The Nasrid Emirate of Granada was engulfed in a civil war and was being regularly devastated by Castilian forces who saw an opportunity for easy plunder due to the distraction of the Muslim forces. Muhammad II asked for help from his Morocco allies, the Marinid Dynasty, to ease the difficulty of fighting two wars at once. The Marinid Sultan, Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq landed on the Iberian Peninsula in 1275 with an army and began a campaign with the strategic objective to occupy the city of Tarifa. the Castilian King, Alfonso X of Castile was preparing a larger campaign against the two armies and sent forces to delay any Marinid advances.