Career
Attracted to Morocco by the famous madrasahs, Ibn Abbad emigrated there at an early age. He spent most of his life in Morocco, living in different cities (Salé, Marrakesh, Fes), and was buried in Bab al-Futuh (south-eastern gate) cemetery in Fes. Ibn Abbad has been suggested as a key influence on and precursor to St. John of the Cross, in particular his account of the dark night of the soul, in the work of Miguel Asín Palacios.