The Almohads: The Rise of an Islamic Empire (Library of Middle East History)

Contents......Page 6
Maps, Figures and Tables......Page 8
Acknowledgements and Preface......Page 10
The Almohads: A General Overview......Page 15
On Foundind Myths......Page 21
The Almohads and Ibn Khaldun......Page 29
1. The Life of Ibn Tumart and the Birth of the Almohad Movement......Page 33
Ibn Tumart's name: The Myths and Uses of Ancestry......Page 36
The Journey East......Page 40
Al-Ghazali and Ibn Tumart......Page 44
The Journey Home......Page 49
Encounter with Abd Al-Mu'min......Page 60
Ibn Tumart in Marrakech......Page 62
Into the Mountains......Page 66
Ibn Tumart in Igiliz......Page 68
Mahdi Proclamation......Page 73
The Writing of History in Medieval North Africa......Page 84
Gender. Islam and Defining the Other......Page 95
The Almohad Book of Ancestry......Page 101
Integrating Tribal Traditions......Page 110
The Almohad Tribes......Page 114
The Almohad Hierarchy......Page 129
The Almohad Tribal Economy: A Preliminary Sketch......Page 142
3. The Doctrine of Muhammad Ibn Tumart: Mahdi of the Almohads......Page 149
The Almohad Mahdi Doctrine: Possible Historical Precedents......Page 151
Defining the Mahdi......Page 153
The Era of the Mahdi in the Maghrib......Page 159
A New Religiosity......Page 161
The Almohad Doctrine of the Mahdi......Page 163
The Doctrine of the A'azz Ma Yutlab: The Book of Ibn Tumart......Page 169
Law and Society......Page 181
Summary of the Book of Ibn Tumart......Page 183
4. The Rise of the Almohads in Context......Page 201
Social Factors: What is a Tribe?......Page 204
Charisma and the Mahdi......Page 207
Possible Economic Incentives for the Rise of the Almohads......Page 210
Conclusions......Page 213
Notes......Page 217
References......Page 269
Index......Page 281