It is known that Berbers suffered from
central government after the conquests of the North Africa. Berbers who were
initially inclined to abandon Islam preferred to join political-religious
groups in time. In the 8th century, Khārijism was influential in North Africa.
In the 10th century, Ismā‘īlī Shī‘ism, which was another opposition group, was
able to spread among the Berbers. It caused to occur that Fātimid destroyed
Aghlabi emirate with the support of the tribe of Kutāma and established the
state of Ifrīqiya. Both Khārijites and Sunnis showed that they would not obey
this new authority. The Fātimid barely managed to suppress these revolts.
However, the shifting of the capital from Ifrīqiya to Egypt began to weaken the
Fātimid domination in North Africa after a while. The Fātimids who prevented
the attempts of being independent of the Zīrī dynasty, which ruled North Africa
under their dominance for a long time with different political maneuvers,
became incapable of controlling the Zīrīds by the middle of the 11th century.
Muiz b. Bâdis, a member of Zīrī dynasty, with the support of Sunnī scholars,
carried the policy of being independent from the Fātimids in the religious
field and he supported the Sunnis against the Shī‘ites. In this study, the
influence of Māliki scholars on the people and emir and the effect of this
influence on Shī‘ite-Sunnī struggle during Muiz, emirate of Zīrī, period
(406-454 / 1016-1062) have been dealt with in terms of political and social
reflections.
Summary
It is known that Berbers suffered from
central government after the conquests of the North Africa. Berbers who were
initially inclined to abandon Islam preferred to join political-religious
groups in time. In the 8th century, Khārijism was influential in North Africa. In
the 10th century, Ismā‘īlī Shī‘ism, which was another opposition group, was
able to spread among the Berbers. It caused to occur that Fātimid destroyed
Aghlabid emirate with the support of the tribe of Kutāma and established the
state of Ifrīqiya. Both Khārijites and Sunnis showed that they would not obey
this new authority. During the early years of the Fātimids, there were many large
and small revolts. The most effective one among these was the rebellion
initiated by Abū Yazīd al-Nukkārī. During the establishment of Fātimid, it was
in danger of collapse due to this rebellion. The greatest supporters of
Fātimids who repelled Abū Yazīd and his men with a last effort and ensured
dominance in the region were Sanhajids whose leader was Zīrī b. Manad.
Therefore, Fātimids found a second supporter on the territory of North Africa
where they were foreigners. Following the Kutāmids, the Sanhajids made every
effort to spread Fātimids authority to the region. During moving the capital
from Ifrīqiya to Egypt, a large population of Kutāmids came to Egypt as a
soldier. Sanhajids left behind as a powerful element. Muiz (341-365 | 953-975),
the Caliph of Fātimids, secured the sovereignty of the state in the territory
of North Africa by appointing Buluggīn b. Zīrī (361-373 | 972-984) as the
governer of Maghreb. Zīrī sovereignty, which started with Buluggīn who no one
doubted his loyalty to the state began to break from dynasty of Fātimid because
it gained its strength in time. The influence of Fātimids in North Africa
decreased. Fātimids who prevented the attempts of independence of the Zīrī
dynasty, which ruled North Africa on the behalf of them through different
political maneuvers, could no longer control the Zīrīs by the middle of the
11th century. As for Zīrī, they were uncomfortable with the Fātimids' political
discourse against them. Muiz b. Bâdis (406-454 | 1016-1062) who ascended the
throne when he was eight years old grew up under the supervision of Sunnī
scholars and tended to Sunnism. However, he was afraid of the Fātimids which he
was attached to. At first, the relations between the two thrones followed a
good course, but after the 1030s, divergence between them came to light.
Although the attacks on the Shī‘ite- Ismā‘īlīan people who were the citizen of
the Zīrī, the publication of fatwas against them by Sunnī scholars and the
attitudes containing insults towards Fātimid symbols increased the anger of
Fātimids, the Caliphs of Egyptian struggling with their own internal crises did
not want to break their connections. Sometimes they just gave the title of
honor to the Emir of Zīrī and sent letters with compliments. They also made
political sanctions against the Zīrī, along with letters that included threats.
They tried to ensure that the administration of Tripoli, which was regarded as
a buffer zone between Egypt and Zīrīs, was in the hands of anti-Zīrī elements. The
Zīrī, who skillfully eliminated the evil influences of the Fātimid political
maneuvers, believed that it was time to make a big move, and with the support
of the Sunnī scholars, they carried the politics into the religious field to
become independent from the Fātimids and they openly supported the Sunnis
against the Shī‘ites. Shī‘ites and anti-Shī‘ite movements and campaigns
appeared everywhere. People left the Friday prayers due to symbols of Fātimids.
The Sunnī scholars gave fatwa that it was not permissible to marry the Shī‘ites.
The hostility for Fātimids was made publicly. Eventually, large crowds attacked
and began to slaughter the Shī‘ite neighborhoods. In 1043, Muiz b. Badis sent
an envoy to Baghdad and announced that he would recognize the Abbasid Caliph.
His attempt remained inconclusive. However he insisted on putting his intention
into action. He removed the name of the caliph of Fātimid, Müstansır–Billah (427-487
| 1036-1094) from khutbah. He also prayed for Four Caliphs and the Ten
Mubashshara by recognizing the caliphate of Abbasid. He removed the Fātimid
coins from circulation and issued new coins in 1049. He ordered the Fātimids to
take off their green clothes and wear the black robes of the Abbasids. He
declared the Mālikism as the official sect of the emirate and exiled the Shī‘ites.
The reaction of Fātimid Caliphate, Mustansir-Billah (1036-1094), who wanted to
punish the Zīrī was not delayed. The Bedouin Arab tribes, which had been
struggling with the state for many years, decided to transfer Banī Sulaym and Banī
Hilāl from Egypt to North Africa. In this way, he will not only get rid of
these tribes that have disturbed the Egyptian people, but will also punish his
governor. The decision was put into practice. In time, around 400,000 Arabs belonging
to Banī Hilāl and Banī Sulaym tribes started to flock to the Maghreb lands. While
Banī Sulaym was mostly spreading to Barqa and Tripoli, Banī Hilāl continued to
move to West. The migration of Bedouin Arabs caused many
political-economic-social problems that would continue to affect the Maghreb
for many years. At the same time, he initiated a process that deeply shook the
Zīrī Emirate. At first, the Zīrīs tried to integrate the Bedouin Arabs into their
system, but most of the Bedouins refused it. Muiz, as the leader of Zīrī, who
lost the Hayderan War against Hilālids and was under siege in Qayravān in 1052
could not stand anymore. Therefore, he had to take refuge in the city of Mahdiyya,
where his son Temim was governor. When a large part of his land was taken over
by Banī Hilāl and the rebellious governors, he did not survive and died in 454
(1062). The cities, which were built with the great effort of many years, were
in ruins one by one, and Emir Muiz had to leave a fragmented emirate to his
son. In the subsequent process, the decline continued, the Mahdiyya, the
capital city, fell into the hands of the Normans who ruled Sicila in 543 (1148)
and the Zīrī Emirate became history. In this study, the influence of Māliki
scholars on the people and emir and the effect of this influence on
Shiite-Sunnī struggle during Muiz, emir of Zīrī, period (406-454 | 1016-1062)
have been dealt with in terms of political and social reflections.
