ABSTRACT
More important for the general history of Islam were the Fāṭimids, whose fate demonstrates in the most dramatic manner how independent were the Seveners from any territorial or national affiliations. Descendants of the Prophet through Fātima and Ḥusain, according to their disputed claim, they moved their organizational centre to Salamiyya in Syria in about 860, whence, as has already been recounted, they set up a strong-point in the Yemen. The ‘propagandist’, dā‘ī, Abū ‘Abdallāh from San’ā’ in the Yemen established himself in 894 among the Kutama Berbers (in Lesser Kabylia, west of Constantine) encroaching on a region which the Sünna and the Khārijites had heretofore shared between them. Discontent with the Aghlabids resident in Qairawān and the chronic tensions between the urban rulers and the Berbers of the mountain and steppe zones allowed Abu ‘Abdallāh to consolidate his position as the champion of the Mahdī ‘Ubaidallāh, and finally in 909 to inflict a decisive defeat on the last Aghlabid. This destroyed the last remnants of ‘Abbāsid influence in North Africa. The collapse of the Syrian revolt had meanwhile forced ‘Ubaidallāh to flee by dangerous detours through Egypt to South-West Morocco, where he was held prisoner for a time in Sijilmāsa, on the instructions of the Aghlabids. Abu ‘Abdallāh had him set free and the Mahdī entered Ifriqiya (Tunisia) as conqueror. After a short time he had his champion murdered, probably turning against him because of his oppressive financial measures, and took over the reins of government himself.
