Moulay Ismail is famed for fathering over 1,000 children, but a lesser-known claim suggests Marinid Sultan Abu Hasan may have surpassed him with more than 1,862 offspring, according to a 15th-century historian. Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif, who ruled Morocco from 1672 to 1727 as the second sovereign of the 'Alawi dynasty, may not hold the title of the most prolific ruler in the country's history. While widely known for fathering 1,171 children from four wives and a harem of 500 concubines, historical accounts suggest that another sultan may have surpassed him. This brings us back to the Marinids, who ruled Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century, and to their ruler Sultan Abu Hasan (1331–1348), who may have exceeded Moulay Ismail's record in terms of fathering children. Known as the Black Sultan, Abu Hasan—also referred to as Lakhal—was reportedly the father of 1,682 children. This figure appears in the writings of the 15th-century Andalusian historian Ismail ibn al-Ahmar. Having fled al-Andalus with his family, ibn al-Ahmar sought refuge in Morocco, where he was welcomed by the Marinids. His historical accounts focused on the dynasty, particularly in his work Rawdat al-Nisrin fi Dawlat Bani Marin, completed in 1404. It is in this text that he refers to Abu Hasan's extensive offspring. 20 years of reign, 60 years old, and father to 1,862 children Describing the Marinid sultan, ibn al-Ahmar writes: «His mother was the righteous and blessed Anbar (…) He died of pleurisy at Djebel Hintata on the night of Tuesday, the 27th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 752 AH (equivalent to May 1351 CE) at the age of 60, and was buried in Chellah. His reign lasted 20 years, 3 months, and 2 days». During his fertile years, Abu Hasan, according to ibn al-Ahmar, «in total, including both sons and daughters, miscarriages, and others, had 1,862 children», citing as his source «the trustworthy elder, Alal ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sumud al-Haswari». He even names some of Abu Hasan's children. Among the sons: Sultan Abu Omar Tashfin, Abu 'Inan Faris, Sultan Abu Salim Ibrahim, Sultan Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz, Abu Malik Abd al-Wahid, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman Yaqub, Abu 'Amir Abdallah, Mas'ud, Dawud, Yusuf, Abd al-Haqq, Abu Ghalib Muhammad, Ahmad, Muhammad al-Muntasir Billah, and Muhammad al-Mas'ud Billah. Daughters include: Hadriyya, Umm al-'Izz, Tamu, Taazount, Suna, Rima, Zahraa, Safiya, and Zurwa, among others. However, ibn al-Ahmar's claim about Abu Hasan's progeny is difficult to verify and appears nowhere else in the historical record. Could it be an exaggeration, a literary device used to glorify a ruler or honor the dynasty that once offered the historian refuge? Large figures like these are often questioned, as was the case with Sultan Moulay Ismail himself. Scientists have gone so far as to investigate whether he could have realistically fathered more than a thousand children. In 2014, researchers turned to computer simulations to assess whether it was biologically feasible for Moulay Ismail to sire over 1,000 children during his 32-year reign. Led by anthropologist Elisabeth Oberzaucher, the study accounted for fertility cycles, sperm viability, and other biological factors. It concluded that, provided he had sex on average between 0.83 and 1.43 times per day, Ismail could indeed have achieved this—potentially with a harem of just 65 to 110 women, far fewer than the 500 concubines often cited in historical sources.
