Abstract
The Almohad movement (12th–13th centuries, Islamic West) had in the return to the direct study of the primary sources of Islam—the Qur’an and the Sunna—and in jihād, two of its most important pillars of legitimation and action. In this sense, it is an ideal period to study how both realities—Qur’an and jihād—were linked in a given historical context. During the Almohad period, the use of Qur’anic verses in accounts related to war episodes became widespread. We thus witness a “Qur’anization” of the war narrative, a resource adding greater religiosity and spirituality to the context of jihād, to its elaboration and discursive representation, and to its memory and remembrance through written testimonies. In this paper I study, through the main narrative and documentary sources of the period, how the Qur’an was inserted into and adapted to the Almohad war discourse. Likewise, this approach allows me to explore how the Qur’an came to life within the framework of the Almohad jihād, how it served for its justification and legitimation, and how it formed part of the ceremony and the war protocol of the Maghrebi caliphate, thus linking itself with other discursive and propaganda mechanisms such as architecture or military parades.
Highlights
Almohad Jihad ParadesThe army of the Almohad caliphate (1130–1269) set course for the holy war[1] through a ritualized military parade in which its vanguard, known as saqa, maintained a specific formation (Ghouirgate 2014, p. 314ff; Albarrán 2020a, p. 302ff)
In front of the ruler, two Qur’ans were displayed. The first of these was known as the Qur’an of ‘Uthman, which was carried on a camel in a red canopy protecting it (Bennison 2007, pp. 131–54; Buresi 2008, pp. 297–309; Buresi 2010, pp. 7–29; Ghouirgate 2014, p. 337ff)
The jewels adorning it would have been offered by Andalusi dynasties, such as the Banu Hud, to the Almoravids, so the object was presented as a link to the early days of Islam, which the Almohad movement wanted to recover, and as a deposit of the rights over the government of al-Andalus, which the Almohads possessed (Ibn S. ah. ib Al-S. alat 1964, pp. 349–50; Ibn (Idharı 2009, vol 4, p. 229; Ibn Simak 1979, p. 152; ‘Abd al-Wah. id al-Marrakushı 2005, p. 179)
Summary
The army of the Almohad caliphate (1130–1269) set course for the holy war[1] through a ritualized military parade in which its vanguard, known as saqa, maintained a specific formation (Ghouirgate 2014, p. 314ff; Albarrán 2020a, p. 302ff). 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out must be added to this idea of restoration and connection with the early times of Islam, and its relationship with jihād in the Almohad context. Those places serving as a framework for the rituals of jihād were decorated with Qur’anic inscriptions relating to the sacredness of war and the fight against the infi-. Religions 2021, 12, 876 reigned in the Almohad military ceremonies, which undoubtedly must have had a great impact on the population
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