was in the prison of Al-Mansur among those who had no injustice or truth against them. When Harun al-Rashid came, the policy changed from the beginning of his command, and he won over their hearts by treating them with kindness. The first thing he did was to remove the stone that was with them in Baghdad, and return them to Medina.
However, the psychological bitterness is not cured by kindness, for Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil, whose father died in Al-Mansur's prison as previously mentioned, as well as his brother Muhammad an-Nafs az-Zakiyyah, his brother Ibrahim, and his paternal uncle Al-Husayn ibn Ali, in addition to what Al-Mansur did to him in his prison by way of torture and persecution—some of which he found some of it in the stocks—as he saw: "As I saw, all of that does not make him forget the kindness of Al-Rashid."
There was also another instigator, which is the instigations of the Shi'a in Egypt, for they are like the fire hidden in the ashes. They looked forward with every passion and longing, and they were relentless until they restored the matter to the Alid House, which is the most precious thing they had, whether time was long or short. Based on this, Yahya ibn Abd Allah went out.
The Revolt of Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil in the Land of Daylam:
As previously stated, Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil was one of the survivors of the battle of Fakh during the reign of Musa al-Hadi. He went to the land of Daylam, gained supporters there, his command grew stronger, and his support intensified until he began removing people from the garrison cities and provinces. Al-Rashid was distressed by that, so he stopped drinking wine. Then he summoned Al-Fadl ibn Yahya al-Barmaki with 50,000, and the troops marched in the direction of Yahya. He wrote to the ruler of Daylam, allocating a thousand thousand (one million) dirhams for him to facilitate Yahya's departure, which was actually carried out.
When that reached Yahya, he learned that the ruler of Daylam had surrendered him in exchange for the wealth, and Al-Fadl ibn Yahya's commander was writing to him to negotiate safe-conduct, and advised him, while Al-Fadl mediated hope, so Yahya found no choice except to choose the path of surrender, or to surrender what the ruler of Daylam took of his Islam, and that the circle would eventually close upon him. He saw that surrendering upon safe-conduct was better for him, and reconciliation at the hands of Al-Fadl al-Barmaki was more correct for him.
He stipulated that Al-Rashid write the safe-conduct in his own handwriting, so Al-Fadl wrote that to Al-Rashid, who honored him and magnified his status with him, wrote the safe-conduct, and had it witnessed by the notables, jurists, judges, and the dignitaries of Banu Hashim and the elders. Then he directed Al-Fadl with...
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...prizes and great honors. Then Al-Fadl directed that to Yahya ibn Abd Allah in Baghdad, and he was welcomed with safe-conduct and reconciliation. Then he was brought to Al-Rashid when Al-Fadl reached Baghdad, who welcomed him with what he loved, ordered abundant wealth for him, and ran generous allowances for him. He settled him in a house after staying at the residence of Al-Fadl himself, and he used to manage his affairs in person, not delegating that to others, and commanded the people to visit him. He moved from the house of Yahya al-Barmaki, and Al-Fadl reached the utmost in honoring Al-Rashid for the success of his policy in resting from the war of Yahya.
However, the oppressive princes make every word prey for them, and that is the breach where the people of desires enter to reach their objectives. Frequently, they play with commanders while they are unaware, and they ruin the service of the righteous, truthful ones by showing bad things to them. Among the bad retinue are those who never cease showing advice to the one who is under illusion while concealing the truth. They continue in the weaving of understanding and its direction to its owners in order to approach what they wanted, and they became among the fortunate ones when they presented those poisonous, naive advices which they slaughtered with their pens and solved with acceptance and approval.
Abu al-Fadl Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki was the one in charge of Al-Rashid's affairs during the days of his brother Muhammad al-Mahdi, and Al-Rashid used to call him "uncle," and Ummu Khayzuran, the mother of Al-Rashid, nursed Al-Fadl ibn Yahya al-Barmaki until Al-Ma'mun used to say: "There was not among the sons of Khalid and the children of Al-Fadl anyone equal in competence, eloquence, bravery, and generosity, and Al-Fadl was among the people of piety, intellect, and chivalry, and he abstained from wine with Al-Rashid." He used to say: "You have learned that wine detracts from man's manliness and cuts off a man from Al-Rashid until his father prevented him from abandoning intimacy with it, and your family will be disgraced to the end of time."
It was said that he wrote to him when he was accused of having a relation: "You are like the life of time with you, you know how your command is, and I fear that you will not be as Kalthum was, but soon circumstances changed toward Yahya ibn Abd Allah in the future of time, dropping honors and the good covenant and safe-conduct in the future of time into the winds of paths, after the rumormongers intervened—and Yahya was suspected of the slightest thing, so they accused him of a false charge—and most of the people's calumnies in that were Bakr ibn Abd Allah al-Zubayri, who had an intense hatred for the Family of Abi Talib, and was behind those slanders that the prison of Al-Rashid reached Yahya ibn Abd Allah after the covenant and safe-conduct written in his handwriting, and it was hard upon him in his prison so that he might kill him..."
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...and he was not prevented from preventing people from saying anything from the safe-conduct book in his hand, referring to the scholars until he took a license to kill him. He brought one of his judges, who was Abu al-Buhturi, and one of the jurists, who was Muhammad al-Hasan al-Hanafi, the companion of Abu Yusuf. He said: "What is this that you are doing with the safe-conduct?" and he made the ways of annulment clear, then he raised him to the rank of the judges, and said to him: "You know best about that, which is the breach of the safe-conduct," and that was the hand of the judge.
There was another hand: the movement of these rumormongers from behind a wall, which is the hand of Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi', because he envied Al-Fadl ibn Yahya over the humiliation that Al-Fadl attained through his fine conduct and morals, and he was trying to attain with Al-Rashid the center of the Barmakids. In some days, they gathered at Al-Rashid, so Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki looked at Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi' and said to him: "This is from your afflictions." The Barmakids strived to deliver Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil from his oppression, and Al-Fadl made Al-Rabi' over Ja'far ibn Yahya—in whose eyes he was private and particularly close. Abu Muhammad al-Zaydi said, as it was narrated regarding what was said: "Inform the people of rumors."
He said: "Al-Rashid killed Ja'far ibn Yahya without any reason against Yahya ibn Abd Allah, so do not believe him, and that Al-Rashid had paid Yahya ibn Abd Allah to Ja'far ibn Yahya, imprisoned him, then called him on a night of nights, asked him about something of his command, so he answered him." Al-Fadl entered into a debate with his grandfather until Yahya ibn Abd Allah said to Ja'far: "Fear Allah in my command, and do not expose your opponent to be the adversary of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)." By Allah, he neither produced a newly invented event nor spent the night speaking.
Ja'far al-Barmaki was troubled, and said to him: "Go wherever you wish in the land of Allah." He said: "How shall I go and not feel safe after a short while? You return me to someone else, or to someone else?" So he directed him to deliver him safely. The news of the eye reached Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi' from the side of the eye that was private to his retinue, so he investigated it and found it to be true, and it was revealed to Al-Rashid, so he informed Al-Rashid. Al-Rashid said, "And what is this?" Perhaps that weakened Al-Rabi' and he feared for himself, so Ja'far came and called for lunch, and they ate, and he began feeding him and conversing with him until another house was in between them.
Al-Rashid said: "What did Yahya ibn Abd Allah do to him?" He said: "He is in his state, O Commander of the Faithful, in tight and prosperous imprisonment." Ja'far said: "By my life," so Ja'far became one of the sharpest people in intellect, and their most accurate in thought. He whispered in his own mind that he knew about his command, and said: "No, by your life, O my master, you have known that there is no life for me in something hated with him." So he released him. He said: "Indeed I did, O my enemy, what was in my soul," and he went out following his gaze until his face almost turned away, then he said: "He killed me..."
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...with the sword of guidance against the work of error if I do not kill you." And thus was the life of the people dangerous to the ministers and senior state officials. The reason for the lack of success of Yahya ibn Abd Allah in his revolt near the center of the caliphate in Baghdad, just as the reason for the success of his brother Idris in the Far Maghreb in establishing his state away from the center of the caliphate in Baghdad, was...
Idris ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil in the Maghreb:
The ordeal of the Alid House, the owner of spiritual authority, led to a matter that was not calculated by their paternal cousins the Abbasids, which is that they were able to obtain a greater share of the sympathy of the Islamic Ummah toward them because of what they passed through during the days of the two states: the Umayyad and the Abbasid, and what they presented of victims during a full century until they were able through that to influence the Abbasid state in the prime of its youth. This was manifested through two events:
- Ja'far al-Barmaki releasing Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil without the command of Al-Rashid, and commanding him to go wherever he wished in the lands of Allah as a man he delivered safely, which was the reason for a threat in the heart of Al-Rashid from the men of his state, then he intensified punishment on those who had inclination and sympathy toward them, then he intensified tightening on those who remained of them in Medina, and Musa ibn Ja'far as-Sadiq came to Baghdad to reside under his supervision.
- Wadih, who was one of the freedmen of Banu Abbas over the postal service in Egypt, was the one who facilitated the passage of Idris through the land of Egypt with his knowledge of him, and he was the governor of Egypt on behalf of Sulayman al-Hashimi.
The Story of the Flight of Imam Idris to the Maghreb:
Imam Idris set out from Mecca after he escaped from the tragedy of Fakh on the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 169 AH, heading toward the Far Maghreb in secret, fearing for his soul from Musa al-Hadi, the fourth of the Abbasid caliphs. He was accompanied by his freedman Rashid, and when they arrived in Egypt, they passed by a good residence whose two masters liked it, so Wadih, who was the postal director in Egypt, went out to them and greeted them. After a conversation between them, the state of affairs was revealed, that he was Wadih, and they were afraid of him that he would betray them in the response, so he showed hospitality to them, and after they became acquainted with him and he from them and from his son, he gave them...
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...security and reassured them about themselves, and informed them that he was from the partisans of the Fatimid House. After he entered them into his home, they stayed with him for a period in honor and bliss, and then the news of the two swords reached him in the capital of the country. He summoned them explicitly, and informed them of the caliph's command that no stranger was to be left passing by until he asked about his condition, and knew the soundness of his lineage, and from where he came.
Then he informed them that he hated exposing the Family of the Fatimid House, and then said to them: "I have conveyed to you safety, and I have informed them that you two are leaving by the action of the night as the caliph Al-Hadi in Baghdad knows, and you are leaving by night after three days." Then he brought them to the wilderness, provided them with a clear mount, purchased for them mounts and for himself other things, prepared for them provisions that would take them to Ifriqiya, and said: "Rashid, you go with the caravan on the main road, and I will go on the path that the caravans do not take, and our meeting place is the city of Barqa."
They went out from Egypt in the attire of merchants until they reached the city of Barqa, and in it they were met by his companion, and they bade farewell after he purchased for them provisions that would take them to Ifriqiya. Then he returned to Egypt, and the two proceeded until they arrived in Kairouan, and they stayed in it for a period, then they departed from it toward the Far Maghreb. Rashid changed what was on him of the attire in their journey, so Imam Idris wore a coarse woolen tunic and a coarse Qalansiywah (cap), and made him like a servant to him until they reached Tlemcen, and stayed in it for days.
Then they departed from it, crossing across Wadi Moulouya, entering the land of Souss al-Aqsa, then they walked across the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, witnessing what was in the land of the Maghreb of goodness and bounties. They continued on their way until they arrived in the city of Tangier, which was at that time the base of the land of the Maghreb. They stayed in it for days, but did not find honor in it, so they continued on their way until they arrived at the city of Volubilis (Walili), the base of Jabal Zerhoun, and it was a great fortress from the structures of the ancients.
Imam Idris descended upon its ruler, Ishaq ibn Abd al-Majid al-Awrabi al-Mu'tazili, who honored him and went to great lengths in honoring him, then he knew Idris himself and his character, so he accompanied him on his condition, and took charge of his service and attending to his affairs. His arrival there was in the beginning of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 172 AH, and with his arrival in the Far Maghreb, a new tumult emerged beside the Abbasid state, where an ummah of the Islamic nations dared—and it was the Berber ummah in the Far Maghreb—to exit from obedience to it, believing that it had found its desired quest from the sons of Fatimah al-Zahra, which the entire Islamic world was yearning for, for the caliphate of Banu Fatimah without anyone being able to achieve anything of that. For a full century, the Maghreb gained a high share from among the various provinces of the great Islamic State, extending from Medina, its starting point, to the end of the state of Teta... of the land of Andalusia in western Europe...
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...indeed, the fame of the Maghreb resonated across the Islamic world because it harbored a man from the noble Prophetic household, declaring his separation from the capital of the caliphate of the Islamic world. Al-Rashid feared the Berbers because they were a people of war and intensity from the Islamic conquest, as it is famous from their description that they are like the waves of the sea, whenever an ummah perishes, another ummah takes its place, and thus without interruption. Therefore, Al-Rashid stayed in the Maghreb and made Kairouan its headquarters to be a separator between the capital of the caliphate and the new Idrisid state, just as one who sees a fire part of his house burning, so he strives to separate what the fire reaches from the rest of the house, and this is what Al-Rashid was able to do to avert this dangerous incident.
Imam Idris Establishes a State in the Far Maghreb:
After the settlement of the noble guest in the land of the Maghreb, Ishaq ibn Abd al-Majid al-Awrabi consulted the Berber tribal chiefs regarding calling Idris and establishing a new state in the Far Maghreb independent of the capital of Baghdad, which they approved. Then he began calling the Berber leaders and their notables to gather for his call, so a large multitude gathered for them, all of them happy with the call of the great guest. After the gathering was completed and they pledged allegiance to the caliphate in the city of Volubilis, that corresponded to Friday, 14 Ramadan 172 AH, upon establishing the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (PBUH) among them.
The first of the tribes that pledged allegiance to him included Maknasa, Ghmara, Lamaya, Lwata, Sedrata, Ghiyata, and the Nafza from the Aurabah tribes, then Zenata, then the classes of Berber tribes. When the matter became for him, he began organizing armies and gathering military equipment until he went out to conquer the country and reached the city of Tlemcen. In his conquest of Ifriqiya, the matter became severe for Harun al-Rashid, so he began thinking about his command, and wanted to send an army to fight him, but his experts advised him that he should not do so, nor is it permissible to commit failure, excusing him for that by the distance from the capital of the caliphate of Baghdad, and advising him to use stealth.
He began searching for a competent volunteer until he reached Sulayman ibn Jarir al-Shammakh, and requested him to trick Idris into being killed, and supplied him with wealth and roads for the-to-be-traitors. Idris was joyful at him, and welcomed him, and requested him to stay with him, and he was cunning, witty, a physician, and a doctor of the heart of Idris, so his position was welcomed by...
Imam Idris Establishes the State in the Far Maghreb
After the noble guest settled in the land of the Maghreb, Ishaq ibn Abd al-Majid al-Awrawi consulted the notables of the Berber tribes regarding calling upon Idris and establishing a new independent state in the Maghreb away from the capital, Baghdad, which they found appealing. Then he began calling the Berber chiefs and notables to gather for his call, and many people gathered around him, joyful at the invitation of the great guest. After the gathering pledged allegiance to the Caliphate in the city of Walili, this coincided with Friday, the 14th of Ramadan in the year 172 AH, on the condition that he uphold the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. The first of the tribes to pledge allegiance to him were: Miknasa, and Mghrawa, and Lamaya, and Lawata, and Sadrata, and Zuwagha, and Zuwwawa. When the matter became established for him, he began organizing armies and gathering military equipment as a whole, until he set out in the country and reached the city of Tlemcen, intending to conquer all of Ifriqiya. When this matter reached Harun al-Rashid, he began to ponder his situation, desiring to send an army to fight him. However, his experts advised him not to do so, pointing out that it is impermissible to risk failure, especially given the great distance from the capital Baghdad, and that it would be more fitting to use cunning. He began searching for a capable volunteer until he found Sulayman ibn Jarir al-Shammakhi, and requested him to feign loyalty to Idris the Independent Maghrebi Caliph, promising him money and sides for the Muslims. Idris rejoiced at him, welcomed him, and asked him to stay with him. He was an intelligent and cunning man, so he captured the heart of Idris and became welcomed by him...
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...who was in dire need of someone like him to carry out the mission entrusted to him. When he felt secure in his position, he began watching for an opportunity to execute his desire, having found no better time for seclusion. When it was agreed that one day his master Rashid the stableman would go out, he went into seclusion with him in his tent, carrying a bottle of fine perfume gifted to him, and said to him: "O my master, this is a type of fine perfume I brought from the East; it is not befitting except for you". As soon as Idris inhaled it, he fell down in a faint and died, while Sulayman ibn Jarir fled heading on his way to the lands of the East. When his master Rashid arrived and found him dead, he immediately mounted a horse prepared for that purpose, and rode with a group of Berber youths, setting out in pursuit of them. He overtook their horses while Rashid was alone, catching up with him in Wadi Mellouha. They fought with swords in the middle of the valley, and Rashid was wounded, his right hand severed. He was severely wounded with a slash to the right hand, and it has been reported that whoever saw him in Baghdad with his right hand bound and his head and body bearing the marks of wounds had recovered. Then Rashid returned to his deceased master Idris, prepared him, and buried him along with the Berber notables who were present near the city of Walili. Then Rashid summoned the tribal chiefs and faces of the people after the vacuum left by the burial of his master Idris, informing them that the late Imam Idris left no son except a pregnant maidservant named Kanza al-Nafziya, who was in her seventh month of pregnancy. He said to them: "If you see fit to wait until the maidservant delivers her child, and if it is a male we will raise him until he reaches the age of men and we pledge allegiance to him; and if the maidservant bears a child whom you do not approve of or deem worthy, then you are free to choose". They said to him: "O blessed Sheikh, we see nothing except what you see, for you have authority over us in place of the late Idris, praying for us and directing our affairs, and ruling us according to the Book and the Sunnah just as Imam Idris, may God have mercy on him, did until the maidservant delivers her pregnancy; if she bears a boy we will raise him and pledge allegiance to him, and if she bears a girl we will support you in our affair". Rashid thanked them for that, prayed for them, and they departed. Rashid remained until the maidservant completed the months of her pregnancy, and she gave birth to a boy resembling his late father the Imam. When Rashid brought the Berber notables and their chiefs out to present the newborn, when they looked at him and found him resembling his late father, they suggested naming him Idris. Their opinions unanimously agreed on naming him after his father, so they named him Idris II, the first Idris, and his mother's name was Kanza al-Nafziya, a woman from a large tribe in Tripoli whose inhabitants were Berbers. Among those who settled among them and pledged allegiance to Mawla Idris were people from Nafza, and Awrija, and Awrib son of Barnous who had been there since the days of the Islamic conquest.
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...advancing over all the Berber tribes due to their large numbers, strength, and bravery, including Kasilat, the killer of the noble Companion Uqba ibn Nafi in the land of Tlemcen in the current Algerian province, and his shrine there is a famous shrine, may God be pleased with him.
Imam Idris II was born on the morning of Monday, 3rd of Rajab in the year 177 AH, of the year in which his father, may God have mercy on him, died. His caliphate in the Maghreb lasted 4 years and 7 months, then Rashid assumed the guardianship of Idris II by order of the Berber chiefs and notables until he reached the age of youth. His nobility appeared when he was 8 years old, as he memorized the Quran, mastered jurisprudence, the Sunnah, literature, grammar, poetry, proverbs of the Arabs, their wisdom, kingship and its policies, and became known among people. He was trained in horse riding, horsemanship, archery with arrows, and the tricks of wars. After completing all of this, when he turned 11 years old, his master Rashid took the oath of allegiance from the Berber tribes in the Maghreb at the Great Mosque of Walili. This took place on Friday, 17th of Rabi al-Awwal in the year 188 AH. Al-Bakri and al-Barnusi commented on this: Rashid hastened to do this because he saw in Mawla Idris II nobility, intelligence, reason, and knowledge that made him worthy of it. Eloquence, rhetoric, and precision of speech appeared in him, to the extent that the minds of the elite and the common people were astounded. After taking the pledge of allegiance, he ascended the pulpit and addressed the people that day, saying:
"Praise be to God, I praise Him and seek His help, and I ask His forgiveness and rely upon Him..."
[The sermon continues praising God, mentioning the Prophet, and addressing the people]
"...O people, I have been appointed over you in a matter where the reward for the doer of good is doubled, and the punishment for the doer of evil is also doubled... We do not begin with injustice toward others, and praise be to God, our intention is good and our origin is upright...".
Then he called the people to pledge allegiance to him and urged them to adhere to obedience, and the people were amazed by his nobility, eloquence, firmness of heart, and steadfastness of his judgment. Then he descended from the pulpit, and people rushed to him to complete his pledge of allegiance. The tribes of the Maghreb from Zenata, Awrija, Sanhaja, and Ghmara, and all the other Berber tribes rushed forward, and the pledge of allegiance was completed for him by his master Rashid, and God knows best. Beware of forgetting the alertness of the Abbasids...
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...and the state of the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya, so they exploited the opportunity near Bahloul ibn Abd al-Wahid from Imam Idris II, wanting to restore the matter like his father did. They made Idris one of their intimates because he was a major leader among his people, and his scribe was the secretary of the Aghlabid governor of Ifriqiya, who enticed him with money to betray him, and he pledged allegiance to Harun al-Rashid, and Imam Idris felt it and said:
- "Bahloul, you have corrupted your soul with a plan... from which the assault of Ibrahim [ibn al-Aghlab] turned away..." [Poetry verses condemning betrayal] Then Ibn al-Aghlab sent to Bahloul ibn Abd al-Wahid a great deal of money. When Rashid had resolved to take the oath of allegiance to Idris, Idris was 11 years and 5 months old. Bahloul took the money and killed Rashid, and that took place in the year 188 AH. Idris II was subsequently sworn in by order of Abu Khalid Yazid ibn al-Ilyas al-Abdi, and according to another narration, the oath of allegiance to Idris II took place after the death of Rashid by 20 days. The governor of Ifriqiya wrote to the Caliph in Baghdad after the success of the second plot, acknowledging his service and advice:
- "Did you not see, O Rider of the Steed, how I disposed of Rashid...?" [Poetry verses regarding the killing of Rashid] And Ibn Akki, who was the governor of Ifriqiya for Muhammad ibn Muqatil al-Aki, wrote to al-Rashid regarding the murder of Rashid, stating that Mawla Idris was the one who manufactured and planned it. The postmaster wrote to Harun al-Rashid with the falsehood of al-Aki, so he was dismissed from Ifriqiya, and it was actually Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab who plotted the assassination of Rashid. Al-Aki believed this and wrote prior to that: [Poetry verses reflecting political intrigue and poetry]
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...the pledge of allegiance near Mecca under the tree, hence it was called the Tree Pledge (Bay'at al-Ridwan), and with the passage of time people began visiting it and seeking blessings through it. Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered the cutting down of this tree because the original pledge in Islam was that the right of the Caliphate is derived from its strength, and they considered loyalty to the Imam a religious duty upon every Muslim. Its contract is conducted by those with binding and loosening power (Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd) among the majority of Muslims, because the origin in electing the Caliph is the approval of the Ummah. Thus, the Muslims took this path after the death of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. The first whom the Ummah approved of in Islam was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, relying on the fact that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, nominated him to lead the prayer during his illness in which he passed away. They said: "Did we not accept him for our worldly affairs, shall we not accept him for our religious affairs?" So the Companions gathered, and his election to the Islamic Caliphate was finalized, so they pledged allegiance to him, meaning they made a covenant of hearing and obedience in what pleases God and His Messenger. The covenant is that he rules among them according to the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. This is the contract between the Caliph and the Ummah, which is the meaning of the pledge resembling what is contracted between a buyer and a seller. As for the appointment of a successor (Wilayat al-Ahd), it is the Caliph's nomination of someone qualified to bear the burdens of the Caliphate, which is the Sunnah of Abu Bakr when he nominated Umar from outside his clan. The Commander of the Faithful Umar ibn al-Khattab was chosen by Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd and the majority of the Companions, following the precedent of Abu Bakr. When he saw many qualified candidates outside his clan, he made it a consultative council (Shura) of six individuals, and the choice fell upon the Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, may God be pleased with him. No one else was nominated because he died wronged as a martyr, so Ali ibn Abi Talib assumed the Caliphate by the choice of the Ummah and the selection of Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd among the senior Companions. His pledge was completed after that, and he did not nominate anyone else, leaving the choice to the Ummah. Imam al-Hasan nominated him, and the pledge was concluded for him by the choice of Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd and the majority of the Companions and Tabi'in. Then his caliphate ended with his resignation in favor of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, who made it like Heraclius as mentioned earlier. This was among the reasons that prevented him from being counted among the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and following that, the Abbasid caliphs made the succession of the covenant one of the reasons that shook the pillar of their state and did not consider those who passed away, bringing forth evils and tribulations that caused the destruction of their state. God Almighty said: (Say, "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will...")... and the Hasanid Caliphate in the Maghreb, and the Umayyad Caliphate in...
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...Andalusia, then two great provinces broke out from the vast Abbasid province. After that, the state of al-Hasan ibn Zayd appeared in Tabaristan (250 - 355 AH), and the Fatimid state appeared in Ifriqiya, taking control of it, and over Algeria and the Far Maghreb. Then they extended their authority over Egypt, Syria, the Hejaz, Yemen, and the shores of the Euphrates, and their fire almost scorched the face of the Abbasid state. One of the Iraqi ministers adopted this claim as a pretext to enable him, and he preached for the Alids publicly on the pulpits of Baghdad. When the Abbasids saw that they were incapable of repelling this fierce enemy, they resorted to what they thought would benefit them, which was another weapon, namely defamation of their lineage. They wrote a document present in Baghdad, and called upon the jurists, judges to sign it, as well as a call of those under their view and notables from the Hashimites, and stated that the lineage of the Ubaydids in Egypt was incorrect, and that they were impostors and cursed. When this reached the Alid Naqib in Baghdad, the Noble Sharif recited:
- "My staying with humiliation is with me, and I have a sharp sword and a high nose..." [Poetry verses expressing pride and rejection of humiliation] When the Abbasid Caliph attributed things to his father and denied them, and they were famous from him and from his poetry style, their attempts to extinguish the fires of sedition and strife in their province did not succeed. What increased the fires was that the Buwayhids who took control of Baghdad in the middle of the fourth century were Shia of Ahl al-Bayt, so they publicized Shia rituals in Baghdad, displaying innovations and customs they used to perform on Ashura day. Men used to go out in grief, and women used to scratch their faces in grief for the martyrdom of Al-Hussein...
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...martyr of Karbala, may God be pleased with him, and people began to draw closer to the sultan through Shiism. When al-Ma'mun, son of Harun al-Rashid, came, he saw the danger looming over his state, and he followed a policy towards the Alids different from his father's policy. He saw what the state men and supporters of the call felt toward the Alids, and their inclination toward them and hatred of what they achieved through their hands, so they showed more strictness against them to prevent this from happening to them. Al-Ma'mun changed the policy of strictness with them and drew closer to them, loving what they loved, which satisfied the desire of sympathizers and leaners, until he broke and eased their sharpness and mitigated their work and their supporters against the state. So he chose for his closeness among the Sharif al-Rida ibn Musa al-Kazim al-Husayni, who was more inclined to Shia, and appointed him as his heir, and married him to his daughter. He did that to please his vizier al-Hasan ibn Sahl because he was one of the Shia of the Family of Ali, and one of the men of al-Ma'mun in the market of the Caliphate after the assassination of his brother al-Amin. As much as al-Ma'mun pleased the Alid side with this policy and those who followed them from the Shia, the Abbasid partisans angered him, so they revolted against him in Baghdad, deposed him, and chose among them his uncle Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi. Al-Ma'mun found no other way before him to heal this dangerous fissure except to first resort to getting rid of his vizier al-Hasan ibn Sahl, so he sent someone to take his life with swords. Then he got rid of his son-in-law and crown prince al-Rida, poisoning and killing him, and there are strong clues pointing to that. Then matters returned to their course, and the hostility of the Abbasid sons returned, and they swerved from his uncle Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, but al-Ma'mun remained attached after that to his sympathy for the Alids and their Shia, and loyalty to Ali ibn Abi Talib, declaring this in his speech, sermons, and books, until whenever he saw anything from the Umayyad hostility and rebelling against him, he made them soften. But how long would the policy of pampering and appeasement last, along with the fear of angering his partisans? Yet, he did not change his policy with them and returned to his father's policy of precaution and caution against them, and ordered that no one enter with weapons except after retaliating against them with the right. He saw that he should establish a state on the right, similar to the Aghlabid state in Ifriqiya, which is the Ziyadite state, and the purpose was to cut off the road on the right from the Alids and their Shia so that they would not rebel against him once again. Then he followed the policy of blocking stones with the Shia Imams in front of the eyes and ears of Baghdad, and in Samarra after its decline...
End of the Section, to be continued
Author
Taher Ben Abdessalam El Lhioui Al-Wahhabi Al-Alami Al-Hassani
Foreword
Abdallah Guennoun
Digital Edition, Translation and Presentation
Jaafar El Lhioui
Northern Morocco Archive
Conclusion
The archival lineage records preserved by historian Taher El Lhioui offer critical insights into the structural dynamics of the early prophetic households. By documenting these primary transmissions and clarifying descendant pathways, his work serves as an essential bridge connecting foundational Islamic history with the genealogical heritage of Northern Morocco.
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters of this digital series as we continue to unlock rare documents from the Northern Morocco Archive.
Researcher, Editor, and Digital Activist
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