Morisco Migration: A Comparative Study of Al-Maghrawi and Al-Wansharisi’s Fatwas

Abstract

During the Reconquista, the Muslims of Al-Andalus lost their final stronghold with the Fall of Granada. Subsequently, the city’s Muslim inhabitants were subjected to systematic forced displacement and compulsory conversion. This compelled them to migrate toward neighboring regions in search of sanctuary from persecution and institutionalized oppression. They departed with the lingering hope of returning to their homeland to live in peace, fleeing the hostility of the Catholic Monarchs and the Inquisition. The latter enforced a series of royal decrees and legislation mandating either the execution of those who resisted conversion or their total expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula.

          In the midst of these humanitarian violations, the Moriscos sought theological guidance from jurists (fuqaha) to find a legal (shari‘i) resolution to their plight and to address their hesitation regarding the choice between emigration (hijra) or remaining in Andalus. Upon presenting their predicament to the scholars of the Maghreb, several fatwas (legal opinions) emerged: some strictly exhorted them to emigrate, while others advised those unable to do so to preserve their Islamic faith internally and practice their beliefs in secrecy.