Coming to Islam in Morocco

 Dear Jamal Morelli, I would like  to share your unfolding of islam in Maghrib with another first hand account of a faqir named Sidi Khairudin al-Johori who stayed more than 20 years in England when he befriended with this seeker recently :

Anticipating A Future Shaykh in Morocco From The West

As we traveled in my 15 years old car to the ribat at Ukay Perdana Heights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia one Saturday night of 19 June 2005, a strange story unfolds. This happen many times to the newcomers by the baraka of keeping company and traveling with any fuqara of sidi shaykh will reveals unexpected wisdom from their encounters. A faqir who spent many years in Europe cannot contain his share of amazement unloaded from sidi abdal aziz redpath of Norwich.

Here the story  starts:

A great sufi many decades ago in Morocco was given a dream that 2 men and a woman from afar will one day visit his little zawiya village near Fez. One of them is destined to be a great Shaykh or Wali. But all this will be happen in the future. He may not lived long to witness it.

Before he died, he told this dream to his young servant girl : Bury me here and give food-feed the poor everyday who visited my tomb. When you saw two strangers men and a woman traveling from Europe stop at my tomb, make them stay 3 days as my guest at this zawiya and then told them my vision and wishes.

So for a long time had passed and this young servant grew to old age but still no signs of that encounter as told by his master. She keep feeding the poor as the Sunna of Rasul, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

One day- three peole from England travelled to Morocco in search of a sufi Shaykh. They are Sidi Abdal Aziz Redpath and his wife Rabea and another man. They were suppose going to the ancient city of Fez, passing this little village and paid a visit to the shrine of this wali. Immediately this woman guardian recognized them as predicted by the vision of his master. They wanted to go after this brief stopover but this lady forced them to stay longer. Despite strong protest, she said you must stay 3 nights as my guests.

After 3 days, the old woman told them the dream and the instruction on this wali and how she had fulfilled the wish. Now off you go � to see the Shaykh you want. They were told to meet Shaykh Muhammad ibn alHabib (SMH)  at Fez or Meknes where he has zawiyyas. That was somewhere 35 years ago in 1968.

So in retrospect, this faqir commented that Allah Taala in His knowledge and Decree, many years ago will cause the Shadhiliyya Darqawi Tariqa to be revive by a man from the West. But we must strive ahead to meet our destiny, not sitting still. SMH was also expecting this future murid who will a future Shaykh by asking Allah Taala to send him to sent man  to receive this tremendous sufic wisdom.

Alhamdulillah, do you see the baraka of this many layers of  people and journey to Him ? No doubt that sidi abdal aziz redpath who keep constant company with this man knew a lot of this early secrets and karama. We had met him twice when he traveled to Malaysia in 1990 and 2001. His wife rabea redpath also had wonderful expereinece living among the wives of SMH in Meknes when they just embraced islam and learns from him and his fuqara and faqirats. SMH passed away 3 years later.

That man predicted and the future Shaykh is none other than our Master, Shaykh Abdal Qadir as-Sufi of the contemporary Darqawi tariqa in the West when he completed the suluk and opening by the blessed inheritor of Shaykh Alawi, Shaykh al-Fayturi of Benghazi, Libya sometime in 1976.

Masya Allah, wa ma taufiqi illa bi�llah. We thanks Allah tabaraka wa taala for the gift of islam, iman and ihsan conveyed thru His Prophet, Companions and Awliya. May Allah give us a tasting of a moment of their glorious lives.

Rumi said:

Only the perfect wali is beyond

Air, earth, fire and water

For he lives already here

In the world of spirits

(page 264 The Triumphal Sun)

by Annemarie Schimmel