During my school years, when someone asked me where I want to go on holiday, I usually responded with malaga, Ibiza or Magaluf...
Fast forward to present day and dreams of wild parties on a beach in the summer have been replaced with an ineffaceable yearning to visit the places of revered figures in Islam, where they lived and continue to live. This is the backdrop to which my Moroccan obsession is built upon.
There are many times throughout life in which you come across people and you may only exchange a few words, but from that meeting you have been changed. Such encounters make you reflect on your state and how careful one must be around others as the state can be powerful thing. I have been fortunate to meet such people both in England and abroad. However it was meeting these people in England that made me think how someone can achieve such a state, that without saying many words they have the ability to change someone's life. It was meeting these people in England that set me on my journey.
From my own personal experience, the people I was closest to and encountered most regularly spoke of their personal journey and more often that not it usually began or had a connection to Morocco. So the time came to stop hearing about the amazing experiences, encounters and people of Morocco and to go and experience it myself
The opportunity to go to Morocco presented itself in the form of an international gathering of remembrance, remembrance of God. People from all over the world were expected to attend, for this one purpose, so it only made sense that I should go and experience this.
Not knowing what to expect, as this was my first time travelling to morocco, I booked my ticket with a friend. We made travel plans that included renting a car which we knew would be something short of a 13 hour drive from the airport to our destination, however quickly we learnt that such journeys you are not in charge of and no matter how well you plan, you will never be able to adequately prepare for them.
Nervous, anxious and excited as I boarded the Ryan Air flight from London Stansted Airport to Fes, Morocco. We arrived in Fes early afternoon in May 2013 with the temperature just over 30 degrees
After adjusting to driving on the other (wrong) side of the road. First stop was the old Medina in Fes which is an ancient city (in all meanings of the word) filled with roads that would confuse any westerner. This city was established by Moulay Idris, he made a supplication when he established it and the fruits of this supplication is evident.
Arrival to one of the city gates we were approached by many people asking if I needed help however I still had my western suspicion guard up on high and either ignored or responded with 'no thanks' to whoever approached us. Soon after, I realised that I am going to need help so I asked someone where the Tijani* Zawiya* was as this was one of the places to visit that I had in mind, I was taken to the Zawiya and we arrived just as the wazifa* began. As we entered we were met with people from all over the world and the distinct sound of dhikr* in the background. From this I noticed the faces of people and that light emanated from the very beings of these people. It was overwhelming and I quickly made mental comparisons between people in England and the people here. "We are all human" I thought, but what's different? I came to realise that it was the constant remembrance and constant reminder to remember God that produced such people. As it was beginning to get late we had intentions to visit the zawiya of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib in Meknes, after driving through the crazy streets of Morocco we arrived at the street where we were told that we would find the zawiya. We asked somebody and they led us down through an alleyway, skeptical once again, I thought we were about to be ambushed so I was ready to fight or thought I was. We continued down the alleyway and arrived at a door and we were told to go inside. We went inside and were greeted by a man who we learn is the caretaker of the zawiya (Moulay Abdullah). Sigh of relief and in true westerner fashion I asked where the ibis nearby is so that we could check in. He replied "Why? You've come all this way. Stay here". Taken back at first, but of course we obliged. It was a Thursday night and we were informed that it is the night of their weekly dhikr. We prayed isha and slowly people began to arrive. Singing poetry that I knew from the diwan* of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib with rhythms I had not heard before, accompanied by Moroccan tea served by one elderly man throughout the night. I did not put my cup down save that it was full again the next time I went to pick it up. This was followed by a discourse and a meal, which was of course cous cous and chicken.
We explained that we have come for the mawsim* and Moulay Abdullah suggested that as the drive is long we take a man who knows the way. He was a Berber elderly man (Sidi Nejmi) who loved Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib and it was evident, he spoke no English but as I quickly learnt, effective communication is done through the hearts and not the tongue.
We left just after Fajr to where the mawsim would take place (kelat magouna), first stopping off at Sidi Nejmi's house on the way in Errachdia. We arrived at his house and the mint tea with biscuits were waiting for us. I was quite hungry however I was quite happy to have biscuits and mint tea as this would have kept me going. This was just the beginning. The first course was cous cous with chicken, I don't know how true this is but I've heard that it is custom in morocco not to finish all the food on the plate as there will always be another course, (wish I knew this before) this was followed by a tajine and concluded with fresh fruit. Absolutely stuffed, we headed out to pick up another elderly man named Bil Hajj, who lived on the way, in a place that looked like a scene from an enchanted city. By now I was conscious of the time and getting frustrated that we still have a long way to go in order to get to our destination but thoughts of anxiousness were interrupted with non stop dhikr, singing and laughter by our two passengers. By now I adopted the relaxed Moroccan attitude and was taking it all in. Letting go and allowing myself be taken.
We arrived in kelat magouna for the night of dhikr and here I saw something I've never witnessed before. From men who looked ancient to kids younger than myself all with one visible common factor. Faces filled with light. Perhaps I will go into the details of the dhikr at another time. One story that has stayed with me since this trip is one man named Moulay Hassan from the desert who has cancer and had been told he does not have long to live. He relayed a story to us of when his sister began to cry at the news that he had to have some of his toes amputated and he responded to her "Dont worry I will have my toes back in the hereafter" in reference to a prophetic tradition of "You have what you send forward". I realised that although many people like to think they follow the Prophet and latch onto aspects of the Prophet's character however for men such as Moulay Hassan it was a reality for them and nearness to God was not an option but a daily lived experience.
You've made it this far. This is in short, a summary of why I love Morocco so much. I have never experienced such hospitality, generosity and love in my life and this was from people who I just met. Words can only highlight what I experienced and I highly recommend if you want to see the beauty of God manifested in people then visit Morocco.
"Where words fail, experience speaks"
Diwan = Collection of Poetry
Mawsim = Gathering of dhikr which usually headed by a particular Shaykh (Spiritual guide)
Fast forward to present day and dreams of wild parties on a beach in the summer have been replaced with an ineffaceable yearning to visit the places of revered figures in Islam, where they lived and continue to live. This is the backdrop to which my Moroccan obsession is built upon.
There are many times throughout life in which you come across people and you may only exchange a few words, but from that meeting you have been changed. Such encounters make you reflect on your state and how careful one must be around others as the state can be powerful thing. I have been fortunate to meet such people both in England and abroad. However it was meeting these people in England that made me think how someone can achieve such a state, that without saying many words they have the ability to change someone's life. It was meeting these people in England that set me on my journey.
From my own personal experience, the people I was closest to and encountered most regularly spoke of their personal journey and more often that not it usually began or had a connection to Morocco. So the time came to stop hearing about the amazing experiences, encounters and people of Morocco and to go and experience it myself
The opportunity to go to Morocco presented itself in the form of an international gathering of remembrance, remembrance of God. People from all over the world were expected to attend, for this one purpose, so it only made sense that I should go and experience this.
Not knowing what to expect, as this was my first time travelling to morocco, I booked my ticket with a friend. We made travel plans that included renting a car which we knew would be something short of a 13 hour drive from the airport to our destination, however quickly we learnt that such journeys you are not in charge of and no matter how well you plan, you will never be able to adequately prepare for them.
Nervous, anxious and excited as I boarded the Ryan Air flight from London Stansted Airport to Fes, Morocco. We arrived in Fes early afternoon in May 2013 with the temperature just over 30 degrees
After adjusting to driving on the other (wrong) side of the road. First stop was the old Medina in Fes which is an ancient city (in all meanings of the word) filled with roads that would confuse any westerner. This city was established by Moulay Idris, he made a supplication when he established it and the fruits of this supplication is evident.
Arrival to one of the city gates we were approached by many people asking if I needed help however I still had my western suspicion guard up on high and either ignored or responded with 'no thanks' to whoever approached us. Soon after, I realised that I am going to need help so I asked someone where the Tijani* Zawiya* was as this was one of the places to visit that I had in mind, I was taken to the Zawiya and we arrived just as the wazifa* began. As we entered we were met with people from all over the world and the distinct sound of dhikr* in the background. From this I noticed the faces of people and that light emanated from the very beings of these people. It was overwhelming and I quickly made mental comparisons between people in England and the people here. "We are all human" I thought, but what's different? I came to realise that it was the constant remembrance and constant reminder to remember God that produced such people. As it was beginning to get late we had intentions to visit the zawiya of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib in Meknes, after driving through the crazy streets of Morocco we arrived at the street where we were told that we would find the zawiya. We asked somebody and they led us down through an alleyway, skeptical once again, I thought we were about to be ambushed so I was ready to fight or thought I was. We continued down the alleyway and arrived at a door and we were told to go inside. We went inside and were greeted by a man who we learn is the caretaker of the zawiya (Moulay Abdullah). Sigh of relief and in true westerner fashion I asked where the ibis nearby is so that we could check in. He replied "Why? You've come all this way. Stay here". Taken back at first, but of course we obliged. It was a Thursday night and we were informed that it is the night of their weekly dhikr. We prayed isha and slowly people began to arrive. Singing poetry that I knew from the diwan* of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib with rhythms I had not heard before, accompanied by Moroccan tea served by one elderly man throughout the night. I did not put my cup down save that it was full again the next time I went to pick it up. This was followed by a discourse and a meal, which was of course cous cous and chicken.
We explained that we have come for the mawsim* and Moulay Abdullah suggested that as the drive is long we take a man who knows the way. He was a Berber elderly man (Sidi Nejmi) who loved Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib and it was evident, he spoke no English but as I quickly learnt, effective communication is done through the hearts and not the tongue.
We left just after Fajr to where the mawsim would take place (kelat magouna), first stopping off at Sidi Nejmi's house on the way in Errachdia. We arrived at his house and the mint tea with biscuits were waiting for us. I was quite hungry however I was quite happy to have biscuits and mint tea as this would have kept me going. This was just the beginning. The first course was cous cous with chicken, I don't know how true this is but I've heard that it is custom in morocco not to finish all the food on the plate as there will always be another course, (wish I knew this before) this was followed by a tajine and concluded with fresh fruit. Absolutely stuffed, we headed out to pick up another elderly man named Bil Hajj, who lived on the way, in a place that looked like a scene from an enchanted city. By now I was conscious of the time and getting frustrated that we still have a long way to go in order to get to our destination but thoughts of anxiousness were interrupted with non stop dhikr, singing and laughter by our two passengers. By now I adopted the relaxed Moroccan attitude and was taking it all in. Letting go and allowing myself be taken.
We arrived in kelat magouna for the night of dhikr and here I saw something I've never witnessed before. From men who looked ancient to kids younger than myself all with one visible common factor. Faces filled with light. Perhaps I will go into the details of the dhikr at another time. One story that has stayed with me since this trip is one man named Moulay Hassan from the desert who has cancer and had been told he does not have long to live. He relayed a story to us of when his sister began to cry at the news that he had to have some of his toes amputated and he responded to her "Dont worry I will have my toes back in the hereafter" in reference to a prophetic tradition of "You have what you send forward". I realised that although many people like to think they follow the Prophet and latch onto aspects of the Prophet's character however for men such as Moulay Hassan it was a reality for them and nearness to God was not an option but a daily lived experience.
You've made it this far. This is in short, a summary of why I love Morocco so much. I have never experienced such hospitality, generosity and love in my life and this was from people who I just met. Words can only highlight what I experienced and I highly recommend if you want to see the beauty of God manifested in people then visit Morocco.
"Where words fail, experience speaks"
Sidi Ali
Night of dhikr in the zawiya of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib
Men of Knowledge
Man I asked to take a picture of in the streets of Fes
Man serving tea in the zawiya of Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Al-Habib
Sidi Nejmi
Tijani = A Sufic order named after the saint, Shaykh Ahmad Tijani
Zawiya = Place where dhikr takes place
Wazifa = Daily litany
Dhikr = Remembrance of God
Diwan = Collection of Poetry
Mawsim = Gathering of dhikr which usually headed by a particular Shaykh (Spiritual guide)
Momodou
So... How much is a one-way ticket to Morocco? :)
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