Abu Imran al-Fasi

Isa ibn Sahl, known as Abu Imran al-Fasi (c. 968–1039 CE), was born in Fez and studied under Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi in Kairouan before completing his studies in Baghdad. He became the foremost Maliki legal authority in Kairouan, renowned for his razor-sharp mastery of Hadith and legal methodology.

In 1035, Yahya ibn Ibrahim, chieftain of the Sanhaja Berber nomads of the Sahara, visited Abu Imran's lecture hall in Kairouan upon returning from Mecca, lamenting that his desert tribes knew little of Islam. Abu Imran recommended his brilliant former student Waggag ibn Zallu of the Sus, who selected Abdallah ibn Yasin to preach to the Saharan nomads—a chain of mentorship that directly gave birth to the Almoravid Empire.