Ibn Tumart came from a humble family and his father was a lamp-lighter at the mosque. By his own declaration and that of his followers, he claimed to be descendant of Idriss I, a descendant of Hassan, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who took refuge in Morocco in the 8th-century. However, and despite being supported by Ibn Khaldun, this ascendency is today largely disputed. At the time, it was common for Berber leaders and tribes to claim a Sharif lineage in order to gain religious authority.