Abdallah ibn Yasin

Abdallah ibn Yasin (d. 451/1059), of the Gazula (Jazuli) Berbers, was the religious leader and founder of the Almoravid (Murabitun) movement. On the counsel of the Kairouan scholar Abu Imran al-Fasi, he studied law under Waggag ibn Zallu al-Lamti in the Sus, then was sent to teach Maliki Islam to the Sanhaja Berbers of the western Sahara, establishing the ribat that gave the movement its name. He transformed a religious-reform mission into the military force that unified North Africa; his commander Yusuf ibn Tashfin later built the empire. He was killed in 451/1059 fighting the Barghawata near Tamesna and is buried at Krifla (Sidi Abdallah) near Rommani. A mosque and mausoleum stand over the grave; as no two independent numeric coordinate sources exist, the coordinate is left null (descriptive location: ~33 km south of Rabat, overlooking the Krifla valley). There is no dispute over the burial. (Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam "Abdullah b. Yâsîn" and "Murâbıtlar"; en.wikipedia "Abdallah ibn Yasin".)