a considerable ransom. Moulay Sharif was a captive of Bou Hasen but he also treated him well. Among other things, Bou Hasen gifted him a mulatto slave from the M'gharfa tribe who later gave birth to one of his son, Moulay Ismail. In 1637 (1047 AH), Sidi Mohammed upon amassing the huge ransom bought his father's freedom and Moulay Sharif went back home in Sijilmasa. While his father was a captive, his eldest son Sidi Mohammed (or Muhammad II) took up the struggle and became the de facto Emir. Upon Moulay Sharif's release in 1637 and when he was safely far from Sous, Sidi Mohammed successfully led a rebellion which expelled Bou Hasen's followers from Sijilmasa. With this success, on April 23, 1640, he was proclaimed Emir of Tafilalt in place of his father, who relinquished the throne to him. Later years and death Having relinquished the throne to his eldest son Sidi Mohammed, Moulay Sharif abandoned politics and concentrated his life in piety and in the seeking of God's favors. Moulay Sharif was very close to his youngest sons to whom he was affectionate. During one notable episode of his later life, Arabs from Tafilalt offered him gifts when they came to greet him. Among those gifts were a Spanish slave to serve him. The man Dom Louis, was a Spanish captive stolen from his master Ben Bakar in Tafilalt. Moulay Sharif instead of being grateful of their present thought it bad of the robbery of a slave from his master. Moulay Sharif was going to order him brought back to his master but changed his mind when his young boys wanted to keep him as they had no Christian slaves and the man looked healthy. He kept Dom Louis in his services to please his sons, but as each of his young sons wanted Dom Louis, he organized a draw which was won by Moulay Ismail and Moulay Hachem. Quickly Dom Louis became very close to his young masters with whom he had very close bonds with. Moulay Sharif died at Sijilmasa (near present-day Rissani), Tafilalt, on 4 June 1659. Upon his death, his eldest son Sidi Mohammed was once again proclaimed sovereign. But Sidi Mohammed's strong rivalry with his half-brother Moulay al-Rashid resulted in the latter's evasion from Tafilalt in fear of Sidi Mohammed's retaliation. In 1664 however, Moulay Rachid who auto-proclaimed himself Sultan battled his eldest