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| Submission declined on 7 August 2025 by S0091 (talk). This submission reads more like an essay than an encyclopedia article. Submissions should summarise information in secondary, reliable sources and not contain opinions or original research. Please write about the topic from a neutral point of view in an encyclopedic manner.
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Comment: Please place the footnotes next to the content they are supporting. Right now they are lumped under the references section which is unhelpful. In addition, please include page numbers. S0091 (talk) 22:00, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: See Your first article. S0091 (talk) 18:15, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
Origin of the Tribe
editThe Miknasa tribe, originally nomadic, roamed between Muluya, Guercif, Melilla, and the plateaus near Taza, Tasul, and Lukay. Their leadership descended from Abu Basil ibn Abi ad-Dahhak ibn Abi Izzul. They founded Guercif and the Ribat of Taza, and remained in this region since the first Muslim invasion.
History of Msala
editBy the 3rd century AH (9th century CE), they were led by Msala ibn Habbus and his cousin Musa ibn Abi al-‘Afya ibn Abi Basil. Under Msala, they expanded their control over all Berber tribes between Taza and Lukay, and fought against the weakening Idrissid dynasty, defeating them and seizing much of the surrounding plains.
When the Fatimid Caliph ‘Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi extended his rule over the Maghreb, the Miknasa supported him. Msala became one of his top generals and was granted governance over Tahert and the Central Maghreb.
In 305 AH / 917 CE, Msala invaded the Maghreb al-Aqsa, took Fez, occupied Sijilmasa, and forced Yahya ibn Idris to acknowledge Fatimid rule. Msala left Yahya in Fez as a nominal emir and handed other regions to his cousin Musa ibn Abi al-Afya, who already governed Tasul, Taza, and Guercif.
Later, Yahya rebelled, and in 309 AH / 921 CE, Msala returned, defeated him, and forced him to pay ransom. Msala appointed Rayhan al-Kutami as governor of Fez and went back to Kairouan, where he died.
Rise of Musa ibn Abi al-Afya
editMusa then became the most powerful ruler in the Maghreb.
In 313 AH / 925 CE, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qasim ibn Idris, known as al-Hajjam, seized Fez, killed its governor, and declared himself ruler. Musa tried to fight back but lost his son Minhal and 2,000 soldiers in a battle near Wadi al-Matahin.
Eventually, al-Hajjam was betrayed by his officer Hamad ibn Hamdan, imprisoned, and handed over to Musa. But Hamad, unwilling to shed the blood of a Prophet’s descendant, let al-Hajjam escape. Al-Hajjam fell while fleeing and died from his injuries three days later. Hamad fled to al-Mahdiyya.
Musa reclaimed Fez, forced the remaining Idrissids to retreat to Hajar an-Nasr near al-Basra, and besieged them.
In 319 AH / 931 CE, Musa left for Tlemcen, appointing his son Madin as governor of Fez and the Maghreb al-Aqsa, while Tuwal ibn Abi Yazid replaced Muhammad ibn Thalaba as governor of the Andalusi district of Fez. He removed al-Hasan, an Idrissid ruler in Tlemcen, who fled to Melilla.
Musa's Shift to the Umayyads
editThe Umayyad Caliph al-Nasir sought to gain influence and convinced Musa to defect from the Fatimids. Musa proclaimed Umayyad authority across the Maghreb.
In 321 AH / 933 CE, the Fatimid general Hamid ibn Isliten, a Miknasa himself and Msala’s nephew, invaded the region. He surprised Musa at Masun, forcing him to flee to Tasul. Musa’s general Ibn Abi al-Fath abandoned the siege of Hajar an-Nasr, and Hamid took Fez, installing Hamad b. Hamdan as governor.
Later Rebellions and Return
editAfter Ubayd Allah’s death, another rebellion occurred. Ahmad al-Judami killed Hamad and sent his head to Musa, who forwarded it to Cordoba. Musa regained control.
In 323 AH / 935 CE, the Fatimid general Maysur besieged Fez. He tricked governor Ahmad b. Bakr and sent him to al-Mahdiyya. The people resisted, led by Hasan b. al-Qasim al-Luwati, but eventually submitted to Fatimid authority. Maysur installed Hasan as governor, captured al-Buri (Musa’s son), and forced Musa to flee into the desert.
Restoration and Later Struggles
editAfter Maysur left, Musa returned, took back his lands, and appointed Abu Yusuf Muharab al-Azdi to govern the Andalusi district of Fez. He set up at Kumat, and with Umayyad reinforcements, recaptured Tlemcen in 325 AH / 937 CE, destroyed Nokour, and captured Abu al-‘Aysh’s fortress.
In 327 AH / 938 CE, Musa died while forming an alliance with Muhammad b. Khazir of the Maghrawa.
Succession and Decline
editHis son Madin succeeded him and was confirmed by the Umayyads. Madin's brother al-Buri escaped Fatimid capture in 335 AH / 946 CE and joined Abu Yazid’s rebellion. Together with another brother Abu al-Munqidh, they divided their father's territory.
In 345 AH / 956 CE, al-Buri died while besieging his brother Madin in Fez. His son Mansur succeeded him, confirmed by the Umayyads. When Madin died, Abu al-Munqidh took over.
Eventually, the Maghrawa expelled the Miknasa from Fez and the Maghreb. The Miknasa retreated to their heartland. Isma‘il b. al-Buri, Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, and others took refuge in Spain, but returned with the Umayyad general Wadih in 386 AH / 996 CE, restoring their rule temporarily.
Later, the Miknasa allied with the Zirids, and fought in several battles. Isma‘il b. al-Buri died at Chelif in 405 AH / 1014 CE.
End of the Miknasa Dynasty
editHis descendants continued ruling until the rise of the Almoravids. Al-Qasim b. Muhammad, a descendant of Musa, led resistance with Zenata allies, defeated Yusuf ibn Tashfin’s army at Wadi Safir, but lost Fez and Tasul shortly after. He was killed in 463 AH / 1070-71 CE during the Almoravid conquest.
The death of Ibrahim and his successors
editSome sources mention the death of Ibrahim b. Musa in 405 AH / 1014 CE, and his successors were:
‘Abd Allah or ‘Abd al-Rahman (d. 430/1038),
Muhammad, his son,
Then Al-Qasim b. Muhammad, who died in Tasul in 463/1071.
This marked the fall of the Miknasa dynasty with the Almoravid expansion.
References
edit[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
- ^ Ibn Khaldūn (d. 1406). Kitāb al-ʿIbar wa Dīwān al-Mubtadaʾ wa al-Khabar fī Ayyām al-ʿArab wa al-ʿAjam wa al-Barbar, vol. 6. Trans. Franz Rosenthal (where available), Princeton University Press.
- ^ al-Bakrī (d. 1094). Kitāb al-Masālik wa al-Mamālik. Editions by De Slane, Lévi-Provençal (various). Geographical and tribal histories of North Africa.
- ^ Ibn Ḥayyān (d. 1075). Muqtabis fī Akhbār al-Andalus, cited in studies on Fatimid–Umayyad conflict in the Maghreb.
- ^ Ibn Idhārī al-Marrākushī (d. 1312). Al-Bayān al-Mughrib fī Akhbār al-Andalus wa al-Maghrib. Ed. Dozy, Reinhart. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1848–1851.
- ^ Latham, J. D. (1993). "Mūsā b. Abī ʿĀfiya." In Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by P. Bearman et al. Brill. Online
- ^ Benchekroun, Chafik T. (2016). "Les Idrissides entre Fatimides et Omeyyades: l’impossible neutralité." *Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée*, no. 139. Online
- ^ Manzano Moreno, Eduardo (2019). La corte del califa: Cultura y élites en la Córdoba de los omeyas. Crítica, Barcelona. ISBN 9788491990939.
- ^ "Musa ibn Abi al-Afiya." In History of Morocco. Profilpelajar.com. Online
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