Mawlay al-Rashid refused to acknowledge his brother Mawlay Muhammad and left the Tafilalet to build an independent political base. He travelled among towns, tribal groups, valleys, and religious lodges, including Todgha, Demnat, Dila, and Fez. His movements allowed him to assemble the money and followers needed to pursue the Moroccan throne.

After conquering the Taza area, al-Rashid declared himself sultan. His brother came to oppose him but was killed at the beginning of the battle in 1664. Al-Rashid then returned to the Tafilalet, entered his family’s native region, and continued the campaign to make his authority effective beyond its original base.

Al-Rashid made repeated attempts to occupy Fez and finally entered the city in triumph in 1666. The capture of the capital marked the definitive establishment of the Alawite dynasty because, in the political conditions described, no Moroccan government could maintain itself without Fez. He organized the administration, rewarded the ulama, and appointed Hamdun al-Mazwar as qadi of the capital, thereby winning the loyalty of the people of Fez.

The new sultan spent two years pacifying northern Morocco before defeating Muhammad al-Hajj al-Dilai in the Fez plain and entering the zawiya of Dila. He treated its occupants humanely and avoided bloodshed. He then liberated Marrakesh from the Shbanate and attacked the Samlaliyyun in the Sus, taking Tarudant and the fortress of Ighil.

By 1670, Morocco was described as pacified and Alawite power as firmly established. Al-Rashid’s rule also supported recovery beyond military conquest. He built major madrasas in Fez and Marrakesh, constructed a bridge over the Wadi Sebou, lent money to traders, and ordered wells dug in eastern desert regions and the Draa for merchants and pilgrims travelling toward Mecca.