8th century – 10th century
Atlantic plain of Morocco between Salé and Safi
The Barghawata religion was an original Berber religious and political movement among a Masmuda faction on Morocco’s Atlantic plain. Under Salih ibn Tarif, the movement combined Islamic inspiration with local customs, a Berber-language Quran, and an independent state outside the Caliphate. It endured until the Almoravids subdued the Barghawata in the eleventh century.
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The Story
The Barghawata emerged among a faction of the Masmuda living on the Atlantic plain of Morocco between Salé and Safi. Their movement represented one of the most distinctive attempts to reshape the religion introduced into the Maghrib from the East. It stood outside the Islamic fold as defined by the passage, yet retained a clearly visible Islamic inspiration.
The movement’s chief, Salih ibn Tarif, proclaimed himself a prophet in 127/744–745. He composed a Quran in the Berber language and issued a body of ritual and religious laws based largely on local customs. These features combined prophetic authority, Islamic vocabulary, and regional practices into a separate religious system.
Salih also proclaimed himself ruler of a state independent of the Caliphate. His successors continued to dominate a large part of the Atlantic littoral and successfully defended both their religion and their polity against external attacks. The movement finally succumbed to the Almoravids in the eleventh century; their founder, Abdallah ibn Yasin, died fighting the Barghawata.
8th century – 10th century
Atlantic plain of Morocco between Salé and Safi
The Barghawata religion was an original Berber religious and political movement among a Masmuda faction on Morocco’s Atlantic plain. Under Salih ibn Tarif, the movement combined Islamic inspiration with local customs, a Berber-language Quran, and an independent state outside the Caliphate. It endured until the Almoravids subdued the Barghawata in the eleventh century.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Barghawata emerged among a faction of the Masmuda living on the Atlantic plain of Morocco between Salé and Safi. Their movement represented one of the most distinctive attempts to reshape the religion introduced into the Maghrib from the East. It stood outside the Islamic fold as defined by the passage, yet retained a clearly visible Islamic inspiration.
The movement’s chief, Salih ibn Tarif, proclaimed himself a prophet in 127/744–745. He composed a Quran in the Berber language and issued a body of ritual and religious laws based largely on local customs. These features combined prophetic authority, Islamic vocabulary, and regional practices into a separate religious system.
Salih also proclaimed himself ruler of a state independent of the Caliphate. His successors continued to dominate a large part of the Atlantic littoral and successfully defended both their religion and their polity against external attacks. The movement finally succumbed to the Almoravids in the eleventh century; their founder, Abdallah ibn Yasin, died fighting the Barghawata.
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