NAME & LINEAGE
This is the great Imam, the shining sun in the sky of Haqiqa, the heir to the secret of the Divine Essence, the rescued by the Light of the Attributes, the holder of the noble spiritual aspiration, the approved characters and the Muhammadan sciences, the Ahmadian seal and the Muhammadan figure, Sidi Mohamed Faouzi Al-Karkari, may Allah be pleased with him. His lineage goes back to the one without whom existence would not have been (may the peace of Allah and His blessings be upon him). He is the noble idrissid through the path of his ancestors, a path that goes all the way back to the “gateway to the city of Science”, our master Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
BIRTH AND YOUTH
He was born on a Wednesday in the year 1394 (of his beloved ancestor’s hegira), corresponding to 1974 of the Christian era, in the Tamsamane region of the Moroccan Rif, whose people are renowned for their faith and bravery. It was here that he spent his childhood and youth. His childhood was marked by seriousness in all situations, not by idleness, play or laziness. He grew up under the guidance of his parents and in the practice of religion. His uniqueness was already apparent at that time. He had true visions that occurred in sensory reality (Al-Moulk) as he had seen them in the Malakout. He received his primary education in the town of al Hoceima.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
He’s neither tall nor short. His skin is white, verging on red. His face is handsome and his eyes have a surprising vivacity. His gaze is piercing. How often my gaze met his and I felt a shiver run through my body! Sometimes, this shiver reached my eyes and tears flowed from them. You can see the Light on his face, which is impossible to miss for anyone with an inner eye. Whoever sees him feels fear, and whoever frequents him loves him. He left behind the sought-after garments to prefer the Murakaa.
HIS PERSONALITY
Language cannot describe the character of this great Imam. And words, however eloquent, could not describe even an atom of his characters and merits, may Allah be pleased with him. And how could one describe a servant whose objective has transcended both worlds, whose gaze has stooped to anything other than his goal, whom no station attracts, no prodigy distracts and whose objective is none other than Allah, the One and none other. He is often heard to say, “If a man came to me with the four great angels, it would not trouble me.
MANIFEST CHARACTERS
Humility is one of his qualities. We witnessed the expression of his great humility, so much so that we ourselves, being Murid, were seized by it the first time we saw him. In fact, he was taking the shoes of the Fouqaras to put them away for them. That image has remained engraved in my memory ever since. And it was the opposite of the attitude of the other Sheikhs of Zawya to whom I had pledged allegiance. Indeed, our Sheikh would be found serving his guests himself. He fulfills his own needs. How many times have I sat with him at a dining table when the water ran out? He would get up of his own accord to fetch it, without ordering me to.
HIS SCIENCE AND HIS STATE
He holds the reality of science in his time, and this because he is the heir to the Khatmiyya of the Supreme Hidden Name. He speaks a high language in the knowledge of Allah, truly understood only by those like him. He brings enormous knowledge out of a small thing. When he begins to speak of a single letter, a multitude of meanings emerge until the listener is astonished at the immensity of his knowledge. Suffice it to say that, ever since he became Sheikh, he has spoken only of the Ha of the Name of the Majesty. Each time, he brings back a whole new understanding and a sense of subtlety. He says, “Take from me what you will. My knowledge comes from Allah’s messenger. How many divine lights and secrets, O Murid, can you carry? Well, I don’t get tired… as long as you don’t get tired!
WORSHIP AND EFFORT
In this respect, he adopted the attitude of the pious predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them. This is a unique pearl that serves as a model for those who know the reality of following them and fighting against the carnal soul. We’ll see that he follows the sunna in his words, gestures and states, ever vigilant in following it. Likewise, he urges his companions and family to do so, and tastes for himself the bitterness of the battle against the carnal soul. For a time, he prayed all night and fasted continuously. He had taken to cutting his youth with water or earth. Indeed, he would put saliva on his finger and scoop up the earth with it, in order to break his fast. He would travel long distances on foot, evoking Allah and saying “It is fitting for the aspirant to try all the categories of worship.
HIS TARIQA AND HIS WAY OF EDUCATION
He’s the one who set up his path and can change it at any time… His way is the alliance between the path and rapture. By rapture, we mean the rapture of hearts by the Lights of the Beloved towards the presence of the Beloved. This is a rapture of which the Fakir is unaware, because it is a subtle rapture accompanied by the help of the Most-Mild. His tariqa can be said to be the alliance between Majesty and Magnificence. However, his inner side is lordly. Its outer side is made up of noble cultic behavior. Thus, we will see that the Mourid karkari remains constant in repentance in the presence of secrecy while holding fast to acts of worship. I heard the Sheikh say, may Allah be pleased with him: “Our tariqa is that of the Supreme Hidden Name. His tariqa embraces all that is good, with the addition of holding the Secret. Perfection is mixed with guidance.
SOME OF HIS "KARAMAT"
The true prodigy is the strict following of the master of creation, may the peace of Allah and His blessings be upon him. The servant therefore follows his sunna outwardly and inwardly, by word, deed and state. It was from this spring that our Sheikh drank, and it was in this sea that he drowned. One of his prodigies is that we present ourselves to him. Inwardly, you think of something. Then he starts talking about it, clarifying his solution. The same goes for hearing a hadith or a verse from him. Then a knowledge and understanding that we didn’t have before takes root in our hearts. And this, without any effort of thought. Rather, it’s the Sheikh’s baraka emanating from him as he utters these words. One of the Sheikh’s habits is to act as if he were giving a lecture while the Fouqaras are gathered around him. He then describes your state, and you know that the target is only yourself.