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TheSecretsandHistoryoftheMadaniyyaSufiTariqahofKsibetal‐
Mediouni,Tunisia.
RyanHeislerSITFinalPaperMay11,2009
IbeganmyIndependentStudyProjectintentonstudyingSufismin
Tunisia,althoughIwasnotsurehowIwasgoingtodoso.Tobegin,Sufismis
Islamicmysticism,theadherentsofwhichstrivetounderstandGodasthesource
ofeverythingintheUniverse,andembracetheirexistencethroughHim.1Iasked
quiteafewpeopleaboutSufituruq(pluraloftariqah,whichliterallymeans
"way,"inArabic.ThiswordrefersbothtothewaybywhichSufisattemptto
drawneartoGod,andtoindividualordersorbrotherhoods)2,butnoneseemed
toknowanySufiswithwhomIcoulddiscusstheirpracticesandbeliefs.Earlier
thisyear,thegroupIwasstudyingwithvisitedtheshrineofSidial‐Hajj
Ambarak,asaintwholivedandtaughttheremanyhundredsofyearsago.While
there,thesharifah,thewomanwholivesinit,watchesoverit,and
accommodatesguestswhocometovisitthesaint,saidthatshereceivesvisitors
throughouttheyear,whoIassumedtobeSufis,sinceIknewfrommyprevious
studiesofSufismthatsaintsandshrinesplayanimportantroleinSufismin
general.Idecidedtobeginmyresearchthere,andsoIreturnedtospeakwiththe
sharifahandherhusband.
Thezawiyyah(alsoreferredtoasashrine,itisaplaceofworship,usually
ofaSufitariqah,althoughSidiAl‐HajjAmbarakisnotassociatedwithaspecific
brotherhood.Onemayincludethetombofarespectedshaykh,prayerrooms,
anddormitoriesforvisitors)islocatedonthesideofahillonthenortherncoast
ofTunisiaoutsideofavillagecalledGharal‐Milh.Itssharifah,whoiscalledKhalti
Beya3,andherhusbandSiHedi4occupythetombitself,andhaveoneothersmall
roomtostorefoodandwater.Theycooktheirfoodonametalgrillovercoalsin
aclaypot,andboilwaterforteaonakerosenestove.Theyusecandlesforlight
atnight,andsleeponfutonsonthefloor,nexttothetomb.Behindthebuilding
standmanystonewalls,allfallingapart,thatusedtomakeupotherbuildings,
1Foramorefullexplanation,seeChittick,WillliamC.Sufism:AShortIntroduction.OneworldProductions.2000.Iwilldiscussthisidea,alsocalledWahdatalWujud,later.2Lings,Martin.ASufiSaintoftheTwentiethCentury:ShaikhAhmadal‘Alawi.UniversityofCaliforniaPress,BerkleyCalifornia.January1972.3TheTunisianwordkhalticomesfromtheArabickhalati,meaning‘mymaternalaunt.’InTunisia,itisusedasatermofendearmentandrespect.4‘Si’isacommonprefixattachedtoaman’snametoshowrespect.Itisroughlyequivalenttothetitle‘Mr.’
buthavenowfallenintodisrepair.Theyarebothelderly,andcannoyleavethe
zawiyyah,asitwouldmeanclimbingdownaverysteephill,andwalkingmore
thanakilometertothenearestvillage,sotheyrelyonrelativestobringthem
suppliesperiodically.Despitewhatlittletheyhave,theyveryinsistentlyfedme
andgavemeabedforthenight,andIwillbeforevergratefulfortheir
generosity.
KhaltiBeyaandSiHedihadlittletooffermeonthesubjectofSufism,
however.WhenIaskedthemaboutthevisitorswhocometotheshrine,they
couldonlytellmethatsomeofthemwereSufis,andotherswerenot.Theycould
nottellmetowhichturuqtheirvisitorsbelonged,norcouldtheydescribethe
specificthingspeopledowhentheycometovisit.IleftwiththeideaofSufismin
TunisianoclearerthanwhenIcame,anddecidedtostoponmywaybackto
TunisatthezawiyyahofSidi'Alial‐Makki,locatedinalargecaveinthesamehill
asSidiAl‐HajjAmbarak's.Ittoowasinpoorcondition,withthestuccopeelingoff
thewalls.Mostoftheroomswerealmostcompletelyempty,exceptforaprayer
rug,oramattomakesittingonthestonemorecomfortable.Eventhetombof
thesaintcontainedlittlemorethanaclothoverthegraveandaQur'anontop.
Thesharifah(thewomanwholivesatthezawiyyah,watchesoverit,and
accommodatesanyvisitorstothesaint)livesinasetofroomsseparatefromthe
restoftheshrine,althoughtheyarehardlybetterfurnished.Sheoccupiesonly
twooftherooms:abedroom,whichhasabed,aradio,andherQur'an,andthe
kitchen,withasmallgasstove,asink,andafewcabinets.
Ilearnedmanythingsfromthesharifahofthisshrine,whosenameis
Sharifah,butnothingaboutthepracticeofSufisminTunisia.Asshebroughtme
throughtheshrine,shetoldmemanystoriesaboutSidi'Alial‐Makki.Hewas
originallyfromMecca,andcametoTunisiamayhundredsofyearsago(she
couldnotsayexactlywhen)withtwocompanionsaftertravelingtoMoroccoto
visitthem.Hespentmanyyearsinthecavewherehiszawiyyahnowstands,
practicingdhikr(theremembranceofGodthroughtheinvocationofHisname,
discussedbelow).Beforetheendofhislife,hetraveledbacktoMecca,butdied
soonafterhisreturn.Hisfamily,accordinghiswishes,placedhisbodyona
camel,andsetitloose.Hewastobeburiedwhereverthecamelstopped.
AccordingtoSharifah,thecamelreturnedtothecaveinTunisiaandcametorest
atapoolofwater,wherethesaint'stombnowstands.DescendentsofSidi'Alial
Makkithensetupthezawiyyahthatisstilltheretoday.Sharifahtoldmethat
throughouttheyears,manydifferentSufituruqwouldcometotheshrineto
practicedhikr.Shecurrentlyreceivesvisitorsthroughouttheyear,although
mostlyinthesummer,someofwhomareSufisandsomearenot.
AftermytriptoGharal‐Milh,Idecidedtotryadifferentmethodof
studyingSufisminTunisia.Bythattime,IhadheardofatariqahcalledTariqat
alMadaniyyainKsibetal‐Mediouni,avillageoutsideofMonastir,and,through
thedirectorofmyprogram,foundsomeonewhocouldputmeintouchwiththe
shaykh.5IvisitedthezawiyyahoftheMadaniyyatwice,andspokewiththe
shaykhonce,althoughhewasreluctanttoprovidemewithmuchinformation.
Instead,IgatheredmuchoftheinformationIfoundfromtheMadaniyya's
website,andfromaninterviewwiththenephewofthecurrentshaykh.My
interviewwiththeshaykhdemonstratedtomethelevelofsecrecytheSufituruq
inTunisiakeepup,andthus,whyithadbeensodifficultformetofindany
informationonthemwhenIbeganmyresearch.
ThefatheroftheMadaniyya'scurrentshaykhandfounderofthetariqah,
ShaykhMuhammadibnKhalifaal‐Madani,tookhisinstructionintheSufiWay
fromShaykhAhmadal‐'Alawi,ashaykhoftheDarqawitariqahinAlgeria,6which
isanoffshootoftheShadhilyya,alargetariqahwhosebranchesaremainly
locatedinnorthernAfrica.Itwillbehelpfultoknowalittleaboutthelifeof
Shaykhal‐'AlawitounderstandhowhecametobethespiritualmasterofShaykh
al‐Madani.Alloftheinformationinthisshortaccountoftheshaykh'slifemaybe
foundwithinhisautobiography,whichMartinLingshasreproducedinfullinhis
bookASufiSaintoftheTwentiethCenturyonpages47‐78.
Al‐'Alawireceivedhisfirstinstructioninthemysticalpathinthe'Isawi
tariqah,abrotherhoodknownforitsunorthodoxpractices(forexample,hesays
thatduringhistimeinthegroupandafterheleftit,hepracticedsnake
charming).Afterbecomingproficientinthetariqah'spractices,al‐'Alawiclaims,
5Thewordshaykhisusuallyusedtodenoteamanwisewithage,althoughintheworldofSufism,itreferstotheheadofabrotherhood.6Lings,68
"GodwilledthatIshouldbeinspiredwiththetruth,"7afterwhichhegradually
begantodiscontinuethepracticeshehadlearnedanddistancehimselffromthe
tariqah.Al‐'Alawicontinuedtocharmsnakesandrunhisbusinesswithhis
friend,whomhecallsSidial‐Ḥajjbin'Awdah,untiltheymetandbegantomeet
withShaykhSidiMuhammadAl‐Buzidi.
Afterspendingtimewithal‐'Alawi,theshaykhsawinhimanaptitudefor
learningthemysticway,andsoinductedhimintohistariqah.Al‐Buzidigavehim
thebrotherhood'swird,8andeventuallytoldhimhowtopracticedhikrasa
Darqawi.Al‐'AlawisaysthathegainedaknowledgeofGodfrompracticingdhikr,
afterwhichpointBuziditoldhimthathemustguidementotheDarqawipathby
sharinghisknowledgewiththem.Al‐'Alawispentthenextfifteenyearsinthe
order,practicingdhikr,teachingfromhisshop,andhelpingattractfollowersto
thebrotherhood.
Al‐'Alawisaysthat,attheendofthisperiodoftime,Godputadesireto
leavehishomeofMostaganeminAlgeria.9Hesoldhisbelongings,acquireda
permittotravel,andsenthiswifetovisitherfamilyinTlemceninpreparationto
leave,buthecouldnotfulfillhisplansbecauseShaykhal‐Buzidibecameill,and
wassoontodie.Afterhisdeath,al‐'AlawireceivedwordfromTlemcenthathis
wifehadtakenillaswell,sohewenttoseeher,butwaswithheronlyforashort
timebeforeshepassedaway.HereturnedtoMostaganem,stillresolvedto
emigrate,buthadtowaitwhilehistravelpermitwasrenewed.Inthemeantime,
thebrothersofhisorderspenttheirtimetryingtodecidewhowouldtakeover
Shaykhal‐Buzidi'sroleandguidethetariqah.AlthoughShaykhal‐'Alawiknewhe
wouldbeconsideredfortheposition,heassumedthatthetariqahwouldelect
anothermanbecausetheyallknewofhisdesiretoleave.However,thebrothers
couldnotagree,anddecidedtoleavethedecisionforaweek'stimeandseeif
anyofthemwouldhaveavisionrevealingwhowastobecomethenewleaderof
thetariqah.10
7Lings,518AlitanyorformulamadeupofversesoftheQur'anwhichtheshaykhprescribeshisfollowerstorecitetwiceperday.Ibid.53.9Ibid.8210Lingsusesahadith,asayingattributedtotheProphetMuhammad,onpage64todemonstratethatvisionsareawayinwhichGodcommunicateswithbelievers.
Manyofal‐'Alawi'sfellowbrothershadvisionsinwhichShaykhal‐Buzidi
toldthemthatal‐'Alawiwashisspiritualheir,andsotheybeggedhimtoguide
thematleastinthetimebeforehelefttotravel.Theysucceededinpersuading
himtoremainwiththem,atleastforashorttime,andsohetookoathsof
allegiancefromallofthem.Atthispoint,theorderwasstillaDarqawitariqah.
AboutfiveyearsafterShaykhal‐'Alawitookover,hewoulddecidetobreakoff
thetariqah'sconnectionwiththeDarqawiyyah,andforgehisownway,whichhe
called"atTariqatal'AlawiyatadDarqawiyatashShadhiliyah."11
Al‐'Alawiremainedrestless,andonedaycouldnolongerbeartostayin
Mostaganemanylonger,sohewenttovisitsomeofhisfollowersoutsidethe
city,bringingadisciplewithhim.Fromthere,theytraveledtoGhalizantovisit
otherdisciples.Al‐'Alawi'scompanionsuggestedtheycontinueontoAlgiersto
lookforapublishertoprintthebookal‐'Alawihadbeenwriting,towhichthe
shaykhagreed.Whilethere,theyfounditverydifficulttofindapublisher,andso
decidedtocontinueontoTunis,wheretheyweresuretheywouldfinda
companywillingtoprintthebook.InTunis,al‐'Alawireceivedagroupof
visitors,Sufis,whohadbeenthefollowersofShaykhSidiAs‐SadiqAs‐Sahrawi,
whohadrecentlydied.Thisshaykhtracedhisspiritualrootsthroughaman
calledSidiMuhammadal‐MadanitoShaykhSidiMawlayAl‐'Arabiad‐Darqawi,
thefounderofal‐'Alawi'sowntariqah.Thevisitorscametohimseeking
guidancesincetheirmasterhadpassedaway,andal‐'Alawistayedwiththemfor
afewdays,teachingthemandacceptingsomeofthemasdisciples.Oneofthe
visitorsShaykhal‐'AlawireceivedwasMuhammadibnKhalifaal‐Madani,who
wouldlaterfollowShaykhal‐'AlawitoMostaganemandstudywithhim.
ItisnowappropriatetoexplorethebiographyofShaykhMuhammadibn
Khalifaal‐Madani.12Shaykhal‐Madaniwasbornin1888inKsibetal‐Mediounito
KhalifaibnHassin,amerchantwhousedtotravelbetweenhishomeandTunis
toselloilthere.WhileinTunis,hespentpartofhistimestudyingthemysticalInthefootnoteonpage66,herelatesthatoneofShaykhal'Alawi'sdiscipleslaterrelatedtoLingsthatvisionstendtobemuchmorevisuallyclearthandreams,andareusuallyfollowedbycompletewakefulness.11Ibid.8412All of this information in this section comes from the biography of the shaykh published on the Madaniyya's website at http://www.madaniyya.com/Mohammed-Al-Madani which was accessed on May 1st, 2009
wayintheTariqatal‐Madaniyyaal‐ShadhiliyyaunderShaykhas‐Sadiqas‐
Sahrawi,whosespiritualmasterwasShaykhMuhammadZafiral‐Madani.He
namedhissonafterthismaster,anddideverythinghecouldtoencouragethe
youngMuhammadal‐MadanitolearnaboutIslam.
Muhammadal‐Madanispenthischildhoodlearningtherecitationofthe
Qur'anbyheart,whichhecompletedbyage12.Afterheachievedthis,hisfather
senthimtothenearbycityofMonastirtolearntoreadandwrite.After
completinghisstudiesinMonastir,hewenttostudyIslamicsciencesand
theologyatZaytunaUniversityinTunisattheageof15.WhileinTunis,hebegan
toattendmeetingsofalTariqatalMadaniyyaalShadhiliyyainwhichhisfather
hadstudied.In1909,afterthedeathofShaykhas‐Sahrawi,whenShaykhAhmad
al‐'AlawicametoTunis,Muhammadal‐Madaniwentwithhisbrotherstovisital‐
'Alawi.Thewebsite'sbiographyreportsthatal‐Madaniimmediatelytookaliking
toShaykhal‐'Alawi,andwasoneofthemenwhotookanoathofallegiancetothe
shaykhduringhisvisit.Muhammadal‐MadanididnotfollowShaykhal‐'Alawi
whenheleftTunistogotoTripoliandontoIstanbul,butstayedatZaytuna
Mosqueforthenexttwoyears.Hewasunhappyinhisstudieswithouthis
shaykh,sohelefttheuniversityin1911andwenttoMostaganemtobewithal‐
'Alawi.
AfterspendingayearstudyingIslamiclawandthemysticalwayunder
Shaykhal‐'Alawi,al‐Madanireceivedfromhismasteralicenseconnectinghimto
theDarqawitariqah,andallowinghimtopassonitsteachingstootherpeople.
Al‐'Alawisental‐MadanibacktoKsibetal‐Mediouniatthistime,wherehebegan
teachingArabicandIslamiclawataschoolinMonastir.Hetaughtfrom1912
until1915,whenShaykhal‐'Alawitoldhimtoleavethejobandfocusonteaching
thewaysofthetariqah.Hebegantofarmtheland,andtravelthroughoutthe
regioninwhichhelivedofferingtoeducatethepoor,usuallyilliterate,farmers
wholivedthere.Ashegainedfavorintheregion,peoplebegantocometohis
homeandlistentohimspeakabouthistariqah.Hisnewrecruitsbroughtgifts,
whichhedistributedamongstthemalongwithpartofhisownincomefrom
farming.13In1920,heandhisfollowersbuiltthezawiyyahwhereitnowstands
ondonatedland(accordingtothecurrentshaykh'snephew,thelandwas
donatedbyalocal,richman).
Fromthenon,Shaykhal‐Madani'sfollowing,andthezawiyyahgrewuntil
hisdeathin1959.Thewebsitelistsanumberofexpansionsmadetothe
zawiyyahthroughouttheyears,includingtwoexpansionsofthemosqueto
accommodatemorefollowers,andtheadditionsofamadrasah,oraschoolfor
teachingtherecitationoftheQur'an.ThegrandsonofShaykhMuhammadal‐
Madani,andthenephewofthecurrentshaykh,Munawwaral‐Madani,satwith
meandspoketomeabouthismemoriesofthebrotherhoodsincehischildhood
followingmyinterviewwiththecurrentshaykh.Heremembersthatintheearly
daysofthezawiyyah,fiveortenpeoplewouldstaythereatatime,andeach
woulddonateanythinghecouldtothetariqah.Therewereevenafew
permanentresidentsofthezawiyyah,whohaddevotedtheirlivestothetariqah
andprovidedservicesfortheshaykhandhisfollowers.Hetoldmeaboutone
man,whohecalledSiMabrouk,whocamefromAlgeriaafteravisionprompted
himtogiveuphislifeasathiefandseekoutaTunisianshaykh.Oncehearrived,
SiMabrouksetuparoominthezawiyyahwherehemadeteaforallthevisitors
whocame.Anotherman,fromLibya,apparentlybroughtamillwheeltothe
zawiyyah,andalwaysgroundwheatintoflourtomakebreadforvisitors.
DuringthelateryearsofthezawiyyahunderShaykhMuhammadal‐
Madani,andespeciallythelastfewyearsofhislife,theMadanitariqahgaineda
largeamountofdisapprovalfromthepeopleofKsibetal‐Mediouni.Kenneth
Brownrelatesthatin1937,al‐Madaniwasacandidateforthepositionofimam
atthemainmosqueofKsibet,andthepeopleofthevillagesentmanylettersof
supportandoppositiontothePrimeMinister.Thoseagainsttheshaykh's
appointmentarguedthathewasnotatrueauthorityonIslam,buthadgained
moneyinfluencebypreachingtotheignorantfarmersinthesurroundingarea.14
Althoughthecurrentshaykh'snephewbelieveshisgrandfatherstartedthe
zawiyyahwithgoodintentions,heagreesthathetookinalargenumberofgifts,13Ed.Gellner,Ernest.IslamicDilemmas:Reformers,NationalistsandIndustrialization:TheSouthernShoreoftheMediterranean.MoutonDeGruyter,Germany,1985.Page150.14Gellner,161‐162.
andthinksthismayhaveinfluencedthewayheranthetariqah.
Muhammadal‐Madani'sdownfallcamewiththeriseofHabibBourguiba
andhisNeo‐Destourparty.AccordingtoKennethBrown,Muhammadal‐Madani
receivedtheFrenchMédailled'Honneur.15AlthoughhesupportedtheFrench
colonialists,andevenwroteagainsttheNeo‐Destourparty,16manypeopleI
talkedtoassuredmethatthiswasonlyarumorthattheNeo‐Destourparty
startedwhenShaykhal‐Madanirefusedtoofferhissupporttothemduring
independence.Al‐MadaniapparentlyalsoattendedarallyforBourguibain1955,
inwhichhecalledforanIslamicconstitution,completelycontrarytoBourguiba's
wishes.UnhappinesswiththeshaykhgrewuntiltheMuladcelebration(the
prophetMuhammad'sbirthday)in1957.Thatyear,theNeo‐Destourdecided
thatitwouldrunthecelebrationsthroughoutthecountry,andforbade
Muhammadal‐Madanifromholdinghisyearlycelebration,thefirstofwhichtook
placein1925,accordingtotheMadniyya'swebsite.17Whenal‐Madanishowed
upattheMuladcelebrationwithalargegroupofhisfollowers,membersofthe
partybegantodenouncehiminfrontofthewholetown.Theyaccusedhimboth
ofcollaboratingwiththeFrench,andusinghisfollowerstoaccumulatewealth.
ThisiswhatKennethBrownexplainstobethefinalblowdealttoalMadani.
Althoughthecurrentshaykh'snephewtoldmeadifferentstory,bothendedwith
Muhammadal‐Madanisecludinghimselfinhishouseuntilhisdeathin1959.
OnmyfirstvisittoKsibetal‐Mediounitheshaykhoftheorderwason
vacation,visitingahammam(bathhouse)inanothercity,butmyhostsSiMuldi
Malek,andhiswifeSaīda,spokewithhimbeforemyarrival,andheagreedtolet
SiMuldishowmearoundthezawiyyah.Hetookmethere,lessthanakilometer
awayfromhishome,onthedayofmyarrival.
ThezawiyyahwasunliketheothersIvisitedinTunisia.Itwasverylarge,
withmultiplebuildings,alllocatedonprimerealestateoverlookingthesea.The
firstthingthatstruckmewasabrandnewcarinthepaveddriveway.SiMuldi
explainedthatitbelongedtooneofShaykhal‐Madani'schildren,mostofwhom
liveinhousesonthegroundsofthezawiyyah.Forourfirststop,weenteredthe15Ibid.163.16Ibid.162.17http://www.madaniyya.com/MohammedAlMadani?artsuite=5asofMay1,2009.
tombofShaykhMuhammadal‐Madani,andstoodintheentrance,asmallarea
insidethedoorwithoutamatonthefloor.Likemanysaints'tombs(althoughSi
MulditoldmethatShaykhal‐Madaniisnotasaint),thetombitselfwas
surroundedbylow,woodenwallswithdesignscarvedintothem,pastwhich
visitorsmaynotgo.Thefloorwascoveredinathick,reedmatting,andthewalls
wereadornedateyelevelwithphotographsoftheshaykh,ofthebrotherhood
standinginagroup,andofvariousholyplacesintheIslamicworld.Abovethe
photographs,alongthewallswheretheymettheceiling,hunggreenpiecesof
woodcarvedtolooklikeleaves,andeachbearingoneofGod's99names.Above
thecenteroftheroom,fromthedomeintheceiling,hungalarge,crystaland
brasschandelier.InaclosetalongonewallhungsomeofShaykhMuhammadal‐
Madani'sclothes,preservedafterhisdeathandstoredinhistomb.
Fromthetomb,wemovedintotheprayerroom,whichwasverysparse
comparedtowhatIhadseensofar.Itwasmostlyempty,exceptforthecolumns
holdinguptheroof,themihrab(thenicheinonewallofeverymosquethat
indicatesthedirectionofMecca,andinwhichtheimam,orprayerleader,prays),
andsignsonthewallswithsayingsfromtheQur'anandinformationaboutthe
prophetMuhammadonthem.Themihrabwasmadeofbrownstucco,andhad
veryornatedecorationsandversesoftheQur'animpressedinit.Fromthe
middleoftheceilinghunganotherchandelier,whichwasalsomadeofbrassand
crystal,butwaslessornatethantheoneinthetomb.Theonlythingoutofplace
wasasmall,bluemotorscooterinthecorneroftheroom.Normally,towalkinto
aprayerroom,onemustremovehisshoestopreservethecleanlinessofthe
space.Icanonlyguessthattheshaykhwasstoringthescootertherewhilehe
wasaway,andhedoesnotnormallyparkitinsuchaholyplace.
Afterwesawtheprayerroom,wewalkedoutsideanddownaflightof
stairstothelowerlevelofthezawiyyah.Averylargepavilion,atinroof
supportedbymetallegs,tookupmostofthespaceonthelowerlevel.Theroof
supportedatwenty‐footsignbearingthenameoftheprophetMuhammadand
wishesofpeaceuponhim,whichmarkedthepavilionastheplacewherethe
Muladcelebrationtakesplace.Thepavilionwasemptyforthetimebeing,since
theMuladtookplaceonMarchninthin2009,butthereweremanythings
leftoverthathintedatthenatureofthecelebration.Thewallshadlargewhite
areasborderedwithgoldwherevideocouldbeprojected,althoughShaykh
Munawwaral‐MadaniwouldnottellmewhatvideostheyusewhenIspokewith
him.Manyofthelegssupportingtheroofalsohadplatformsabouteightfeetoff
thegroundwithchairsandstandsforcamerasonthem.SiMuldisaidthatevery
year,theMadaniyyafilmtheirMuladcelebration,andmakethevideointoaDVD.
WhenIaskedShaykhMunawwarifIcouldseethesomeofthevideos,hetoldme
hedidnothaveany,althoughIwillcommentmoreonhissecrecylater.
Inthefarcornerofthepavilion,adoorwassetinthewall,throughwhich
werethegravesofseveraloftheshaykh'srelatives,includingthreeofhis
brotherswhodiedinchildhood.Itwasclearfromtheconstructionofthe
pavilionthatthegraveshadbeentherefirst,anditwasbuiltaroundthem,asthe
cornertheyoccupiedjuttedintothepavilion.Itwasalsoclearthatthepavilion
wasbuiltoverwhatusedtobepartofthezawiyyah'sgarden.Throughagate
nexttothepavilionwaswhatisleftofthegardentoday:a25by40footpieceof
landwithafewtrees,grassgrowingwild,andpilesofrubblefrompast
constructionprojects.IspokewithShaykhMunawwar'snephewaftermy
interviewwiththeshaykhhimself,andherelatedtomehismemoriesofthe
zawiyyahwhenhisgrandfather,ShaykhMuhammadal‐Madaniwasstillalive.He
remembersmostofthezawiyyahbeingalargegarden,fulloffruittrees.Hetold
methateveryFriday,whenhisgrandfatherwenttothemosquetodeliverthe
sermon(hewasthentheimamofoneofthemosquesinKsibet),hewouldclose
thelargegatetothezawiyyah,cuttingitofffromoutsiders,whichallowedthe
womenwholivedtheretowalkaroundthegardenfreely,gatheringfruits.He
alsotoldme,withdismay,thatafterMuhammadal‐Madani'sdeathin1959,
ShaykhMunawwardividedupthelandthegardenoccupied,andgaveittohis
sevensons,eachofwhomnowhasahouseonthezawiyyah'sland.
Comingoutofthegarden,Isawthehousesthatnowstandthere.
Buildingssurroundthepavilion,whichSiMulditoldmewherethehousesofthe
shaykh'srelatives,althoughhecouldnottellmewhom.Inthebottomofthe
buildingthathousestheprayerroomandthetombthereweremanymore
rooms.Thefirstone,closesttothebottomofthestairs,wasacommunal
washroomfordoingtheritualablutionsbeforeprayer.Theentrancetotheroom
hadahallwaywithtoilets,fromwhichbrotherscangotothewashroom,wherea
dozenlow,squareseatsbordertheroom.Infrontofthemisatrough‐likegutter
fordrainingwater,abovewhichrunsapipewithavalveforeachseat.Outside,
fartherfromthebottomofthestairswereseveralwindowsanddoorssetinto
thewall.Peeringintothewindows,Idiscoveredthattheyweredormitoriesfor
visitors,althoughitappearedtheyhadbeenoutofuseforsometime.Thedoors
werealllockedwithpadlocksandchains,andinsidesatstacksoflightweight
chairsinstorageuntiltheywereneededagain.
Betweenmytripstothezawiyyah,Ispentmytimereadingallaboutthe
tariqahonitswebsite,whichcontainsarticleswrittenbythesite'sadministrator,
called"Madani,"aswellasDr.SalahKhelifa,amanfromKsibetal‐Mediouniwho
wrotehisdoctoraldissertationontheMadniyya.ThereIwasabletoreada
biographyofShaykhMuhammadal‐Madani,the"16principlesofgoodconduct
oftheMadaniyya,"18thetariqah'swird,19andthefirstissueofaquarterly
newslettercalled"LaLumiere",or"Al‐Nibras"inArabic,whichbothmean
"lantern."20WhenIreadwhatwasonthewebsite,Iwasstruckbyhowopenthe
Madaniyyaseemedtobe.Manyturuqhavewebsitesnow,includingthe
Shadhiliyya,21soIwasnotsurprisedtofindthattheMadaniyyahadawebsite,
northattheyhadpublishedabiographyoftheshaykh.Iwassurprised,however,
tofindtheArabictextofthetariqah'swird.ManySufiswouldregardrecitinga
tariqah’swirdwithouttheguidanceoftheshaykhasdangerous.Without
guidance,theadherentdoesnotunderstandwhyheisrecitingthewordsofthe
wird,andsomaydrawfurtherfromGod,ratherthannearertoHim,while
recitingit.Forthisreason,shuyukh(pluralofshaykh)givethetariqah'slitany
onlytoadherentsaftertheyarereadytojointhetariqahandhavetakenanoath
ofallegiancetotheshaykh.22
18http://www.madaniyya.com/Principesdebonneconduitedela,15519http://www.madaniyya.com/alWird,08220http://www.madaniyya.com/ALNIBRAS21http://www.shadhilitariqa.com/site/index.phpasofMay11,2009.22In the autobiography of Shaykh Ahmad al-'Alawi, he says that he spent many days over the course of months with the man who would become his shaykh, Muhammad al-Buzidi, before the shaykh let him take the oath and join the tariqah. Before admitting al-'Alawi into the tariqah, al-Buzidi declared that "he would be receptive to instruction," but waited still to let him take the oath. Only after al-'Alawi had taken the other did the shaykh give him the wird. Lings,52-53.
OnmysecondtriptoKsibetal‐Mediouni,abouttwoweekslater,SiMuldi
broughtmebacktothezawiyyahoftheMadaniyya.Theshaykh,Munawwaral‐
Madani,waswaitingforusinsidehisoffice,whichislocatedhalfwaydownthe
stairs,inasmallbuildingseparatefromthemainbuilding.Thelevelofdécorin
theofficematchedthatoftherestofthezawiyyah.Itwasfurnishedmainlywitha
large,woodendesk,uponwhichsatarotarytelephonewithgoldtrimand
variouspapers,andaleatherofficechairfacingthedoor.Infrontofthedeskwas
alowtable,aroundwhichwerethreechairs.Alongthebackwallandthewallto
therightuponenteringwerebookshelvesfullofunlabeledfolderscontaining
stacksofpaper.Abovethemhungaphotographoftheshaykh'sfatheralongwith
multipleframesofArabiccalligraphy.Isatacrossthetablefromshaykh
MunawwarandSiMuldiwhilethelatterintroducedmeandexplainedwhoIwas
again.Theshaykhfurrowedhisbrowattheexplanation,andturnedtometoask
whatIwasstudying.
WhileIwasexplainingmyresearchtopic,SiMuldileft,leavingmeto
speaktotheshaykhalone.ShaykhMunawwarlookedatmewithaskeptical
expressionwhileItoldhimthatIhadstudiedSufismatmyuniversity,andIwas
interestedinexaminingtheformsandpracticesofTunisianSufis.Ialsotoldhim
thatIwantedtoaskhimaboutthetariqah'srelationshipwiththepeopleof
Ksibetal‐Mediouni,andwiththegovernment.AfterIhadexplainedmyself,he
toldmethathis,orhisfather's,relationshipwiththegovernmentorwiththe
peopleofKsibethadnothingtodowithSufism(Tasawwuf),whichhethought
wasthesubjectofmypaper.WhenIexplainedthattherewasa
miscommunication,andthatIactuallywantedtotalkaboutmorehistorical
events,heelaboratedonhisanswer,butstillrefusedtotalkaboutit.Hetoldme
thatheinteractswithotherpeople,includingpeoplewhoworkinthe
government,asaperson,notasaSufiorasashaykh.Inhisview,allpeopleare
fromGodandwillreturntoGod,sothereisnoreasonforhimtohaveanything
butgoodrelationswithotherpeople.
TheideathatallpeoplecomefromandwillreturntoGodcomesfromthe
doctrineoftheOnenessofBeing,orWahdatalWujud.23Inshort,thisisoneof
23Foramuchmorein‐depthexplanationofWahdatalWujud,seeChapter5ofLings'ASufiSaintoftheTwentiethCenturybeginningonpage121.
theprincipleideasofSufism,andsaysthatGodistheonlythinginexistence,and
fromHimcomeseverythingintheuniverse.TheQur'anicverse"Wheresoeverye
turn,thereistheFaceofGod."24isoneofthechieforiginsofthisdoctrine.Itsays
thatinallthingsinthecreateduniverse,onemayperceiveGod.Increatingthe
universe,Godimbuedeverythinginitwithqualitiesofhimself,andsoeach
createdthingdisplayspartofHim.25AnotherQur'anicverse,"Everything
perishethbutHisFace,"26revealshowGodremainstheonlythingexistentina
universeofthingsthatarenotHim.God's'face'inthissenseisthewayinwhich
eachobjectintheuniversedisplayshisattributesatalltimes.Sincenothing
wouldexisthadGodnotcreateditandgivenitattributesofHimself,thereis
nothingintheexistenceofanobjectexceptGod'sownexistence.
AfterShaykhMunawwarhadconvincedmethatIwouldnotgetany
answersfromhimabouttheinteractionsheandhisfatherhavehadwiththe
government,hetoldmethatstudyingSufismwasnotsomethingIcoulddoina
halfhour.Hesaidthatthesubjectwasbettersuitedtoamuchlongerpaper,like
thedoctoralthesiswrittenbyDr.SalahKhelifaofKsibet.Dr.Khelifahadspenta
yearlivinginthezawiyyah,hetoldme,andwrittenallabouttheMadaniyyaand
itsparenttariqah,the'Alawiyya.Ipressedhimagain,andheagreedtoanswer
somequestions,butheseemedtothinkIwaswastingmytime.
Ifounditverydifficulttocontinuefromthispoint.Thestrong,although
subtleoppositionthatShaykhMunawwargavemedisorientedmeandleftmeat
alossforwheretostart.Hehad,infiveminutes,toldmethathewouldnot
answerhalfofmyquestions,andthattheotherhalfweretoodifficulttoanswer
andfitintoa20‐pagepaper.Therewasalsosomethingveryuncomfortable
aboutthewholesituation.ShaykhMunawwarisalargeman,about6feettalland
heavyset.Hewaswearingaredshashiyya(abrimless,felthat,alsocalledafez)
andagrayjalabiyya(averylong,collar‐lessshirtwornbysomeTunisianmen
overotherclothing)thatcamedownalmosttohisleathersandals.Hesatacross
thetablefrommewithhisbacktothebookshelfandhisarmsfoldedacrosshis
torso.Hisstature,andthewaythathetoldmehecouldnotanswermyquestions,
24Qur’an2:115fromLings,121.25Chittick,10.26Qur’an28:88fromLings,121.
seemedverydefensivetome,althoughIcouldnotthinkofareasonforthisat
thetime.
Istaredatmynotesandafteralongsilence,begantoaskhimaboutthe
tariqahasitistoday.Fromthispointon,theshaykhadoptedamore
accommodatingair.Hetookpleasureinansweringmyquestions,andseemed
satisfiedwitheveryanswerhegave.Everythinghesaidwasshortandsimple,
andcouldbetracedbacktotheideaofWahdatalWujudabove.Afteralmost
everyanswer,hesmiled,shookhishead,andusedtheTunisianphrase
"akahaou,"theliteralmeaningofwhichis'only,'butisusedtomean'that'sall'at
theendofananecdote.Inthisway,hecutmeoffaftereveryquestionandforced
metomoveontoadifferenttopic.Evenifhedidn'tsay"akahaou,"hefound
anotherwaytoanswereveryquestioninveryfewwords,andleavemewithout
anyquestionstofollowupwith.
Iaskedhimwhocomestovisitthezawiyyahnow,andallhecouldtellme
wasthatpeoplefromKsibetandpeoplefromotherplacesaroundTuniscome,
mostlyduringtheMulad,orthecelebrationoftheProphetMuhammad's
birthday.Iaskedaboutthemanyroomshehasbelowfilledwithchairs,andhe
toldmethattheyareforvisitors,butthecelebrationisonlyforonenight.Iwas
surprisedtohearthatbasedonmypreviousvisitstozawiyyat(pluralof
zawiyyah).Theshuruf(pluralofsharifah)oftheshrinesofSidi'Alial‐Makkiand
Sidial‐HajjAmbaraktoldmethattheygetvisitorsthroughouttheyear,bothSufi
andnon,comingformultiplenightstopray,andshareintheblessing(baraka)
thesaintshavefrombeingneartoGod.
BeforehetoldmethatmostofhisvisitorsnowarefromKsibet,hewas
morevague.Hesaidthatanyonewhowantstocomecan.First,hesaidthatSufis
fromanytariqahmaycomeandpray,andtoexplainwhy,helikenedthevarious
turuqtothestatesofAmerica.HesaidthatinspeakingtoAmericans,youmay
findthatoneisfromChicago,oneisfromTexas,oneisfromWashington,and
anotherisfromNewYork,buttheyareallAmerican.Iadmittedthatasan
American,IfeltasenseofcommunitywithotherAmericans,eveniftheyare
fromanotherstate.Inhisview(andthisisnottrueofallSufis)hesharesabond
withotherSufisintheirmutualloveofGodanddesiretodrawnearertoHim,so
hewouldwelcomeaSufifromtheSanussiyyaor'Isawwiyyatothezawiyyahasif
hewereaMadani.
Continuing,heexplainedthatMuslimswhoarenotcurrentlyfollowinga
Sufitariqaharealsocompletelywelcometocomeandprayatthezawiyyah.They
are,afterall,justasmuchapartofGodasheis.Beforeanyofthecurrent
brothersbeganvisitingthezawiyyah,theywerealljustthesame.Notonlymay
Muslimscometovisitandpray,butpeopleofotherreligionsarewelcomeas
well.HereferredtoJewsandChristiansas"friendsofthebook"(AshabalKitab),
whichisaplayonmultipleversesoftheQur'an.,whichrefertoJews,Christians,
andagroupcalledtheSabians,the“peopleofthebook.”"Anddonotdispute
withthefollowersoftheBookexceptbywhatisbest,exceptthoseofthemwho
actunjustly,andsay:Webelieveinthatwhichhasbeenrevealedtousand
revealedtoyou,andourAllahandyourAllahisOne,andtoHimdowesubmit,"
and"Surelythosewhobelieve,andthosewhoareJews,andthef[sic]Christians,
andtheSabians,whoeverbelievesinAllahandtheLastdayanddoesgood,they
shallhavetheirrewardfromtheirLord,andthereisnofearforthem,norshall
theygrieve."27Adherentstootherreligionsarewelcomealso,becauseofhisidea
ofwhatreligionisinitsbasicform.Tohim,allreligionsboildowntoPrayer
(salah)andGathering,orCommunity(Ijtima').Regardlessofthespecificwaysin
whichareligiouspersonmayworship,heisstillworshippingGod,andifhe
desirestopraywiththebrothersofthezawiyyah,hemaydoso.
IwasalsosurprisedtolearnthatShaykhMunawwarwouldwelcome
anyonetothezawiyyah,evennon‐religiouspeople.Ofcourse,ifsomeonedidnot
believeinGod,hewouldnotwishtopray,andsohewouldbeunlikelytoseek
outandvisitagroupofpeoplewhobelievethateverythingcomesfromand
inevitablyreturnstoGod.However,ShaykhMunawwarwouldnothesitateto
welcomeanypersonasaguest.IsawthiskindofhospitalityateveryzawiyyahI
visited.ThepeoplewhokeepshrinesviewtheirguestsasguestsofGod(dhuyuf
Allah),andwillalwaysgivefoodandshelterforGod'ssake.Inmyvisitstothe
shrinesKhaltiBeyaandSiHedigavemeabedforthenight,sinceIarrivedlatein
theday,andinsistedthatIeatdinnerwiththem,withoutexpectinganythingin
27Thetranslationsofthesetwoverses,29:46and2:62respectivelycomefromhttp://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/search.htmlaccessedonMay3rd,2009.
return.Sharifah,ofSidi'Alial‐Makki'szawiyyah,happilytalkedtomeaboutthe
shrine,gavemeacompletetour,andwouldnotletmeleavewithouteatingabig
lunch.Bothshuruftoldmethateverythingtheydidforme,theyactuallydidfor
God,whoexpectedthemtotreattheirguestsasHis.
MypresenceattheMadanizawiyyahwasatestofthispolicyforthe
shaykhandhisfollowers.Earlyintheinterview,theshaykhaskedmewhich
religionIfollow.IexplainedtohimthatIwasraisedwithoutareligion,although
IbelieveinGodandamcurrentlylearningaboutmanyreligionsinordertofind
theoneIwanttofollow.AlthoughheexpressedawishthatIconverttoIslam,he
didnotinsistthatIslamwasthecorrectreligionliketheshurufoftheother
zawiyyatdid.HetoldmethatwhicheverreligionIendupin,aslongasIbelieve
inoneGod,Iwouldbeontherighttrack.
Itwascleartomethattheshaykh'spolicyofwelcomingallpeopleheld
trueforthewholegroupwhenseveralsmallgroupsofbrotherscamein.About
twentyminutesintoourinterview,agroupofthreemenwalkedthroughthe
zawiyyahandintotheoffice.ShaykhMunawwarstooduptogreetthem,and
whenhemetthem,theyeachsharedaspecialhandshakewithhim.Forthe
handshake,theywouldextendtheirhandsalmostverticallywiththepalmfacing
thatoftheirpartner.Firsttheywouldinterlocktheirthumbsandthenwraptheir
fingersaroundthebaseoftheother'sthumb.Aftertheirhandswereinterlocked,
theywouldeachkisstheother'sfingersinturn.
IhaveneverheardofSufituruqusingaspecialhandshakebetweenits
members,anditseemedtobeasimplegestureofconfraternitythatidentified
thefollowersofShaykhMunawwar.WhenSiMuldicamebacktopickmeup,
everyoneintheroomstoodup,happilygreetedhimbyname,andwishedhim
peace,butnoneofthemeventriedtousetheMadanihandshakewithhim.They
allknewhimfromthecommunity,andsoknewthathewasnotafollowerofthe
Madanitariqah.I,ontheotherhand,hadquiteafewawkwardencounterswith
thebrothersastheycamein.Withblondhairandblueeyes,Tunisiansusually
guessthatI'mGermanorAmerican,rarelyconfusingmeforTunisia.Almostallof
theMadanistriedtousetheirhandshakeonme,acceptingmewithoutquestion.I
offeredastandardhandshakeatfirst,buteachtimeIdid,thepersongreetingme
wouldstarttheMadanihandshake,switchatthelastminute,andlookatme,
confused.AfterIcaughton,Istartedreturningit,andhadnofurtherproblems
greetingthebrothers.Fromthemomenttheyentered,theyacceptedmelikelyas
anaspiringSufi,theretoconsulttheshaykhonaspiritualmatter,especiallysince
Iwastherewhentheyhadallcometomeet.
ThiswasthefirstcontradictionIsawbetweenwhattheshaykhtoldme
abouttheorder,andwhatwaswrittenonitswebsite.Atthebeginningofthe
meeting,hetoldmethattheyhadnosettimetomeetanddodhikr,andwithin
twentyminutes,15peoplehadarrivedinsmallgroups,onebriningenough
cookiesfor25.Heclaimedeveryonehaddroppedbyforavisit,butoncepeople
startedarriving,heseemedmoreanxioustofinishthemeeting.Irealizedthat
whenhesaidIcouldn'tstudySufisminhalfanhour,hehadmeantitliterally,and
itwasclearthatIwasintrudingonaplannedmeeting.Icontinuedtoaskthe
shaykhquestionsaspeoplearrived,andonceeveryonewasseated,Iintroduced
myselftothegroupandexplainedwhatIwasstudying.Theyallgaveme
affirmingnodsandsatlistening,seemingquiteinterestedinthequestionsIhad
forthem.
Formostoftherestoftheinterview,IstillspokesolelywithShaykh
Munawwar,althoughIsometimesaddressedthegroupasawhole,andindoing
so,Inoticedaverystronggroupadherencetofourofthewebsite'sprinciples.
ThefifthprinciplesaysthatoneoftheMadaniSufi'smaingoalsistoerasethe
egoandbecompletelyhumble.Itsaysthatheshouldconsiderhimselfalwaysa
beginner.Thefourthandthesixteenthprinciplesencourageloveandrespectfor
theshaykhandforallthebrothersoftheMadanitariqah.Thethirdprinciple
goesfurtherandsaysthatbrothersshouldhaveabsoluterespectfortheshaykh,
because,aftertheprophetMuhammad,heisthe"Lord"(Maître)guidingthemon
thepathtoGod.Althoughitforbidssimpledisrespect,liketalkingoutofturnand
laughingduringmeetings,italsosaysthatbrothersmustcomplyfullywithallof
hisdecisions,andcallshisknowledge"apricelesstreasurethatdeservesourfull
devotion."28
Beforethegroupofbrothersarrived,Iexpectedthattheseprinciples
weremoreguidelinesthanrules,sincemanyofthethingsShaykhMunawwar
toldmeaboutthegroup'scurrentpracticeonlylooselyfollowedtheprinciples28http://www.madaniyya.com/Principesdebonneconduitedela,155
outlinedonthewebsite.However,allofthebrothersshowedextremedeference
totheshaykhtothepointthattheywerealmostabsentfromthemeetingintheir
passivity.Theylistenedtomyquestions,andoccasionallynoddedin
understanding,butitwasclearthattheonlypersonwhowouldanswerwas
ShaykhMunawwar.Onlyoncedidsomeoneelseansweroneofmyquestions,on
thetopicofmeetingtimesandoccasions.Firsttheshaykhanswered,andthen
calledonthemannexttome,whohadmadeagesturetoMunawwarrequesting
tospeak.Insteadofexpandingontheshaykh'sanswer,hemerelyrepeateditto
me,butinEnglish.Ihadaskedaboutmeetingtimesalready,andhewantedto
allaymyconfusiononceandforallbyusingmylanguage,nottoofferananswer
differentfromtheshaykh's,whichwouldhaveshownhimdisrespect.
Attheendofthemeeting,Iasked,addressingthewholegroup,howthey
allfelttheyfitintosocietyintheirtown,becauseofwhatIhadreadinKenneth
Brown'sarticlesaboutsomeofthepeopleofKsibetdislikingthetariqah's
presenceandpractices.IexplainedthatsinceIarrivedinTunisia,Ihadspokento
manypeopleaboutSufism,althoughmostdidnotknowmorethanthenamesof
afewlocalsaints,andmanyhadlowopinionsofthespiritualpracticesofthe
turuq.Ihadverymuchtroublecommunicatingmythoughtsonthisquestion,
especiallytoShaykhMunawwar,whodidn'tseemtounderstand,orperhapsdid
notwanttounderstand,consideringthequestionwasirrelevanttothetopicof
Sufism.IttookmequiteabitoftimeandenergytosayeverythingIhadsaid,and
Ididnotwanttostartfromthebeginning.Ihadnoticedthatoneman,atthefar
endoftheroom,hadbeennoddingvigorouslythroughoutmyexplanation,soI
turnedtohimtoaskifheunderstood,andtoaskhimtohelpme.Heremained
silent,andShaykhMunawwar,withafurrowedbrow,calledmyattentionbackto
himandmademerepeatmyquestionfromthebeginning.Themanwhohad
noddedmadenomoregestures,andletmerepeatmyquestionwithoutoffering
tohelp.Theprincipleofhumilityonthewebsitegoessofarastosaythata
brothershouldnotofferexplanationtoanother'squestion,forfearoflosingthat
humility,andwhatIobservedleadmetobelievethattheMadaniyyafollowthis
injunctiontothepointoftimidity.
Asfortheanswertomyquestionaboutthecommunity,theshaykh
understoodthesecondtimeandrepeatedwhathehadtoldmeatthebeginning
oftheinterview.HesaidthathisinteractionswiththepeopleofKsibetal‐
Mediouniwerealwaysgood.SincetheyandheareallthecreationsofGod,hehas
noreasontohaveanyproblemwiththem.Whenhehadfinishedhisanswer,he
lookedtohisleftalongtherowofbrotherssittingnexttohim.Fromthislook,a
fewofthemfeltcomfortableenoughtochimein,althoughtheyallrepeatedwhat
ShaykhMunawwarhadsaid;theyallfeltperfectlyacceptedbytheircommunity.
Thenextday,IattendedperformancebysomeofthechildrenofKsibet,inwhich
theyactedoutplays,andrecitedmanychaptersoftheQur'an.Atthe
performance,Isawawiderangeofpeople:parentsandchildren,aswellasmen
ofthecommunitywhohadcomejusttowatch.OneofthemenfromtheMadani
meetingthedaybeforewalkedinaheadofme,greetingandshakinghandswith
everyonehemet.
WhenIcametothezawiyyah,Iwasespeciallyinterestedinaskingthe
shaykhaboutthepracticesofdhikrtheyfollowintheMadaniyyatariqah.Dhikr,
ordhikrullah,istheremembranceofGodthroughthementionofHisname,and
istheprimarypracticethatseparatesSufisfromnon‐Sufis.29TheQur'an
commandsthereaderinmanyversestorememberGod,usuallycombinedwith
aninjunctiontomentionhisname,30becausehumansarebynatureforgetful.31
Oneoftheprimaryreasonsforpracticingdhikristohelptheperson
rememberGodtomanifestHisattributesmorefully.BecauseeachofGod's
namesisoneofhisattributes,practicingdhikrwithit,bymeditatingonitand
continuallymentioningit,onemaygainanunderstandingofitandbringitoutin
hisownlife.32TheformofdhikrthatSufisofaspecifictariqahpracticecomes
fromtherecommendationofitsshaykh,33andsomanydiverseformshave
developedwithintheturuq.Groupspracticeboth'loud'and'quiet'dhikr,the
formeringroupsandthelatterinprivatebasedontheinstructionsoftheshaykh.
Formsof'loud'dhikrarebyfarthemostdiverse,andrangefromthedancingto
musicandpoetryoftheMawlawiyyaofTurkey(commonlyknownasthe
WhirlingDervishes),toverytamerecitationoftheQur'anwithno
29Chittick,16,57.30Ibid.54.31Ibid.16.32Ibid.56‐57.33Ibid.57.
accompaniment.34
SoIaskedMunawwarhowtheyremember(yudhakkirun,oryadhkuruin
Tunisiandialect)Godinthetariqah.Hetoldmethatwhenevertheygettogether,
theyarerememberingGod,convincingmefurtherthatmypresencewas
interruptingaregularmeeting.Theygatherandtalkabouthim,althoughhe
maintainedthattheyhavenosettimetodoit.ItoldhimthatIwantedtoknow
themethodstheyusedtopracticedhikr,andgavehimanexampletoexplain.I
toldhimaboutaclassonSufismthatItookatmyuniversity,inwhichtheteacher
gatheredusaroundinacircle,andhadusholdhands.Webeganrepeatingthe
firstofthetwoshahadas,partoftheIslamictestamentoffaith,"Laillahailla
Allah,"or"thereisnoGodbutGod,"35andturningourbodiesinrhythm.Forthe
"la,"wewouldallbefacingleft,andduringthe"illa,"wewouldbefacingtothe
right.Eachtimewesaidtheword"allah",wewouldbefacingthecenterofthe
circle.ManySufituruq,includingtheMadaniyya,incorporatechanting,breathing
heavily,andmovementofthebodyintodhikr.Icouldn'tquitegetmypoint
across,soIdemonstratedforeveryone.Shaykhal‐Madanilaughedatmydisplay
andshookhishead.
Hetoldmethattheydon'tdoanythinglikethatinhiszawiyyah.To
demonstratetheirpractice,heaskedme,inArabic,sincehespeaksverylittle
English,"WhatUniversitydoyouattend?"Ididn'tunderstandthepointofthe
question,soIaskedhimtorepeat."WhatUniversitydoyougoto?Doyoulike
it?"Perplexed,Ianswered,"IstudyatBrandeisUniversity,andyes,Ilikeit."
ShaykhMunawwarheldouthishandsandgrinned,asiftosay,"IbelieveI've
provenmypoint,"andthebrothersintheroombeganlaughingheartilyand
clapping.Isatperplexedforamoment,andthenrealizedthatbymakingme
expressmyfeelingsformyuniversity,hehadmademe'remember'ittheway
theyrememberGodduringdhikr.Heexplainedittomeaswell;Theytakedhikr
literally,inthatitisenoughforthemtoinvokeGod'snamebytalkingaboutHim
andtheirloveforHim.Theydon'treadpoetryorplayinstruments,theysimply
readtheQur'an(whichreferstoitselfasdhikr)36anddiscussGod.
34Ibid.5935Chittick,57.36Chittick,52.
AsImentionedbefore,theMadaniyyahaveincorporatedchantingand
breathingintotheirdhikrinthepast,anditislikelytheystilldonow.KennethL.
Brown,ananthropologistwhospentayearinKsibetal‐Mediounibetween1975
and1976,relatesthefollowingstoryaboutanighthespentinthecompanyofa
fewmenfromKsibet:
"Adramaticperformance,thehadra('seance')oftheMadaniyyaorderfollows
[theyhadpreviouslybeenplayingmusic]:everyonestandsinacircle,holding
hands,bowingandstraighteningupinrhythmicmotionandatanaccelerating
pace,allthewhileincreasingtherateofbreathing;onbowingoneexpels
almostgruntsthesoundah,followedbytoahsonstraighteningup;the
tempobuildstoacrescendo,almostafrenzyasA[anunnamedperson]chants
aQuranicVerseincounterpointandguidestheperformance."
Despitethefactthathereferredtotheperformanceasa“hadra,”andnot
asdhikr,therecanbenodoubtthatthemenhewaswithwereimitatingthe
practicesusedbytheMadaniyyafortheremembranceofGod.Hegoesontosay
thatthemenwereusingtheahsound,whichiscomprisedofthefirstandlast
lettersoftheDivineName,Allah,toinvokeGod.Heexplainsthattheinvocation,
whichemptiedthemenofbreath,combinedwiththerhythmandincreasing
speed,werea"meansofattainingilluminationoradirectknowledgeofGod."37
WhenItalkedtotheShaykh'snephewlaterthatdayandpartofthenext,
healsotoldmeaboutthepracticesofdhikrhehadobserved,althoughhehas
seenitonlyonceortwicebecausehedoesnotsupporthisuncle'stariqah.His
storycomesfromthetimewhenhisgrandfatherwasalive,duringadhikrsession
duringthemonthofRamadan.HesaidthattheMadaniyyawouldalwaysgather
atthezawiyyah'smosqueduringRamadanafterbreakingthefastatnightand
prayingthefinalprayeruntilmorning.Hesaidhisunclewouldgatherhis
disciplesaroundhim,sittinginalargecircle(consistingofabout100people),
andbegintorecitesomeofhisownpoetryexpressinglovefortheprophet
MuhammadandforGod.Thediscipleswouldrepeatthepoetryaftertheir
masterintempo.Shaykhal‐Madaniwouldgraduallyincreasethetempo,andas
hedid,thewholegroupwouldriseandcontinuethedhikrstanding.Theywould
proceedinthiswayuntiltheFajrprayer,thefirst(althoughnotobligatory)of37Gellner,146.
themorning,eatbeforesunrise,praytheSubah,thefirstobligatoryprayer,and
gotosleep.
ShaykhMunawwarwasreluctanttotellmeaboutthespecificpractices
theMadaniyyausefordhikr,becausetheyareusuallykeptsecretfrompeople
whohavearenotfollowingthetariqah.Tryingtopracticedhikrwithoutthe
guidanceofshaykhcanbedangeroustothespiritualdevelopmentofaperson,
andsoitisguardedverycarefullyandonlyprescribedtofollowerswhoare
readytopracticeit.ShaykhMuhammadal‐BuzidididnoteventalktoShaykhal‐
'AlawiaboutdhikruntilaboutaweekafterhejoinedtheDarqawitariqah,and
onlyafterhehadbeenrecitingthewird.Healsotoldal‐'Alawitokeepeverything
helearnedasecretfromeveryoneuntiltheshaykhtoldhimhewasreadyto
speakofthetariqah'spracticestoothers.38WhileShaykhMunawwarwouldhave
acceptedmeifhehadthoughtmefittolearnaboutthetariqah,hecouldnottell
meanythingunlessIwasafolloweronhispath.
ShaykhMunawwar'ssilenceontheMadaniyya'srelationshipwiththe
government,however,wassimplytoprotectthegroup.Hisfather'srun‐inswith
thegovernmentwerebynomeansthelastonesthegroupwouldhaveinits
history.Theshaykh'snephewtoldmeastoryaboutaproblemtheMadaniyya
hadinthelastyearsofHabibBourguiba'stermaspresident.Hetoldmethatin
about1985,ShaykhMunawwarhadapersonalconflictwithaministerinthe
government,whoshutdownthezawiyyahthatyearduringtheMulad
celebration,andwouldnotallowpeopletocome.Hesaiditwastheonlyyeara
problemlikethathappened,andbythenextMulad,theargumenthadbeen
smoothedover.However,itshowstheimportanceofkeepinguparapportwith
thegovernmentforthesakeofthezawiyyah.ShaykhMunawwar'sonlycomment
onthegovernmentwasthathedoesnot,andcannothaveaproblemwiththe
finepeoplewhoworkinit,becausehedoesnotwanttogiveitanyreasonto
abusethetariqah.
Towardtheendoftheinterview,IaskedShaykhMunawwaraboutthe
Madaniyya'swebsite,becauseIhadnoticeddiscrepanciesbetweenwhatitsaid
andwhathetoldme.Ialsoaskedhimaboutthenewsletterthewebsite
publishedforthefirsttimeinMarch,andwhytheyhadstartedtopublishit.He38Lings,53.
askedmewhatthediscrepanciesIsawwere,butalsotoldmestraightforwardly
thathedoesnotwriteorpublishanythingonthewebsite.Itisrunbyoneofhis
sonsinParis,andhehadnoknowledgeofthenewsletterpreviously,thoughI
couldnotgivehimanyinformationonit,sinceIcouldnotdownloaditbeforemy
meetingwithhim.
Asitturnsout,Al‐Nibrasispublishedspecificallyforthemembersofthe
Madanitariqah.Thefirstissue’sprimaryfocusseemedtobetheMulad
celebrationfor2009,asitlistedthedatesofthecelebrationatthevarious
MadanizawiyyatinTunisiaandEurope.Iwassurprisedtolearnthattherewere
manyzawiyyatwhentheshaykh'snephewexplainedthattheyhadcomeabout
afterthedeathofhisgrandfather.WhenShaykhMuhammadal‐Madanidied,
manyofhisfollowersclaimedtobehisspiritualheir,andtriedtotakechargeof
thegroup.Insteadofchoosingonepersontocontinueleadingthetariqah,many
ofthefollowerswenttotheirhometownsandsetuptheirownzawiyyat,sothat
nowthereisnowoneinSousse,oneinSfax,oneinMonastir,andevenonein
Paris.AttendanceatthezawiyyahinKsibetdroppedverymuchafterthegroup
spreadoutinthismanner,althoughthemembersofallofthebranchesofthe
MadaniyyastillgotothezawiyyahinKsibetontheMuladeveryyear.
Afterleavingthezawiyyahthesecondtime,Ifeltalmostbewildered.Ihad
barelymadeitthroughtheinterview,jumpingfromtopictotopicjusttokeepup
withShaykhMunawwar,whohaddoneeverythinghecouldtododgemy
questions.Ihadalsolearnedalmostnothingaboutthetariqahitself,exceptby
wayofobservation.Theshaykhsaidgoodbyewithasmile,invitingmetocome
back,thenexttimeasaguesttotalkmoreinformallyaboutGod.Hewouldbe
morecomfortabletalkingtomeaboutSufismwhenIwasn’tdoingacademic
research,andwhenhecouldjudgewhatIalreadyknewmoreeasily.
Myinterviewwithhisnephew,whichfollowedmytalkwithShaykh
Munawwar,providedmewiththeanswersIhadbeenlookingfororiginally.The
nephewhappilytoldmeallaboutthehistoryofhisuncle’sbrotherhood,butvery
methodicallycheckedeverythinghetoldmewithexplanationsofhowSufi
practicesareincorrect,aswellasanoverviewonthebasictenetsofIslam.Asa
scholarofIslamictheology,heconsidersthatSufisfocustoomuchonthe
spiritualaspectoflife,andignorethephysicalandmentalaspects.39Fromhim,
then,Igainedawealthofknowledgeonthepracticesofthetariqah,butwould
havelostoutonthelittlebitofSufitheologyShaykhMunawwarletmeinon.
IalsometbrieflywithDoctorSalahKhelifa,themanwhowrotehis
dissertationontheMadaniyya.SiMuldiandItrackedhimdownatcaféinKsibet,
whereItoldhimthetopicofmypaperandaskedhimifhecouldgivemeany
information.Herefused,sayingthatallofhisknowledgeoftheMadaniyyawas
ontheInternet,andsoIshouldfinditthere.Withouthim,however,Iwouldnot
havehadthechancetoreadaboutShaykhMuhammadal‐Madaniandhisorder
beforemytriptoKsibet.Withoutthatbackgroundknowledge,Iwouldhavehad
adifficulttimefollowingthehistorythatShaykhMunawwar’snephewgaveme,
andIcertainlywouldnothavegottenitfromtheshaykh.
WithoutallofthesourcesIfound,theinformationIhavegatheredonal
TariqatalMadaniyyawouldhavelackedanessentialaspecttoit.ThedifficultyI
hadbeginningmyresearchcarriedthroughtherestofmyproject,especiallyin
findingsomeonewhoknewaboutSufismandwithwhomIcoulddiscussthe
subject.Inordertolearnanythingabouttheinnerworkingsofatariqahin
Tunisia,itwasessentialformetofindaconnectiontoashaykhthroughaperson,
sothatIwouldbetrustworthyintheshaykh’seyes.OnceIdidfindthat
connection,itwasbarelyenoughtoconvincetheshaykhtotalktomesincethe
practicesofSufituruqaresecrets,guardedfromallexceptthosewhoareready
tolearnthem.DespitethefactthatShaykhMunawwarwasreluctanttoreveal
anythingabouttheMadaniyyatome,Ilearnedasmuchfrommyobservationsat
theinterviewasIdidfromthebiographyontheMadaniyyawebsite,andI
considermeetingtheshaykhandtalkingwithhimanintegralpartofstudyinga
Sufitariqah.However,Iwouldhavehadtospendayearatthezawiyyahtolearn
thehistoryoftheMadaniyyalikeDr.Khelifalearnedit,andsoIfoundpeople
closetothetariqah,liketheshaykh’snephew,tobeanequallyimportantsource
ofinformation.
39ThesethreelevelsofhumanlifearealsodiscussedonChittick,4‐5.