Editing Almohad Caliphate (section)

=== Theology and philosophy ===
{{main|Almohad doctrine}}

The Almohad ideology preached by Ibn Tumart is described by [[Amira Bennison]] as a "sophisticated hybrid form of Islam that wove together strands from [[Hadith]] science, [[Zahiri]] and [[Shafiʽi school|Shafi'i]] ''[[fiqh]]'', [[Al-Ghazali|Ghazalian]] social actions (''[[Hisbah|hisba]]''), and spiritual engagement with [[Shia Islam|Shi'i]] notions of the [[Imamate in Shia doctrine|imam]] and ''[[mahdi]]''".{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=246}} This contrasted with the highly orthodox or traditionalist [[Maliki]] school (''[[Madhhab|maddhab]]'') of [[Sunni Islam]] which predominated in the region up to that point. Central to his philosophy, Ibn Tumart preached a fundamentalist or radical version of ''[[tawhid]]'' – referring to a strict monotheism or to the "oneness of God". This notion gave the movement its name: ''al''-''Muwaḥḥidūn'' ({{Langx|ar|المُوَحِّدون}}), meaning roughly "those who advocate ''tawhid''", which was adapted to "Almohads" in European writings.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=246}} Ibn Tumart saw his movement as a revolutionary reform movement much as [[Early social changes under Islam|early Islam]] saw itself relative to the Christianity and Judaism which preceded it, with himself as its ''mahdi'' and leader.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=246}}

In terms of Muslim [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]], the state gave recognition to the [[Zahiri]] ({{Lang|ar|ظاهري}}) school of thought,<ref>H. M. Balyuzi, ''Muḥammad and the Course of Islám'', p. 306. George Ronald, 1976. {{ISBN|978-0-85398-060-5}}</ref> though [[Shafi'i|Shafi'ites]] were also given a measure of authority at times. While not all Almohad leaders were Zahirites, quite a few of them were not only adherents of the legal school but also well-versed in its tenets.<ref>{{cite book |last=Adang |chapter=The Spread of Zahirism in al-Andalus in the Post-Caliphal Period: The evidence from the biographical dictionaries |pages=297–346 |title=Ideas, Images and Methods of Portrayal: Insights into Classical Arabic Literature and Islam |editor-first=Sebastian |editor-last=Günther |location=Leiden |year=2005 |isbn=90-04-14325-4 |publisher=Brill }}</ref> Additionally, all Almohad leaders – both the religiously learned and the laymen – were hostile toward the [[Maliki]]te school favored by the Almoravids. During the reign of Abu Yaqub, chief judge [[Ibn Maḍāʾ]] oversaw the banning of all religious books written by non-Zahirites;<ref>[[Kees Versteegh]], ''The Arabic Linguistic Tradition'', p. 142. Part of Landmarks in Linguistic Thought series, vol. 3. [[New York City|New York]]: [[Routledge]], 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-415-15757-5}}</ref> when Abu Yaqub's son Abu Yusuf took the throne, he ordered Ibn Maḍāʾ to undertake the actual burning of such books.<ref>[[Shawqi Daif]], Introduction to Ibn Mada's ''Refutation of the Grammarians'', p. 6. Cairo, 1947.</ref>

In terms of [[Islamic theology]], the Almohads were [[Ash'ari]]tes, their Zahirite-Ash'arism giving rise to a complicated blend of literalist jurisprudence and esoteric dogmatics.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Kojiro |last=Nakamura |author-link=Kojiro Nakamura |title=Ibn Mada's Criticism of Arab Grammarians |journal=Orient |volume=10 |issue= |pages=89–113 |year=1974 |doi=10.5356/orient1960.10.89 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>Pascal Buresi and Hicham El Aallaoui, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Hl5_--mK8q4C&dq=almohad+reforms&pg=PA170 Governing the Empire: Provincial Administration in the Almohad Caliphate 1224–1269], p. 170. Volume 3 of Studies in the History and Society of the Maghrib. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2012. {{ISBN|978-90-04-23333-1}}</ref> Some authors occasionally describe Almohads as heavily influenced by [[Muʿtazila|Mu'tazilism]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UavBlPQfuagC&q=hafsid+mu%27tazilites&pg=PA235 |title = Islam in Global History: Volume One: From the Death of Prophet Muhammed to the First World War|isbn=978-1-4628-3130-2|last1 = Ahmed|first1 = Nazeer |date = 10 July 2001| publisher=Xlibris Corporation }}</ref> Scholar Madeline Fletcher argues that while one of Ibn Tumart's original teachings, the ''murshida''s (a collection of sayings memorized by his followers), holds positions on the [[Attributes of God in Islam|attributes of God]] which might be construed as moderately Mu'tazilite (and which were criticized as such by [[Ibn Taymiyyah|Ibn Taimiyya]]), identifying him with Mu'tazilites would be an exaggeration. She points out that another of his main texts, the ''<nowiki/>'aqida'' (which was likely edited by others after him), demonstrates a much clearer Ash'arite position on a number of issues.<ref name=":04">{{Cite journal|last=Fletcher|first=Madeleine|date=1991|title=The Almohad Tawhīd: Theology Which Relies on Logic|journal=Numen|volume=38|pages=110–127|doi=10.1163/156852791X00060}}</ref>

Nonetheless, the Almohads, particularly from the reign of Caliph [[Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur|Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur]] onward, embraced the use of [[logic]]al [[reason]]ing as a method of validating the more central Almohad concept of ''tawhid''. This effectively provided a religious justification for philosophy and for a [[Rationalism|rationalist]] intellectualism in Almohad religious thought. Al-Mansur's father, [[Abu Yaqub Yusuf|Abu Ya'qub Yusuf]], had also shown some favour towards philosophy and kept the philosopher [[Ibn Tufail|Ibn Tufayl]] as his confidant.<ref name=":04" />{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=258–262}} Ibn Tufayl in turn introduced Ibn Rush (Averroes) to the Almohad court, to whom Al-Mansur gave patronage and protection. Although Ibn Rushd (who was also an [[Qadi|Islamic judge]]) saw rationalism and philosophy as complementary to religion and revelation, his views failed to convince the traditional Maliki ''[[Ulama|ulema]]'', with whom the Almohads were already at odds.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=261}} After the decline of Almohadism, Maliki Sunnism ultimately became the dominant official religious doctrine of the region.{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=|pp=98, 101-102, 117, 132-133}} By contrast, the teachings of Ibn Rushd and other philosophers like him were far more influential for Jewish philosophers – including [[Maimonides]], his contemporary – and Christian Latin scholars – like [[Thomas Aquinas]] – who later promoted his commentaries on [[Aristotle]].{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=261}}