1. Abd al-Mu'min put his predecessor's doctrine of Almohadism into practice, defeated the Almoravids, and extended his rule across Al-Andalus and as far as Tunis in Ifriqiya, thus bringing the Maghreb in North Africa and Al-Andalus in Europe under one creed and one government.
Abd al-Mu'min was born in the village of Tagra, near Tlemcen, in the Kingdom of the Hammadids, present-day Algeria, into the Kumiya tribe, an Arabized section of the Berber Zenata tribal confederation.
Abd al-Mu'min's tutor died before he could complete his study.
Abd al-Mu'min then was made aware of a learned and pious Faqih called Feqih Soussi who was travelling from the east on his way to his native land in Tinmel, present-day Morocco.
Ibn Tumart turned down the invitation, but Abd al-Mu'min stayed with him and they continued the journey together to Morocco.
Some time around 1117, Abd al-Mu'min became a follower of Ibn Tumart, leader of the Masmudas, a religious and military leader of renowned piety who had founded the Almohads as a religious order with the goal of restoring purity in Islam.
Abd al-Mu'min's group had long been at odds with the Almoravids and had been forced into exile in the mountains.
Abd al-Mu'min stayed with Ibn Tumart as he journeyed slowly towards Marrakesh.
Abd al-Mu'min feared that the Masmuda would not accept him as their leader since he was an outsider.
Abd al-Mu'min did eventually lead the Almohads when a family relationship was arranged between him and Cheikh Abu Hafs, the leader of the Masmuda.
Abd al-Mu'min then came forward as the lieutenant of Ibn Tumart, became the leader of the movement, and forged it into a powerful military force.
Abd al-Mu'min eventually adopted an Arab Qaysi genealogy that included the prophet Muhammad.
Abd al-Mu'min created his empire by first winning control of the high Atlas Mountains, then the Middle Atlas, into the Rif region, eventually moving into his homeland north of Tlemcen.
Traditional accounts state that after establishing his capital at Marrakesh, Abd al-Mu'min created a dilemma in that the Almohads considered it a city of heretics.
Abd al-Mu'min contented himself with the destruction of their palace and mosques, although it is not clear whether these were actually demolished or merely abandoned.
In 1147 Abd al-Mu'min sent a military force led by another Almoravid defector, Abu Ishaq Barraz, who captured Algeciras and Tarifa before moving west to Niebla, Badajoz, and the Algarve.
Abd al-Mu'min is said to have resorted to more draconian measures afterwards and initiated a purge of people he thought might be disloyal among the subject Berber tribes, allegedly resulting in around 30,000 executions.
In 1150 or 1151 Abd al-Mu'min summoned the leaders and notables of Al-Andalus under his control to Ribat al-Fath, where he made them pledge loyalty to him, apparently as a political demonstration of his power.
For much of the 1150s Abd al-Mu'min concentrated his efforts on expanding eastwards across North Africa to Ifriqiya.
Abd al-Mu'min led his forces to conquer Tunis in 1159, going on to progressively establish control over Ifriqiya by conquering the cities of Mahdia, Kairouan, and other coastal cities as far as Tripoli.
Abd al-Mu'min then returned to Marrakesh and left for an expedition to Al-Andalus in 1161.
Abd al-Mu'min had ordered the construction of a new citadel at Gibraltar, where he based himself during his stay in Al-Andalus.
Abd al-Mu'min returned from Al-Andalus to the Maghreb in 1162.
Abd al-Mu'min's body was transported to Tinmel, where he was buried, following a ceremony, next to Ibn Tumart in the religious complex he had built there years earlier.
Abd al-Mu'min established a central government that would control North Africa for more than a half century after he died.
Abd al-Mu'min founded a dynasty which his family, the Mu'minids, controlled.
Abd al-Mu'min added to the traditional clan organisations of the Berbers the concept of Makhzan, a central administration staffed by Spanish Muslims.
Abd al-Mu'min supported the arts, but in keeping with the founders' wishes, when mosques were built he kept them simple and plain compared to other structures of that time.
Abd al-Mu'min is considered as a national hero in Algeria.
Abd al-Mu'min was a prodigious builder of monuments and palaces.
Abd al-Mu'min notably founded the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh and the Mosque of Tinmel.