Moroccans still venerate marabouts
2007-10-05
Though not customary for most Muslims, the tradition of marabouts, or saints, and intercessory prayer continues to be observed in Morocco. People seeking healing, aid or enlightenment visit the tombs of such notables to gather in prayer.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat -- 05/10/07
 [Getty Images] Pilgrims visit the tomb of Sidi Mohamed Ben Aissa, known as Sheikh El Kamel, at his mausoleum in Meknes. |
Morocco's marabouts, or "saints", still occupy a special place in the lives of many Moroccans. The temples that house the marabouts' tombs are found in all regions of the Cherifian Kingdom and continue to be visited en masse, by young and old alike. Although it is not customary in Islam to pray to these saints, the ancestral practice still holds sway for those who come to pray or seek a favour.
The marabouts – also called walis, cherifs or saints – are usually buried in small chapels. Inside the marabout’s tomb, you will always find the same scene: pilgrims – both men and women – sitting around the tomb while others cover their heads with the holy man’s flag and remain motionless, as though confessing their sins.
While there are innumerable marabouts’ tombs in Morocco, those that are well known draw masses of visitors. Sidi Belyout in Casablanca, situated at the heart of the economic capital, is one example.
The entrance to the marabout's dome is sculpted with arabesques. A palm tree has grown there and a hole had to be made in the roof to accommodate it. The woman who guards the tomb and sells candles to the visitors said, "These people come to make their intercession to God. Each has their own worries. They pray and God answers their prayers."
Many of the visitors which flock to Sidi Belyout are girls who come to reveal their troubles to the wali. Khadija B., 36, lives in Casablanca's old medina. "I believe that these saints really do bring good fortune," she said. "When I was still little, my mother took me all over Casablanca to meditate at the tombs of the various saints. Each week, I come to Sidi Belyout, where I meet several women. If I stay away too long, the holy man comes to see me in my dreams to tell me I must visit him."
Khadija is not the only faithful visitor to the marabout. "In fact, it’s a sort of spiritual relief," said Ilham Boughaba, a law student. "After my weekly visit, I feel peace in my inner being and I can then go about my normal business in total peace. Over time, my visits have become an essential part of my routine."
 [Getty Images] In many cases, the marabout plays the role of a psychiatrist. |
The marabouts graves are also a regular meeting place. The poor come flocking in every Friday to eat the couscous served by benefactors and annual festivals, such as the moussem, continue to attract hundreds of thousands of people. In addition to praying and requesting blessings, the moussem also provides an opportunity to meet up with friends and family who live far away. Some people take advantage of the event to find a husband or wife for their unmarried children.
Those who come to meditate at the saints' temples harbour a thousand and one hopes and implore the marabout for luck. "If I go to the marabout, it’s so that he will act as a go-between for me and God," said El Hajja Tamou, who is in her sixties and has been visiting Morocco's walis since her earliest childhood. "I know he’s just a human being like we are, but he’s a cherif."
Tamou's "consultation" changes according to what she hopes to get out of it and her requests change from visit to visit. "I beg them that my husband will not remarry, that my son will get himself a good job, and that my thirty-five-year-old daughter will find a husband," she declared, with her eyes full of hope. In Morocco, each marabout is believed to have a particular area of influence which sets him apart from the others, Tamou said. Each saint is judged on his "miracles" and mystic stories about him. It is this wondrous aspect alone which is capable of providing satisfaction for a certain category of people whose cultural nourishment clearly comes from the imaginary world.
Sociologist Jamil Maaroug explains to Magharebia that in many cases, the marabout plays the role of a psychiatrist. Faced with expensive psychiatric care services, some people prefer to take their loved ones who are suffering from mental illness to the saints. The best-known example in Morocco is that of Bouya Omar in Kalâat Seraghna, where dozens of mentally ill people are chained up, waiting for the marabout’s luck to heal them.
Dr. Driss Moussaoui spoke of the myth of Bouya Omar, or the "spirit trainer", as he is known; he said it also exists in Greece. "At the time, the mentally ill were locked up in the basements of hospitals, waiting for Asclepios, the god of medicine, to appear to them in a dream and give them the key to free them from their illness," he said. "This has nothing to do with religion, nor with Morocco. It’s something which has come to us from the Mediterranean region, where different civilisations have met, each with its beliefs which live on in one way or another."
Moussaoui also said that today, people often resort to a combination of both traditional methods and modern medicine. "Although some patients go to a psychiatrist, they continue to call on the skills of a traditional healer, and use traditional methods of dealing with psychological trouble, [which include] pilgrimages to marabouts and trances... This can have a beneficial effect for people affected by mild disturbances and who believe in the virtues of the saints, but for others, this is not the case," he said.
The practice of seeking blessings from marabouts seems far from disappearing in the short term. In his book Rites and Secrets of Casablanca's Marabouts, Dr. Akhmisse Mustapha stresses that people still turn to and are addicted to some incomprehensible practices. The country's elite condemns them and religion fights them; but nothing can get rid of them. "They will continue for years to come because this is in fact the product of a deep-rooted aspect of childhood: the holiness with which the marabout is identified. The wali remains a haven of peace for the suffering soul which can find none," he explained.
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abdel Posted 2007-10-07
The Cheikh: visiting the marabous, i.e. the tombs, is a tradition. It's not for diverting the wishes of the visitor; it's for the sake of promises or the consideration of the visitor from them and not to divert his wishes and accomplishment of his wills. The visit of tombs is a consideration and a remembrance of the afterlife, and the people who were yesterday on Earth, eating as we eat, drinking as we drink and wearing clothes as we do, residing in houses as we do, but are now confined to their deeds in their tombs. If a person visits a cemetery for this purpose to meditate, remember and pray for them as the Prophet (peace and prayer be upon him) used to pray for them when he visited them (Peace on you House of Believers, and inchallah we'll follow you. May God have mercy on the righteous amongst you and amongst us the late, we ask God for us and for you wellness). This is a required legitimate visit which men should do whether in the day or night as this wasn't indicated in the Qur'an or tradition that the place of tombs is better, has more blessing and more likely to have prayers answered. So it's not right to visit tombs for this purpose. Without doubt mosques are better than cemeteries and more likely to have prayers answered with the presence of the heart and its serenity.
moha Posted 2007-10-08
I don't know what islam stands for .it's been now 14 hundred years Islam has came in to our life. and we still see people behave brain washed by poised stories and talk to dead bodies .who still control people lives. these marabouts are to blame for helping the arab to occupay morocco or north africa after 7th sentry. and take over the land of imazighen . time is comming to destroy all marabout with no exeption.these marabouts have made the arab so rich and have help them to keep people in place in order to take advanage of them and steal their treasors. Islam said no one can predict the future exept god.Why these marabout can .is not agains islam? Sociologists are paid to change the face of the story or themselves do not know why these marabout has been existed in north africa after 7 centry.
BASRAOUI Posted 2007-10-08
Very interesting and concise. It leaves you wanting more.
youcef Posted 2007-10-09
congratulation for this on line sublime issue updating us over maghrib evnts such as the veneration of marabout which i utmostly find very critcal to alight and re alive such ancestrial traditions which disapointedly tend to diseapar at the profit of new aggressive external wives aiming at derooting human intgrity in vein with personality as well .citizens have the right to re discover his full intities so as he / she can grow diligently therefore chalenging the global economy adverts
ابن الصلاح المغربي Posted 2007-10-09
There are many examples in Morocco many of these backward pagan manifestations and manifestations of disbelief, even to the point of visiting the tombs of Jewish saints. These traditions are widespread among the illiterate and even the rich and some educated people who ignore the correct religious teachings. These traditions are encouraged by the Makhzen (government) itself as it offers donations to some of these mausoleums. The representatives of the authorities even celebrate some pagan events as was the case when Mr Hassan Aourid, Governor of the region of Meknes-Tafilelt (representative of the authorities in the region) inaugurated the festivals of Sidi Ali and Cheikh El Kami. The traditions of these celebrations are all charlatanism and disbelief. If there were a human being on earth who deserves to mediate in prayer, and his tomb sought for blessing and sanctified, it should have been the tomb of the Prophet, peace and prayer upon him. As to others, they can change nothing, and we should rather ask forgiveness and mercy for them as they are like all other people. The authorities encourage these manifestations as a cultural heritage and an attempt to keep people away from the real Islam in which the only pride is in God without an intermediary or veil. Responsibility falls on the ruler to fight and get rid of these pagan manifestations which aren’t related to the monotheist religion. The authorities seem in recent years to be increasing their support to these Zaouiyats and mausoleums thinking that they will counter the Salafi movement which is accused of supporting terrorism, and of course they’re wrong. The first mistake is that they fight monotheism. The second mistake is that they encourage ignorance. The third mistake is that people will choose the most powerful (God the Almighty) when they wake up. The fourth mistake is that they’re responsible for the manifestations of heresy and disbelief. The fifth mistake is that they contradict the Malikite movement while they pretend that it is their movement. Sixth mistake…7…8...9…10…1000
hassan Posted 2007-10-10
You know, the people who resort to this type of “consultation” are not necessarily poor. It is also simply that there are Moroccan who lived with parents or loved ones in their childhood and who have continued to venerate these saints since then, and meetings are less expensive than with the shrink.
Rachid Posted 2007-10-16
Since the 11th Century, the Moroccan Land has known several famous masters whose radiance can be considered universal. This is the case for Abou Madyan al Ghaout, Ibn Machich, Aboo Lhasan Chadili. Morocco’s Sufism is centred in Morocco but it extends eastwards to Egypt, Northwards to Muslim Andalousia and southwards to the Sahara and the other countries of Western Africa. Beginning in the 13th Century, two important branches of universal Sufism, Qadiria and Chadilia, spread across the Moroccan land. Let us look at a few names to give us an idea: Sidi Bou Madian al Ghaout, the Helper, died in 594H/1197AD, he is more well-known in the Arab Orient than in his region of origin, the Maghreb. He was in contact with many other famous Sufis, such as Moulay Boua’za (also know as Abi Yaa’za), Moulay Abdel Kader al Jijani and Abderrahman Almadani. The latter was the teacher of Sheikh Moulay Abdessalam Ibn Machich, the teacher of Imam Chadili. The story of Chadili (656H/1258AD) is well-known. His meeting with his teacher Ibn Machich (625H/1227AD) on Mount Alam. It was there where he gave up his sciences and book knowledge to receive the new science, the secret of his teacher. He then voyaged in Tunisia and then Egypt. He succeeded in making his way to the Orient. Let us simply note that Chadili is the founder of Chadilia, the celebrated Moroccan branch of universal Sufism. In the turning of the centuries, this branch will go on to have various affects. In the 16th Century, only a dozen Zawiya were to be found. The first was Zawiya Jazoulia, the renewer of the Tariqa Chadilia of Mohamed al Jazouli, the disciple of Mohamed Amghar. He died in 870 during Hijra to Jazoula and was buried in Marrakech. He is especially famous for his book…
المرجان عثمان Posted 2007-10-18
"Now surely the friends of Allah-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve". Brothers, proof of madness is talking about something without having any knowledge about it. Their are two types of saints; the friends of the Merciful and the friends of Satan. The folk of God exist and are still living, and earth will bear them until the day of judgment...But I don't think that the true friends of God should have these things on their tombs that we see today. But it's the ignorance of the people and not the mistake of the saints.
Anonymous Posted 2007-10-24
In the name of God, God forgives all sins except believing in someone else, there's no power and no will but from God. This is enormous.
Jamal Posted 2007-11-02
Hmmm intersting
احمد سلام Posted 2007-11-05
We cannot talk about Sufism and visiting marabous in that simplistic, superficial way. There should be a study to write an article or complete a successful study. The article bears many wrong ideas and inaccuracies. It’s more like personal impressions full of excessive doses of hidden sarcasm. I hope that you’ll rely on competent correspondents who are capable of arguing and confronting evidence with evidence and making structured and clear conclusions and ideas away from redundancy and wordiness.
ابو عروة Posted 2007-11-08
Salam alaikoum, thanks to God, the scholars have shown the risks of disbelief in all their books and recordings. The messenger peace and prayer upon him was calling for the monotheism, talking on this topic is very long.
imane Posted 2007-11-10
salam to everyone well please i'm an english department student and i have a topic about:"hy people go to marabous?" that i should give back on wednsday, so im xondering if someone can hepl me by giving me his own points of vue about this topic. thankx in advance
abdellah Posted 2007-11-11
This is good.
بن موشيش محمد Posted 2007-12-13
I want to know better Sheikh Moulay Abdessalam Ben Mchich and his grandsons in Algeria namely the province of Adrar Ksar Mkid.
جلال Posted 2007-12-23
I want to know the person who wrote all these ideas.
ابن عبد العزيز Posted 2008-01-11
To the one who didn’t understand my article: why do you deny me lack of meaning, ignoring Godliness? The faithful to God shouldn’t have any fear or sadness.
jamal Posted 2008-01-11
The marabouts should not be followed in Morocco.
Amazighi too Posted 2008-01-12
to the Amazighi extremist. Islam has come to quell those ideas like yours which only divide. Moroccans, Alhamdolillah, do not give a damn to those who preach division. we, Arabs and Amazighs, are united by Islam and we'll stay so, despite those parasites.
moha Posted 2008-01-16
go learn tamazight for your future mrs amazighi too if you want us to be united go for tamazight first
JAOUAD Posted 2008-01-20
Hello and God bless. All of these comments just go to show how with everyone’s point of view we can agree with some people and disagree with others. I am from the region of Kalat Sraghna. I visited Bouya Homar as a young man and, as a man now, it is a completely different province today. I completely disagree with the practices going on there. I am against people who idolise these places and think that these walis are intermediaries between them and God. These are misguided practices and with time I think that the people who are practicing in this cult will immerse themselves in utter ignorance and distance themselves from the truth. This is all I have to say for the time being. God bless you and me.
اسماء Posted 2008-01-26
Praise be to God for everything.
سارة Posted 2008-03-19
It is better to know the names of all mausoleums in Morocco. The marabouts were not polytheist, why don’t we be like them and worship only God.
أحمد Posted 2008-03-28
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you… And on the day that the enemies of Allah shall be brought together to the fire, then they shall be formed into groups.
أحمد Posted 2008-03-28
In the name of God most gracious most merciful. And on the day when He will gather them all together, then will He say to the angels: Did these worship you? 40 They shall say: Glory be to Thee! Thou art our Guardian, not they; nay! they worshipped the jinn; most of them were believers in them. 41 So on that day one of you shall not control profit or harm for another, and We will say to those who were unjust: Taste the chastisement of the fire which you called a lie. 42 And when Our clear communications are recited to them, they say: This is naught but a man who desires to turn you away from that which your fathers worshipped. And they say: This is naught but a lie that is forged. And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it comes to them: This is only clear enchantment. 43 And We have not given them any books which they read, nor did We send to them before you a warner. 44 And those before them rejected the truth, and these have not yet attained a tenth of what We gave them, but they gave the lie to My apostles, then how was the manifestation of My disapproval?45 God Almighty speaks the truth…
أحمد Posted 2008-03-28
Oh people, Satan complained to His Lord and said, oh Lord you have made a house, so where is my house? He said, the bathroom. You made worship for your creatures, what is my worship? He said the flute? You have made to your creatures hair, what is my hair? He said the tattoo. You have made a drink for your people, what is my drink? He said alcohol. You have made a conversation for your people, what is my conversation? He said lies. You have made food for your creatures, what is my food? God Almighty said the food on which My Name isn’t said. I disown anyone who eats the donations of Satan. They do not call besides Him on anything but idols, and they do not call on anything but a rebellious Shaitan. Allah has cursed him; and he said: Most certainly I will take of Thy servants an appointed portion. And whoever takes the Shaitan for a guardian rather than Allah he is cursed. The authorities must uproot this tree and close the doors of all the marabous. Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his Lord…In the name of God most gracious most merciful. And Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see? 56 What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly. 57 But the answer of his people was no other except that they ~s said: Turn out Lut's followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure! 58 But We delivered him and his followers except his wife; We ordained her to be of those who remained behind. 59 And We rained on them a rain, and evil was the rain of those who had been warned. 60 God speaks the truth. In the name of God most gracious most merciful. Nay! it is what you sought to hasten on, a blast of wind in which is a painful punishment. 23 Destroying everything by the command of its Lord. God speaks the truth…Mohamed is the messenger of God of humanity. Those whom We have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their sons. And they who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back. Cursed are those who hide this message.
danielle Posted 2008-05-22
I am in the process of writing an article for a Dutch national newspaper on the Marabout de Sidi Abderrahmane in Casablanca. Are there any regular visitors out there who would like to share their experiences? And could anyone advise me on how to buy a book on this particular Marabout? Thanking you in advance
jamal /abdelali Posted 2008-05-29
We are history students. We are looking for the tree of saint Sidi Lahdari and saint Sidi Ali ben Addi. They are mausoleums in Beni Moussa, Tadla-Azilal region.
Semlali Posted 2008-05-30
The saints of God are our means of interceding the Creator. I read some of the comments above that made me nauseous. How are the saints responsible for our political situation? Is it because they are allegedly in favour of the Arab domination of the country and marginalising the Berbers? In fact, it was the saints and their schools of thought that allowed us to defend ourselves against foreign occupation. They also permitted us to preserve the spiritual patrimony and literary patrimony of Morocco and even that of the entire Maghreb. So what, then!? The saints are our path to the Divine. Take the case of the patron saints of Marrakech, Sidi Youssef Ben Ali. He attained divinity through the suffering he accepted, the leprosy that ate at him. The path of Cadi Ayyad is science and knowledge. It was through mystical knowledge that Imam Al-Jazouli was able to produce the book “Ash-Shifa” as well as “Dalil Al-Khayrat”, which are considered two all-time bestsellers of Moroccan work. (Educated Muslims from Morocco to China can be found to have them.) Imam Sidi Mohamed Ben Slimane Al-Jazouli has as his path jihad in the path of God. This jihad might also be efforts directed towards oneself and not only those to be accomplished in freeing the Moroccan coast from Iberian occupation. There is also Sidi Abou Al-Abbas As-Sebti, the Sidid Belabbas of the little people of Marrakech who had as his path charity. Throughout his entire life, he gave to the point of having nothing for himself. He took to begging in order to give. The miracle is that in the more than eight centuries entire societies of poor, disabled and blind people have survived because of the gifts that come via pious visits to his tomb. May we stop with this palaver.
semlali Posted 2008-05-31
Yesterday, I wrote a comment about some of the comments published here that, in my opinion, damage God’s saints. I gave an example of the patron saints of Marrakech and the path of each of them to deserve such appreciation. Due to the lack of remaining character space, I did not talk about the last two, Moul Laqsour and Imam As-Souhaïli. But, I noticed that my text was not published. Please why did this happen? Thank you
semlali Posted 2008-06-04
Among the seven patron saints of Marrakesh, we failed in our haste to mention the great saint Sidi Abdelaziz at-Taba, a disciple of al-Jazouli who developed his mystical education and produced many saints in Morocco. Take, for example, Sidi al-Hadi Benaïssa, the founder of the Aîssaoua order, Sidi Rahhal al-Boudali, the founder of the Ouleds order, the Sidi Rahhal or Rahhalas. There is so much to say about the Maghreb saints and their lights so illuminate our divinity that not even an encyclopaedia would be enough to study the subject. May we therefore avoid attacking them before trying to understand and study them. In this sense, let us tell our Berber brother who attacked them above that they are more the pride of the Berbers, of which I am one, than anyone else. They are indeed apolitical.
BEN Posted 2008-06-05
To Danielle: There is an excellent book by Hassan Majdi that documents your subject well. In this light, the Jewish saints seem to be far more numerous, covering the entirety of Morocco’s territory. We know of more than 150 who belong to Hilloula, a type of Moussem that is identical to the Moroccan Muslims’, periodically bringing the pilgrims together from everywhere. The vestiges of their ancient culture are still present, but, alas, not much of it has been highlighted in the history of this country. As the legend goes, with one exception, Morocco is blessed by all the saints of all the confessions. I have indeed searched, but I have not found him. Is he Jewish, Muslim or something else? It is a mystery. The saying goes that if we manage to find him so as to beg him to put an end to our failures, all will be won for all of us! So, who is it? We must believe in him.
Semlali Posted 2008-06-07
To Danielle: I think that Dr. Akhmiss Mustapha wrote a book about the saints of Casablanca. I think it is—I only have the book cover—more of an ethnographic book—if one can say that—than a history book or spiritual analysis. Perhaps you can cross-reference it: there are references that can be verified.
عادل Posted 2008-07-12
In the name of God, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. What is the difference between those who beg at tombs made of stone and those who worship idols? "And that the mosques are Allah's, therefore call not upon anyone but Allah".
zemmouri ali Posted 2008-08-21
Hello to all those who are interested in Moulay Abdelsalam Ibn Machich, I found a document drawn up by the Khadi of Tlemcen in 1940. It shows the genealogy of the sheikh and, more particularly, his offspring living in Greater Kabylie in Algeria. Therein, it appears that I am one of his descendents. I am originally from the village of Zekri in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, where my grandfather, Sidi Mouhamed el-Mouhoub, is buried. He is the grandson of Sidi Mouhamed Oumalek, who is buried in Tifrit. And, the latter was son of Malek, who is buried in Beni Yaala (Tisemmourine). And, he was the son of Ahmed, who was the son of Abdel Salam Ibn Machich. Each of the abovementioned have their own mausoleum where there is a ouaada each year. I wish to have someone who has information on the subject either confirm everything above or point me to some documents that could be useful to me. –Thank you
Aline de Paris Posted 2008-08-26
Hello, I am looking for information on Morocco’s marabout Sidi Mokhtar. He lives somewhere on the road between Marrakesh and Essaouira.
GANTARE Posted 2008-08-28
Hello Everybody, Simply put, I am from oulad si Bouhya near Sidi Bennour. I am doing research on my ancestor, the marabout Sidi Ahmed El Gantra. If anyone can offer me any information or details, I would be very grateful. Thank you. You have my most distinguished respect.
azzedine Posted 2008-09-20
Hi, My name is Zemmouri Ali. I would be very happy if you would help me find the origin of the Grand Kabylie, because I too am of marabout origin. Thank you.
Telma Posted 2008-09-25
Hi! I find this site really interesting as I am starting to learn about what a Marabout is. I am from South America and I would like to know if someone could contact me with a marabout. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me finding him. Thank you!
Jamal Morelli Posted 2008-09-29
You ask why people see saints, walis, marabouts, etc.? It's because nothing else works. Normally, God protects people. Now, look at the Moroccan people drowning to get out of Morocco, streets filled beggars knocking on the windows of SUVs, cops hijacking drivers of their 400 DH on the autoroute, rise in food prices with no work, suppressed journalists, natives being pushed out of the medinas through 'gentrification' and so on. People feel abandoned, and so they look for someone who is "closer" to God; i.e the 'friend' or wali. You don't like it? Alright. Dig it. Feed them, house them and teach them to read, you big spending hanafi/wahabbi loudmouths. Feed them with something more than empty precepts from your typical, half-witted reading of the hadiths.
IDRIS Aboubacar Posted 2008-10-12
I offer all of you my respects. I would like to ask if I could get all of the names, prayers and instructions for marabouts. I find this website very very interesting.
magheribiya Posted 2008-10-27
Thank you so much for covering this subject, which seems to be so very interesting. Congratulations everybody! Let us hope that one day this illogical practice will disappear.
monita Posted 2008-11-20
No comment!!!!!LLLOOOOOLLLL
soph Posted 2008-12-05
To Aline (“Aline de Paris, Posted 2008-08-26: Hello- I am looking for information about the marabout from Sidi Mokhtar, Morocco, located on the road between Marrakesh and Essaouira.”) – I could be of use to you. Contact me. -Sincerely
mosslima Posted 2008-12-31
There is no power and no will but from God the Almighty. Venerating marabouts will not change anything in the reality of Moroccans. They are just dead people. They are incapable of any good or vice to themselves, so how can be of any good to living people? Visiting them will just take us in the sphere of disbelief in God the One. In this period of strife in which we live, idols are no longer worshiped. However, there is a worship of people both the dead and living. I ask God to grant us repentance and deliver us from the backward act of visiting mausoleums and marabouts, return to the worship and unification of the Lord of people.
hatim Posted 2009-03-20
Thank you so much for this article. You helped me do a presentation on the marabouts. Because of this, I would like to tell you that the marabouts remain something harmful to our religion and our society. In the end, I thank all the Muslim world.
أمة الله Posted 2009-05-01
There is no power and no will but from God the Almighty. All this is the result of the ignorance of religious matters. I ask God the almighty to guide them and orient them to the right path. This phenomenon makes me feel sorry and hurts me especially because they are Muslims and belong to our beloved country.
nadia Posted 2009-06-16
Can anyone give me the address of a marabout in Morocco? Please, I need any address you might have. -Thank you in advance.
Rachida Posted 2009-07-13
aba a People do not worship saints or stones. They ask for saints intercession, the same way Muslims ask for "madad" from our beloved Prophet Sayyidina Mohamed sws. He is "alive in his grave", and answers every salutation addressed to him. Only bodies die, souls are forever. It is indeed Allah swt who protects people, heals people, and gives guidance to whomever He wishes, Subhanahu wa Ta3ala! However, people go to physicians for help with their bodily or psycholigcal ills because these people have studied diseases and ways to cure them. I feel that similarly people ask for INTERCESSION from saints, alive or dead. Allah is close to EVERYONE, of course, and hears all prayers. The prayers of saints, however, and hence their intercession, have more weight because those souls have spent their lives selflessly purifying their nafs. Some people may seek help for desperate material circumstances, others to improve or heal their spiritual lives. I wholeheartedly agree with James Morelli's post, especially his conclusion. Instead of dry and ignorant self-righteousness, it behooves us all to show active compassion and love, and leave the rest to God. After all, intention is key. Wallahu A3lam.
محمد القيسي Posted 2009-07-18
Sufism, saints and sacred mausoleums require volumes to explain them. We should not just deny everything we don't know. This is the easiest way to avoid analysis of reality. May God curse ignorance and superficiality.
Le sorcier breton Posted 2009-08-28
There is an element of analysis that is only slightly used in all the comments here and that seems critical to understand behaviour. This website's users opt for religious debates when, in reality, an ethnologic approach needs to be emphasised to understand these phenomena. Marabouts do not exist only in Morocco; however they are called, they are located in all continents and in every religion. Being originally from the region of Brittany in France, on a daily basis I see people gather at Sainte-Anne d'Auray. These practices are ancestral and it could be said that they transcend the simple religious sphere. This is, as the sociologists cited in the article precisely explained, the sacralisation of a ritual that has broken from secular temporality. Therefore, the question that legitimately arises is: Why are the visits of these saints not weakening in Morocco? Personally, while sitting on the magnificent terrace of café Moulay Yacoob, I was so impressed in seeing people use all of their strength to climb to the summit of the mountain sheltering Lalla Chafia in the scorching sun. Whoever the saint is, one frightening observation concerns me: most of the people who visit the marabouts are incapable of situating the man in question in history. Who was he? When did he live? These are habits passed down from generation to generation without stepping back to take a look at them. Two of my friends and I pushed this observation into the realm of the absurd, coming up with a plan that was as eccentric as it was grotesque: Why not build our own mausoleum in Kenitra, put a fake tomb there and claim that the holy man had the power to marry anyone!
عبد الحق Posted 2009-09-12
There is no power and no will but from God the Almighty. This is the first pre-Islamic period. It is madness we need. Fear God creatures of God.
سامي Posted 5 days ago
Thank you my brothers for the valuable ideas. I ask you to provide me information about Sidi Chamharouch in Marrakech. Thank you very much.
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