Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi
محمد بن علي العزفي
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi, master of Ceuta when Sultan Abu al-Hasan took it; the sultan gave him command of the hundred-sail combined fleets of the two Maghrebs at Ceuta's anchorage and sent him to close with the Christian fleet in the Strait — the ships grappled, the wind of victory rose, he cut down the enemy, killed their admiral al-Maland and towed the prizes home, a victory of great fame.
At a glance
- Roles
- military-commander
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- Maghreb · al-Andalus & Europe
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi, lord of Ceuta when the sultan Abu al-Hasan al-Marini took it. According to Ibn Khaldun, the sultan appointed him over the combined fleets of the two Maghribs gathered at the harbour of Ceuta, about a hundred ships, and ordered him to meet the fleet of the Christians in the Strait. The ships came together, the Muslims were victorious, the enemy's commander, called "al-Malind", was killed, and their ships were led into the harbour. 1
His role
The data record him as commander of the Muslim fleets in the battle of the Strait (event/battle-of-the-strait-740). 1
Connections
- Participated in
- واقعة الزقاق البحرية وملك أسطول المسلمين
People and things also explored
أبو الحسن المريني سلطان المغرب· واقعة الزقاق البحرية وملك أسطول المسلمين
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/muhammad-ibn-ali-al-azafi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.