Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
The Guardian of Al-Andalus (Spain); Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin [MABH] (Part 9)
Sheikh Abdullah bin Yasin; Between Reform and Tribal Resistance
Although Sheikh Abdullah bin Yasin entered the private lives of the tribesmen, a life that was lived without any law or Sharia and forced them to adhere to the congregation prayer and pay zakat; but this issue caused him to face strong resistance. The Sheikh tried to force them to fully adhere to the Sharia, and this was natural for someone like him; a Maliki jurist, an ascetic who had spent many years of his life studying and teaching.
He entered Andalusia when the rule of the tribes was in place and he stayed there for seven years and learned a lot of knowledge, then returned to the Maghreb and stayed with a jurist named Wajaj, who was knowledgeable in the sciences of Sharia, especially Maliki jurisprudence, and naturally was not a person of compromise and half-hearted solutions; rather, he was an ascetic and a person of worship. [1]
But because ignorance was prevalent among the tribes and man is an enemy of what he does not know, Abdullah ibn Yasin had to face serious opposition in his commitment to the Sharia, and this is not surprising. The divine prophets also faced hostility and denial. Throughout history, sincere servants of Allah were persecuted, imprisoned, displaced, and even killed. This is Allah’s unchangeable law in the system of creation.
Quran says: (وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ) Translation: “We will certainly test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth and lives and crops; So, give glad tidings to those who are patient!” [Baqarah: 155] (أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ) Translation: “Do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah knows those who strive hard among you and those who are patient?” [Al-Imran: 142] So the suffering that Abdullah bin Yasin suffered was of the same kind that every sincere caller in history has faced.
A man named “Al-Jawhar bin Suhaim” or according to Al-Bakri, “Sakkam”, who was a jurist and had companions among the elders of the tribe, such as “Ayar” and “Inteko”, stood before the Sheikh. This group began to identify and magnify the Sheikh’s mistakes and spread them in the form of targeted rumors in order to prepare the ground for his elimination. [2]
According to Al-Bakri’s report: “It is as if they saw contradictions in some of his rulings”. [Ibid., p. 165].
Of course, we have no doubt that the Sheikh may have made mistakes, because he was not a prophet and he is not infallible, and according to the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “کلُّ ابنِ آدمَ خطّاء، وخیرُ الخطّائین التوّابون ” Translation: “Every son of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who repent.” [3]
But undoubtedly, Al-Jawhar and his companions tried to exploit these mistakes to tarnish the Sheikh’s image and make the people of the Multasemun tribes distrust him, especially since the common people and those with weak faith were spiritually inclined to flee from the order and implementation of the Sharia, because they were accustomed to living a lawless life.
Finally, this group succeeded in carrying out their initial plot; they attacked Ibn Yasin’s house, removed him from consultation and leadership, took away his treasury, destroyed his house and looted his belongings, and Ibn Yasin finally left in fear. [4]
But will this caller to the faith surrender in the face of this great obstacle? Before we examine his story after this ordeal, we must ask ourselves: Did he seek the world and compete for material benefits? Did he seek power for himself? Did he surround himself with flatterers and profiteers and make them his own spoils, as false believers do?
These questions are very key to better understanding the personality of Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Yasin and how he differs from others.
The emergence of Abdullah ibn Yasin and the establishment of Ribat al-Islah
It is clear that Abdullah ibn Yasin was a man of outstanding merit, deep faith and unparalleled sincerity towards his belief, he was able to lay the first foundations of one of the greatest Islamic movements; a movement that emerged with the establishment of the al-Murabitin state and played a major role in unifying the Islamic nation and saving it from destruction; a danger that threatened Islam in the fifth century AH (eleventh century AD).
He founded a city and made it his capital [the name of this city was “Artanani”], ordered that the houses be built in the same way and that no house should be superior to another. [5]
As if he wanted to start a model of equality in architecture with this action and set himself as an example in this path. He led a simple life, renounced luxuries and was content with the minimum of food and clothing.
Three narrations about the period of isolation and return of Ibn Yasin
After he was forced to leave his homeland, there are three narrations about his behavior:
1. The first narration, according to al-Bakri, says: Abdullah ibn Yasin returned to his master, Sheikh Wajaj, and he paved the way for him to return again.
2. The second narration, which is considered more reliable than the first narration, states that Ibn Yasin did not go directly to the master; rather, he wrote a letter to him and explained his situation among the “Jadalah” tribe. Sheikh Wajaj was affected by what he heard and sent a letter full of reprimands and reproaches to the elders of Jadalah; He rebuked them for their improper behavior towards Ibn Yasin, who had once been with him and then believed the words of the ill-wishers. The leaders of the dispute, who had repented, wrote a letter to the Sheikh Wajaj and apologized for their behavior. Then the sheikh invited Ibn Yasin to return and wrote a letter to the elders of the tribes that anyone who opposed Ibn Yasin would be separated from the Muslim community. [6]
3. The third narration says that when Ibn Yasin saw the people’s apostasy and knew that they had become captives of their own desires, he decided to go to the southern lands (Sudan), where his people had just converted to Islam; but Emir Yahya bin Ibrahim prevented him from going and said to him: “I brought you to benefit from your knowledge for myself; I have nothing to do with my people’s misguidance.” Then he suggested to him: “Don’t you want to go to an island where there is nothing but absolute halal? “Let us live on hunting and natural plants and worship Allah until we die.” The island was located in the Senegal River. [7]
Continues…
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References:
1. Ibn Azari, Al-Bayan Al-Maghrib, Vol. 4, p. 10.
2. Al-Bakri, Al-Maghrib fi Dhikr Bilad Ifriqiya wa Al-Maghrib, p. 165.
3. Tirmidhi, Hadith 2499.
4. Ibn Azari, Al-Bayan Al-Maghrib, Vol. 4, p. 9. Al-Bakri, Al-Maghrib, p. 166.
5. Al-Bakri, Al-Maghrib, p. 165.
6. Ibn Azari, Al-Bayan Al-Maghrib, 9/4.
7. Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh Al-Ibar, 6/183, Al-Istiqsā, 2/8.
