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 or Temamanaout, at the edge of the desert bordering
Ghana, where he was born. 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 to withdraw with his followers. In alliance with
Yahya ibn Umar, the leader of the
Lamtuna tribe, he managed to quell the rebellion. Ibn Yasin now formed the Almoravid alliance from the tribes of the Lamtuna, the
Masufa and the Godala, with himself as spiritual leader and Yahya ibn Umar taking the military command. In 1054 the
Maghrawa-ruled
Sijilmasa was conquered. Ibn Yasin introduced his orthodox rule - amongst other things wine and music were forbidden, non-Islamic taxes were abolished and one fifth of the spoils of war were allocated to the religious experts. This rigorous application of Islam soon provoked a revolt in 1055. ==Death==