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Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari
Shaykh al-Karkari on the Day of Arafa (2023) at his zawiya in Nador.
Spiritual Master
Born
Wednesday July 2, 1974 Temsaman, Morocco
Venerated in
Islam
Influences
Muhammad, Ahmad al-Alawi, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari
Tradition or genre
Shadhilli Sufism
Major works
Foundations of the Karkariya Order, The Sufi Path of Light, Introduction to Islamic Metaphysics
Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (born 1974) (in full: Sīdī Shaykh Abū ʿAbd Allāh Mohamed Faouzi b. Ṭayyib al-Karkari al-Idrīsī al-Ḥasanī) is a Moroccan Sufi shaykh[1] and living founder of the Karkariya Tariqa,[2] a newly formed branch of the prominent Shadhili order;[3] whose mother zawiya is located in Al Aaroui, Morocco.[4][5]
al-Karkari's Karkariya tariqa is physically distinguished by the practice of the wearing of the muraqqa˓a, a colorful patched cloak[6] intended to generate humility in the disciple, as well to revive a Sunnah of Muhammad.[7][8]
Shaykh al-Karkari's tariqa has spread beyond Morocco[9] to other regions of the Maghreb,[10][11] and is beginning to proliferate internationally with burgeoning presence in France and North America.[5] His tariqa is spiritually distinct from other Sufi orders and spiritual paths by being centered on the witnessing of the Light of God, as attested to by a multitude of the Shaykh's disciples.[1][3] His disciples address him by the title Sīdī Shaykh.
Shaykh al-Karkari made his first visit to the United States in May 2023, on invitation from the University of Chicago's Divinity School, lecturing on artificial intelligence from the perspective of Sufism,[12] and other aspects of spiritual wayfaring[13] unique to his tariqa.[14]
Biography[edit]
Shaykh al-Karkari was born on Wednesday July 2, 1974, inside of a zawiya in Temsaman, Morocco.[15]
Born to a Sharīf—Sīdī Mūlāy Ṭayyib al-Karkarī al-Idrīsī al-Ḥasanī—making Shaykh Al-Karkari a descendent of Muhammad.[15]
His recent ancestors were themselves masters of Tasawwuf under the Shadhili, including his paternal grandfather Sīdī Mūlāy Ṭāhir al-Karkarī (initiated by Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi himself), and his uncle and own spiritual master Shaykh Mūlāy al-Ḥasan al-Karkari.[15]
Due to a trying experience in his late teens, al-Karkari left home, wandering across Morocco on foot. During this ten year physical and spiritual journey, termed a siyaha, al-Karkari learned tajrid or disengagement from other than God as well as total trust in God (tawakkul).[13]
After receiving a dream beckoning him to return home, al-Karkari returned to his family in Nador, Morocco.[13] Burning with the desire for repentance, al-Karkari formally entered into learning the sciences of tasawwuf, entering into ba'yah with his uncle and murshid Shaykh Mūlāy al-Ḥasan al-Karkari.[15]
He would be one of only a few disciples of Shaykh al-Ḥasan, initiated into the central science of Sufism: the invocation and reading of the name of Allah.
Prior to his passing, Shaykh al-Ḥasan would give Shaykh al-Karkari permission to transmit the tariqa and train disciples as a shaykh.[15]
Publications[edit]
Several of Shaykh al-Karkari's books and teachings have been translated into English, including:
The Foundations of the Karkariya Order. Published: July 2, 2021, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978567.[16]
The Sufi Path of Light. Published: February 23, 2023, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978826.[17]
Introduction to Islamic Metaphysics. Published: August 11, 2021, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978581.[18]
In the Footsteps of Moses: A Contemporary Sufi Commentary on the Story of God's Confidant (kalīm Allāh) in the Qurʾān. Published: January 18, 2021, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978512.[19]
Sufism Revived: A Contemporary Treatise on Divine Light, Prophecy, and Sainthood. Published: January 25, 2021, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978529.[20]
Candles on the Path. Published: December 10, 2023, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978925.[21]
Wisdoms of the Heart. Published: June 19, 2022, Les 7 Lectures. ISBN 9782930978727.[22]