Mohammed al-Hajj is the grandson of the founder of the
zaouia Abu Bakr ibn Mohammed (1526–1612), the son of Sidi Mohammed (died 1636) and brother of the scholar
Abu Abdallah Mohammed al-Murabit al-Dila'i (died 1678). Mohammed al-Hajj is from the
Middle Atlas, where was located their seat the
Zaouia of Dila. He is from the
Aït Mejjat tribe (Ait Idrassen), of
Sanhaja Amazigh origins. Some historical chronicles confuse him to be the one who brought the doom of the
Zaouia of Dila, stating Mohammed al-Hajj was overthrown in 1663 when its zawiyya lost Fes. During Al Haj's occupation of Fes, antisemitism in the city grew. A Jewish chronicle of the time recounts that in 1646 he ordered synagogues to close, and these were subsequently desecrated, damaged, or destroyed. Mohammed al-Hajj died in 1662. Prior to his death, in 1660, he defeated
Khadir Ghaïlan on the battlefield. The two armies had clashed for delimitation of rural frontiers. While the battle was a victory for the
Dilaites over
Ghaïlan, the victorious party suffered considerable casualties. The doom of the
Zaouia of Dila was not caused by their own ill making, but rather due to the 1662 rebellion in
Fez of Caid Abdallah Al Doraidi who took advantage of news Mohammed al-Hajj's death, and proclaimed himself Sultan of Fez. The rebel, one of their troops commander, purposefully acted in an unfavorable time for the
Dilaites, they were still recovering from their previous battle and thus struggled to gain back their full forces. The deceased's son Abdallah ould Mohammed al-Hajj tried to gain back
Fez in 1663 but failed. He came with
Berber contingents, besieged the city and camped below
Fes el Bali's walls. The fighting lasted for ten days but faced with the city's fortifications, the
Dilaites retreated. ==References==