Conditioned Bay'ah

The Conditioned Bay'ah (Arabic: البيعة المشروطة, romanized: al-Bayeat al-Mashruta, lit. 'Conditional Allegiance'; January 5, 1908) or the Bay'ah of Fes was a bay'ah contract of the conditional support of the people of Fes for Abd al-Hafid as sultan of Morocco in the Hafidiya.^[1][2][3] Led by the Sufi leader Muhammad al-Kattani, the people of Fes imposed, for the first time in Morocco, a set of conditions on the sovereign in return for their support.^[3][4]

History

The period of the Treaty of Algeciras in 1906, marked by state bankruptcy, failed taxes and rebellions, was turbulent for Sultan Abdelaziz.^[3] French forces led by Hubert Lyautey took Oujda in the east, in April 1907, ostensibly in retribution for the assassination of Émile Mauchamp in Marrakesh.^[5] In August, French warships bombarded Casablanca after an insurrection in response to the application of the terms of the Treaty of Algeciras.^[6] Abdelaziz was seen as lax and ineffective.

His brother, Abd al-Hafid, was seen as more forceful, and his bay'ah as sultan of Morocco was offered by the southern aristocrats in Marrakesh in September 1907.^[3] Abd al-Hafid's support came from the Amazigh of the south, instead of the ulama of Fes, who felt bypassed and considered the bay'ah in Marrakesh illegitimate.^[3]

Muhammad al-Kattani pushed his community in Fes to rebuke Abdelaziz and to support Abd al-Hafid under conditions,^[3] which were reportedly referred to as the "Kattani Conditions" (Arabic: الشروط الكتانية, romanized: ash-Shurūt al-Kattāniya).^[7][8]

Conditions

The Conditioned Bay'ah had stipulations that included that Abd al-Hafid had to consult the Ummah in all major decisions and wage jihad for the liberation of Morocco, which was occupied by France in Oujda since April and in Casablanca since August.^[9][10][3]

It essentially called for Abd al-Hafid to back out of the 1906 Treaty of Algeciras^[3] and also called for an end to the protégé system.^[3]

Impact

The support of Fes changed the course of Abdelhafid's struggle for power, as other Moroccan imperial cities followed suit.^[3] However, Abdelaziz, encouraged by the French, continued to resist until his defeat in the Battle of Marrakesh August 19, 1908.^[3]

References

1. ملين، نبيل معد (2017). فكرة الدستور في المغرب وثائق ونصوص 1901-2011. تيل كيل ميديا ؛. ISBN 978-9954-28-764-4. OCLC 1049312006.
2. "بيعة المولى عبد الحفيظ المشروطة.. أو قصة خلع ملك". مغرس. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
3. Miller, Susan Gilson. (2013). A history of modern Morocco. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-62469-5. OCLC 855022840.
4. "الكتاني، ثمن البيعة المشروطة". زمان (in Arabic). 2017-06-12. Archived from the original on 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
5. Berenson, Edward (February 2012). Heroes of Empire: Five Charismatic Men and the Conquest of Africa. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27258-3.
6. Adam, André (1968). Histoire de Casablanca: des origines à 1914. Aix-en-Provence: Ophrys.
7. Bazzaz, Sahar (2010). Forgotten saints: history, power, and politics in the making of modern Morocco. Harvard University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-674-03539-3. OCLC 633535232.
8. "مائة عام على مشروع دستور 1908." مغرس. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
9. Fikrat al-dustūr fī al-Maghrib : wathāʼiq wa-nuṣūṣ (1901-2011) (Buch, 2017) [WorldCat.org]. 2020-04-11. OCLC 994641823. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
10. "البيعة المشروطة لعبد الحفيظ". Retrieved 2020-04-10.