ʿAlī, ruler of the Maghrib.

He took power after the deposition of his brother Muḥammad (1), whose recklessness and fondness for wine had caused his downfall. Muḥammad was removed after a month and a half, whereupon allegiance was pledged to Abū Yaʿqūb. He was a handsome young man—fair with a reddish complexion, round-faced, wide-mouthed, large-eyed, perfectly proportioned; sweet-spoken, eloquent, delightful in conversation; well-versed in language, historical lore, and jurisprudence; a man of varied talents, lofty ambition, liberal generosity, imposing presence, and courage—in short, born to rule.

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAlī al-Tamīmī (2) said: “It has reached me with certainty that he had memorised one of the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections—I think it was al-Bukhārī.

“He governed soundly, possessed far-reaching aspirations, and was exceedingly generous; people became prosperous during his reign. Later he turned to medicine and philosophy: he memorised most of the Kitāb al-Malikī, collected the books of the philosophers and sought them from every land. He was constantly accompanied by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ṭufayl the philosopher, and could hardly bear to be separated from him (3). I heard Abū Bakr ibn Yaḥyā the jurist relate that the scholar Abū al-Walīd Ibn Rushd the grandson said:

‘When I entered upon the Commander of the Faithful, Abū Yaʿqūb, I found only him and Ibn Ṭufayl. Ibn Ṭufayl began praising me, and the first question he posed was, “What is their opinion concerning the heaven—is it eternal or created?”

‘I grew fearful, offered evasions, and disavowed philosophy. He perceived this, turned to Ibn Ṭufayl, cited Aristotle’s view on the matter, and set forth the arguments of the Muslims.’