He continues: The core of Ibn Tūmart’s preaching was to establish belief according to the Ashʿarī creed. The people of the western lands, however, recoiled from such speculative disciplines. The governor of Fez therefore gathered the jurists and had them debate with him; he prevailed, for he had found an empty field and a people unversed in kalām. They advised the amir to expel him, so he set out for Marrakesh. News of him was sent to Ibn Tāshfīn, who assembled the jurists; Ibn Wuhaib the philosopher debated with him, sensed his sharp intelligence and strong will, and urged Ibn Tāshfīn to kill him, saying, “If he reaches the Masmūda, his mischief will grow.” Ibn Tāshfīn, fearing Allah, said, “Then imprison him.” He then reflected: “How can I jail a Muslim against whom no right has been proven? Let him travel instead.”

So he departed, settled in Tinmal, launched his mission from there, and was eventually buried there. Among the Masmūda he spread learning, called them to enjoin right, won their allegiance, and stirred their yearning for the Mahdī, recounting ḥadiths about him. When he felt secure of their loyalty, he declared, “I am he—I am Muḥammad son of ʿAbd Allāh,” and produced a genealogy tracing himself back to ʿAlī. They pledged allegiance to him, and he composed for them a book entitled Aʿazz mā yuṭlab (The Rarest of All That Is Sought). In it he agreed with the Muʿtazila on some matters and with the Ashʿarīs on others, and it contained a vein of Shiʿism (1).

He organized his followers: first the Ten, the earliest to answer his call, and then the Fifty, whom he called “the Believers.” He would say, “No one on earth believes as you do. You are the band the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, meant when he said, ‘The people of the West shall continue to prevail’ (2). You will conquer Byzantium, slay the Antichrist, and one of you will lead Jesus in prayer,” and he would recount to them the details of these events.