“The Christian Companion”: A rhetorical trope in the narration of intra-muslim conflict during the Almohad epoch

Abstract

This paper will explore representations of intra-Muslim conflict between the Almohads and Andalusi Muslim chieftains as reflected in the Almohad chronicle al-Mann bi l-imama by Ibn Sahib al-Sala. Following Foucault’s notion of the “violence of representation”, I analyze the rhetorical strategies the author employs to create binary oppositions contrasting the legitimacy of the Almohads with the illegitimacy of their enemies, focusing especially on the “Christian companions” of the Andalusi rebels, and comparing his narratives of Almohad and rebel violence. I conclude that the representations of violent conflict positively reify Almohad identity as the defenders of the true faith.