Salih ibn Tarif
Encyclopedia
was the second king of the Berghouata
Berber
kingdom, and proclaimed himself a prophet of a new religion. He appeared during the caliphate
of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
in 744 AD. His original Berber name is unknown.
According to Ibn Khaldun
's sources, he claimed to have received a new revelation from God, with 80 chapters, some called after prophet
s, such as Adam, Noah, and others after other things, such as the Duck, the Camel, the Elephant, Harut and Marut, Iblis and "Chapter of the Wonders of the World"; they read these chapters in their prayers. He established laws for his people, and was called by them "Ṣāliḥ al-Mu'minin" (Restorer of the Believers.) This claimed revelation was written in the Berber language
, and called a Qur'an
.
He is also said to have claimed to be the final Mahdi
, and that Isa
(Jesus
) would be his companion and pray behind him. He proclaimed that his name in Arabic
was Ṣāliḥ, in Syriac
Mālik, in "Ajami" ʻālim, in Hebrew
Rūbyā, and in Berber Werba, and that after him would be no other prophet.
After reaching the age of 47 years old, he headed east out of the kingdom, and promised to return in the reign of their seventh king. He told his son Ilyās to support the Umayyad
s of Andalus
and publicly profess Islam
, but to reveal his religion when he became powerful enough; the latter was done by his grandson Yūnus.
According to some sources, Ṣāliḥ ibn Tarīf regarded himself as a successor to Muhammad
, had 10 Ṣahāba
(disciples) and many wives, and claimed to be able to speak with the dead and heal the sick.
Other tenets that contrast with Islam
include capital punishment for theft, unlimited number of wives a man allowed to have, unlimited number of divorces, fasting of the month of Rajab (7th month in lunar calendar) instead of Ramadan
(9th month), ten obligatory daily prayers instead of five, differences in how to perform ablution, prayers, banning the marriage of cousins. The details of the tenets of Ṣāliḥ's religion are mentioned in many Arabic sources, such as Ibn Hazm
, Ibn Khaldun
and others.
In Islamic literature, his belief is considered heretical; politically, its motivation was presumably to establish their independence from the Umayyad
s (in a manner analogous to Kharijism, and earlier Donatism), establishing an independent ideology lending legitimacy to the state. Some modern Berber activists regard him as a hero for his resistance to Arab
conquest and his foundation of the Berghouata
state.
The religion promoted by Ṣāliḥ was destroyed in the 11th century by the Almoravids
.
Berghouata
The Barghawata were a medieval Berber tribe confederation of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda group of tribes...
Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
kingdom, and proclaimed himself a prophet of a new religion. He appeared during the caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik 10th Umayyad caliph who ruled from 723 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his mother named him after her father....
in 744 AD. His original Berber name is unknown.
According to Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
's sources, he claimed to have received a new revelation from God, with 80 chapters, some called after prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s, such as Adam, Noah, and others after other things, such as the Duck, the Camel, the Elephant, Harut and Marut, Iblis and "Chapter of the Wonders of the World"; they read these chapters in their prayers. He established laws for his people, and was called by them "Ṣāliḥ al-Mu'minin" (Restorer of the Believers.) This claimed revelation was written in the Berber language
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
, and called a Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
He is also said to have claimed to be the final Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
, and that Isa
Islamic view of Jesus
In Islam, Jesus is considered to be a Messenger of God and the Masih who was sent to guide the Children of Israel with a new scripture, the Injīl or Gospel. The belief in Jesus is required in Islam, and a requirement of being a Muslim. The Qur'an mentions Jesus twenty-five times, more often, by...
(Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
) would be his companion and pray behind him. He proclaimed that his name in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
was Ṣāliḥ, in Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
Mālik, in "Ajami" ʻālim, in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Rūbyā, and in Berber Werba, and that after him would be no other prophet.
After reaching the age of 47 years old, he headed east out of the kingdom, and promised to return in the reign of their seventh king. He told his son Ilyās to support the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
s of Andalus
Andalus
Al-Andalus Ensemble is an award-winning husband and wife musical duo that performs contemporary Andalusian music. The ensemble features Tarik Banzi playing oud, ney and darbuka, and Julia Banzi on flamenco guitar...
and publicly profess Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, but to reveal his religion when he became powerful enough; the latter was done by his grandson Yūnus.
According to some sources, Ṣāliḥ ibn Tarīf regarded himself as a successor to Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, had 10 Ṣahāba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
(disciples) and many wives, and claimed to be able to speak with the dead and heal the sick.
Other tenets that contrast with Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
include capital punishment for theft, unlimited number of wives a man allowed to have, unlimited number of divorces, fasting of the month of Rajab (7th month in lunar calendar) instead of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
(9th month), ten obligatory daily prayers instead of five, differences in how to perform ablution, prayers, banning the marriage of cousins. The details of the tenets of Ṣāliḥ's religion are mentioned in many Arabic sources, such as Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ) was an Andalusian philosopher, litterateur, psychologist, historian, jurist and theologian born in Córdoba, present-day Spain...
, Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
and others.
In Islamic literature, his belief is considered heretical; politically, its motivation was presumably to establish their independence from the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
s (in a manner analogous to Kharijism, and earlier Donatism), establishing an independent ideology lending legitimacy to the state. Some modern Berber activists regard him as a hero for his resistance to Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
conquest and his foundation of the Berghouata
Berghouata
The Barghawata were a medieval Berber tribe confederation of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda group of tribes...
state.
The religion promoted by Ṣāliḥ was destroyed in the 11th century by the Almoravids
Almoravids
The Almoravids were a Berber dynasty of Morocco, who formed an empire in the 11th-century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Their capital was Marrakesh, a city which they founded in 1062 C.E...
.