The Abbasid stance towards the founder of the Idrisid state (a study of the reasons for the assassination(

Abstract

The stance of the Abbasid Caliphate toward Idris ibn Abdallah (Idris I), the founder of the Idrisid state, was characterized by extreme hostility and profound security concerns, as he represented a direct "legitimacy" threat to the Abbasid Caliphate in the East.

Summary of Motives and the Assassination: The Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, viewed the successful escape of Idris ibn Abdallah from the Battle of Fakh (near Mecca) and his arrival in the Far Maghreb (Morocco) to establish an Alid state in 172 AH as a critical security breach. To the Abbasids, Morocco was no longer just a rebellious province, but a stronghold for a rival possessing "Alid lineage" who could claim the right to lead the Muslim world. The primary motives for the assassination were the rapid growth of Idris’s power and the rallying of powerful Berber tribes (such as the Awraba) around him. This posed a strategic threat of an eastward expansion toward Kairouan and Egypt, potentially dismantling Abbasid unity.