The Marinid Kingdom (1215-1465) was a Muslim kingdom which emerged in al-Maghrib in the medieval period. This kingdom had a powerful naval force which could rival those of Christian kingdoms. The purpose of this article is to study the history and development of the Marinid naval force. On the whole, this study adopts a qualitative study approach by historical and content analysis of primary and secondary sources which discuss the history of the Marinid naval force. Research findings show that the Marinid Kingdom had strengthened its naval system to rival enemy might, particularly Christian kingdoms which controlled part of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the naval force was given attention as a defense measure to protect sovereignty and to carry out military expeditions in al-Andalus. This capacity to build and strengthen the naval force supported the political stability of the Marinid Kingdom in al-Maghrib territory. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n29p26
The Marinid Kingdom (1215-1465) was an Islamic government which emerged in the Maghreb during medieval time. Inheriting the rule from the Almohads, the Marinids were regarded as a strong and formidable Islamic government which once ruled the entire Maghreb and parts of al-Andalus at the height of its glory. Not unlike previous Muslim governments, the Marinid Kingdom also faced various problems and went through several conflicts which affected its stability and integrity. In fact the conflicts even caused the demise of the Marinid Kingdom in the year 1465 which saw the emergence of the Wattasids. This article is aimed at determining the internal factors which contributed to the decline of the Marinids which led to its eventual demise. This study employed a method of qualitative approach via historical study and content analysis, in particular using primary and secondary sources which focused on events which led to the demise of the kingdom. Results of this study identified several internal factors which contributed to the weakness and the eventual collapse of the Marinid Kingdom. In the present-day context, it is not impossible that the same factors can cause any Muslim countries, as a sovereign state and nation, to become weak and disintegrate should the government and the people fail to cooperate in matters regarding the stability of the country.
Abstract Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir was a de facto leader of al-Andalus during the Umayyad rule based in Cordoba. Caliph al-Hakam II had appointed him to hold some political positions to strengthen Umayyad rule in Cordoba (al-Andalus) and al-Maghrib (North Africa). Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir's political appointment was seen as a special position in Cordoba administration. This analysis is seen through the readings of the authoritative primary source written by Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi. Hence, the purpose of this article is to scrutinize Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi's biography as an al-Andalus historian in the 5H/11AD Century in his work, al-Muqtabas fi Akhbar Balad al-Andalus. In addition, this research also describes the involvement of Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir in the Umayyad administration in Cordoba during the reign of Caliph al-Hakam II based on the chronicle of Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi. On the whole, this article is a qualitative research using historical study and content analysis in gathering and analyzing data from relevant primary and secondary sources. Based on Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi's description in al-Muqtabas, this research argues that Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir was an authoritative political figure in 4H/10AD Century of the Umayyad rule in Cordoba. His political appointments were held in the fields, of administration, judiciary, military, security, international relations and finance. This research also concludes that Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi was a preeminent historian in al-Andalus through his work, al-Muqtabas fi Akhbar Balad al-Andalus, which is seen as his biggest contribution in the corpus of knowledge on Islamic history and civilization in al-Andalus. Keywords: Political history, al-Andalus, Cordoba, Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir, Umayyad Caliphate, Caliph al-Hakam II, Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi Abstrak Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir ialah seorang pemimpin de facto al-Andalus pada zaman pemerintahan Kerajaan Umawiyyah di Cordoba. Pihak Khalifah al-Hakam II telah melantik beliau untuk menjawat beberapa jawatan politik utama bagi memperkukuh pengaruh Kerajaan Umawiyyah di Cordoba (al-Andalus) dan di al-Maghrib (Afrika Utara). Pelantikan politik Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir ini turut memperlihatkan kedudukan istimewa yang diterima beliau dalam pemerintahan di Cordoba. Pencerakinan tersebut dilihat menerusi penelaahan terhadap sumber primer berwewenang yang ditulis oleh Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi. Oleh itu, penulisan ini bertujuan untuk meneliti biografi Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi sebagai tokoh sejarawan al-Andalus pada abad ke-5H/11M melalui karyanya, al-Muqtabas fi Akhbar Balad al-Andalus. Di samping itu, kajian ini turut memerihalkan penglibatan Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir dalam Kerajaan Umawiyyah di Cordoba pada era pemerintahan Khalifah al-Hakam II berdasarkan catatan Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi. Secara keseluruhannya, artikel ini merupakan kajian kualitatif dengan menggunakan reka bentuk kajian sejarah dan analisis kandungan dalam mengumpul serta menganalisis maklumat daripada sumber primer dan sekunder yang relevan. Berasaskan pemerian Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi dalam al-Muqtabas, kajian ini menghujahkan bahawa Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir ialah seorang tokoh politik berwibawa abad ke-4H/10M era Kerajaan Umawiyyah di Cordoba. Antara penglibatan politik yang disandang oleh Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir adalah meliputi bidang pentadbiran, kehakiman, ketenteraan, keselamatan, hubungan antarabangsa dan juga kewangan. Kajian ini turut menatijahkan Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi sebagai seorang tokoh sejarawan terulung di al-Andalus menerusi hasil karyanya, al-Muqtabas fi Akhbar Balad al-Andalus yang dilihat sebagai sumbangan terbesar beliau dalam korpus kelimuan sejarah dan tamadun Islam di al-Andalus. Kata kunci: Sejarah politik, al-Andalus, Cordoba, Muhammad ibn Abi 'Amir, Kerajaan Umawiyyah, Khalifah al-Hakam II, Ibn Hayyan al-Qurtubi
