Sharifism is a term used to describe the system in pre-colonial
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
in which the
''shurafā —descendants of the Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
(through his grandson
Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan ibn Ali ( ar, الحسن بن علي, translit=Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ...
, in the case of Morocco
)—held a privileged religious and political position in society.
Those who claimed this lineage were regarded as a kind of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
and were privileged, in the words of
Sahar Bazzaz, "as political agents, as interlocutors between various sectors of society, and as would be dynasts of Morocco."
They were additionally believed to possess
''baraka'', or blessing power.
Claiming this lineage also served to justify authority; the
Idrisi dynasty (788-974), the
Saadi dynasty
The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...
(1510-1659), and the
'Alawi dynasty
The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...
(1631–present) all claimed lineage from
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...
.
History
The
''shurafā''' surfaced in the
Marinid
The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) a ...
period as a loosely defined group with social and political privilege, gaining political prestige through their involvement in the
jihad
Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
ist resistance to Iberian Catholic invasions in the 15th century.
Under Sharifism, the ''shurafā'
'' came to be venerated as saints—
''awliā''' ''sāliḥīn'' ( "righteous authorities")—by all social classes in Morocco.
Sharifism manifested itself in
Mawlid
Mawlid, Mawlid an-Nabi ash-Sharif or Eid Milad un Nabi ( ar, المولد النبوي, translit=mawlid an-nabawī, lit=Birth of the Prophet, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic , , among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes , ) ...
celebrations, claims of possessing prophetic
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
s, a new hagiographic tradition, and traditions of
ziyara
In Islam, ''ziyara(h)'' ( ar, زِيَارَة ''ziyārah'', "visit") or ''ziyarat'' ( fa, , ''ziyārat'', "pilgrimage") is a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shī'ī Imā ...
to the
tombs
A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...
and the
zawiyas of the ''shurafā, which were considered "sacred and inviolable," and offered sanctuary ( ''ḥurm'') from the
Makhzen
Makhzen (Arabic: , Berber: ''Lmexzen'') is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servant ...
.
Sufi teachings associated with
Muhammad al-Jazuli
Abū 'Abdullah Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān ibn Abū Bakr al-Jazūli al-Simlālī () (d. 1465AD = 870AH), often known as Imam al-Jazuli or Sheikh Jazuli, was a Moroccan Sufi Saint. He is best known for compiling the ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'', an extr ...
supported the idea of the authority of the ''shurafā'
''.
These teachings were rooted in the concept of ''
tajdid
''Tajdīd'' ( ar, تجديد) is the Arabic word for ''renewal''. In an Islamic context, ''tajdīd'' refers to the revival of Islam, in order to purify and reform society, to move it toward greater equity and justice. One who practices ''tajdīd' ...
'' ( "renewal"), based on the
prophetic teaching "God will send to this community at the turn of every century someone who will restore religion." al-Jazuli and his followers saw the
''awliā ''sāliḥīn'' as models of spiritual and social virtue.
The
Saadi dynasty
The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...
revived Sharifism in the 16th century to assert
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
supremacy in a mostly
Amazigh
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, pop2 ...
region.
At this time, it competed with and eventually marginalized
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
to become the main channel of legitimacy and power.
It became particularly important in the "Maraboutic Crisis," referring to the power struggles involving Sufi
zawiyas or
ribat
A ribāṭ ( ar, رِبَـاط; hospice, hostel, base or retreat) is an Arabic term for a small fortification built along a frontier during the first years of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb to house military volunteers, called ''murabitun'' ...
s following the end of the powerful Amazigh dynasties (the
Almoravids
The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...
, the
Almohads
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fo ...
, and the
Marinids
The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...
), which intensified after the death of
Ahmad al-Mansur
Ahmad al-Mansur ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد المنصور, Ahmad Abu al-Abbas al-Mansur, also al-Mansur al-Dahabbi (the Golden), ar, أحمد المنصور الذهبي; and Ahmed al-Mansour; 1549 in Fes – 25 August 1603, Fes) was the ...
, when his sons
Zidan Abu Maali
Zidan Abu Maali ( ar, زيدان أبو معالي) (? – September 1627; or Muley Zidan) was the embattled Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1603 to 1627. He was the son and heir of Ahmad al-Mansur by his wife Lalla Aisha bint Abu Bakkar, a lady of ...
and
Abu Faris Abdallah
Abu Faris Abdallah (), nicknamed al-Wathiq Billah (b. 1564 – d. 1608) was a Sub-divided ruler of the Saadi dynasty. He was one of the sons of Ahmad al-Mansur by on of his harem slave concubines named Elkheizourân (some cite her name as Eldjau ...
fought for the throne.
Under the Saadi dynasty, the armed Sufi ribats represented a challenge to the Makhzen's authority.
The Saadis sought to absorb the authority of the Sufis by taking over jihad.
They even dug up
Muhammad al-Jazuli's body and buried it in a mausoleum in Marrakesh.
The
Alawite dynasty from
Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet (; ar, تافيلالت), historically Sijilmasa, is a region and the largest oasis in Morocco.
Etymology
The word "Tafilalt" is an Amazigh word and it means "Jug", which is specifically a pottery jar used to store water.
H ...
rose to power through its own claims of prophetic lineage as well as its alliances with ''shurafā families in
Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...
, especially the
Idrisid
The Idrisid dynasty or Idrisids ( ar, الأدارسة ') were an Arab Muslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-day Morocco and parts of present-day western Algeria. Named after the founder, Idris I, the Idrisids were an Alid and ...
family, descendants of the founder of Fes,
Idris II
Idris bin Idris ( ar, إدريس بن إدريس) known as Idris II ( ar, إدريس الثاني) (August 791 – August 828), was the son of Idris I, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco. He was born in Walīlī two months after the de ...
.
Beginning during the reign of Sultan
Ismail
Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...
(1672-1727), the Makhzen began to officially document and verify lineages, restricting the number of families that could receive tax cuts and other benefits on the basis of their ''sharīfī'' lineage.
Pre-colonial period
Edmund Burke III described Sharifism as "central to Moroccan politics" in the precolonial period.
Prestige, influence, and power in Moroccan society were based on lineage rather than wealth, and families of ''sharīfī'' descent were, according to Sahar Bazzaz, "more likely to gain wealth as a result of their noble descent or through access to the patron-client networks of these sharifan families."
Examples of Sharifism in the pre-colonial period include the vast land holdings north of
Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...
of the ''shurafā of
Wazzān, the rebellions against the
Makhzen
Makhzen (Arabic: , Berber: ''Lmexzen'') is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servant ...
led by the
sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
s of the Sharqāwi Sufi order, and the campaign of the pretender
al-Jilāli az-Zarhūni.
19th century changes
The 19th century saw the rise of a new merchant class with unprecedented political influence. This new commercial elite began to supplant traditional hierarchies based on ''sharīfī'' lineage,
gaining power and prestige through its ties with European trading companies and knowledge of European languages and modern governing, economic, and business models, of great value to the Makhzen.
In 1830, for example, after the
French invasion of Algiers
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, a group of merchants from
Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...
convinced Sultan
Abd al-Rahman
Abd al-Rahman ( ar, عبد الرحمن, translit=ʿAbd al-Raḥmān or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman''; also Abdul Rahman) is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', '' ...
not to end relations with France, as their commercial interests in Algeria were too important to be threatened by political conflict.
After the
Anglo-Moroccan Treaty of 1856
The Anglo-Moroccan Treaty of 1856 was a treaty between Morocco and the United Kingdom signed in Tangier on December 9, 1856. It was signed after long negotiations between John Hay Drummond Hay and Muhammad al-Khatib, representatives of Queen Victor ...
and later treaties with France and Spain, Moroccan merchants—Muslims and Jews alike—flourished.
From the mid-19th century, Moroccan merchants joined the bureaucracy of the Makhzen, which was expanding to facilitate relations with Europe, in roles as tariff-inspectors or the ''umanā'
'' established by
Muhammad IV.
References
{{reflist
History of Morocco