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1,000 km on foot to my Shaykh
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
و الصلاة و السلام على أشرف المرسلين
و على اله و اصحابه أجمعين
Although this siyaha was made in 2016, one has to go back to 2012, to my bay‘a with the one who would become my true Shaykh through the Muhammadan Light, to know the origin and causes of this siyaha. I refer you first to my testimony, which shows the upheaval this bay‘a caused in me, and then I will add a few details that led to this siyaha.
First of all, in the Karkariya Sufi Order our Shaykh teaches us to give importance to small things. I insist on this point when one knows how much the impact of a small siyaha in Algeria (2017) stirred the web and the media of the world, for a walk of 100 km at most.
100 km is roughly the distance between Al-Aroui and Oujda, and it is the journey the disciple Amine Ghazi made for his first wandering. It was from there, and from the state I had been in for some time, that I decided to set out from Wattrelos to Al-Aroui.
As a “good disciple”, I asked the Shaykh’s permission, and his answer was a categorical “no”. Without going into more detail, the idea of this siyaha had stayed in my mind since that day. Later, the idhn (divine permission) for the siyaha came down upon our Tariqa, and the permissions our Shaykh then bestowed (to go out on siyaha) were the beginning of a great adventure for the disciples.
It was in 2014 that I took for the first time the French footpaths, which were completely unknown to me until then. From my home town I began my walk, and my lack of experience in long walks, both physically and materially, forced me to stop at the gates of Spain, at Cerbère to be precise.
Now, strengthened by a first attempt, a much bigger route opened up before me, a walk of 1,000 km, from the gates of Spain in the south of France to the door of the zawiya at Al-Araoui.
The beginning of a long adventure…
The video
Day 1
The day before, I took the train with my gear to reach Cerbère. Once there, I phoned Sidi Shaykh, who gave me the last instructions and advice for the journey: not to do more than 25 km a day, to take it easy, and to stop in case of a problem.
The departure was set by Sidi Shaykh for Friday after dhuhr.
It was with great motivation and spirits at their highest that I set off for 15 km on the first day, long enough to cross the pass separating the 2 countries. Arriving in Spain, at Portbou, I had my first mishaps with two successive punctures and no equipment to repair them. I therefore equipped myself at the local “Chinese shop” in order to set off again. But the fatigue of climbing the pass, added to the setback of the puncture and the curiosity of the locals, made me resolve to settle, not far from there, for the first night.
Day 2
The road gets under way quietly. The sky does not bode well for what follows…
Day 3
Off for 3 days of rain…
1st day of rain: I had to take out the poncho, very useful for various reasons (shower cubicle, windbreak, extra layer over the tent in heavy rain, etc.). Stops under bridges allow a precarious rest, as do service stations for recharging the phone and the day’s provisions (mainly water and juice). As for the meal, it consists mainly of cold salads, easy to eat and light to carry. In one of the photos you can see that I carry a trunk, admittedly cumbersome, but more practical for keeping my things sheltered from the rain.
Day 4
2nd day of rain: I always arrange to be in a place sheltered from view, and always facing the likely approaches.
Day 5
3rd day of rain: today I follow the coast to go as directly as possible towards Barcelona.
Day 6
Watching the sails and the people having fun, I saw the contrast between my walk – already trying – and the pleasures this world offers.
Are my shoes showing signs of fatigue?
Day 7
On siyaha, we do not always find the discreet spot we would like, but fatigue and the wish to end the day’s walking do not make us think of that sort of thing. When possible, I have a milky coffee in the morning, not that I particularly fancy it, but it helps me keep up my spirits.
In the photos you can also see a brand-new pair of wheels, because the 200 km had got the better of my cart’s bearings. I thought these wheels might give a new lease of life to my progress, but alas, the quality was not up to it.
Day 8
As I said, the wheel bearings finished their own siyaha, and I set off again with new wheels. I had planned a few tools just in case! I take the opportunity to photograph a few monuments that speak to me, making me think about the Alif…
Day 9
With my new wheels, it took only 20 kilometres to jam me again, and for 3 days this time, to find a reliable and lasting solution. So I bought wheels (in yellow in the photos) based on needle bearings; those who know bearings will understand that they are stronger under load, but I had to adapt them to my cart’s axles, hence the sketch and the photos to better understand what I was doing! Off to the DIY store, purchase of two-component glue, and so on.
As you can see in the photos, a repair phase is improvised in a discreet corner of this area south of Barcelona, so that I can continue on my way.
Day 10
Apparently it is repaired! But I will have to wait a full night for the glue to set, with pressure applied using a bungee to hold the wheels in translation.
You see my lodging of 3 days in a corner. In the meantime I had a visit from the police, who understood the situation and my inability to set off again any time soon.
Day 11
I had noticed a pain in the ligaments of my feet during this forced rest. Looking for a cause, I noticed that the sole of my shoes was completely worn, the source of a latent tendinitis. Between us, I had nothing to do, so I was looking at everything and anything. I preferred to part with them; they had served on my first siyaha (500 km) and I was at about 300 km more for my shoes in Spain.
To make up for lost time I decided to take the train for two reasons: first, to catch up; second, it was the month of Sha‘ban, and my goal was to arrive before the month of Ramadan. I have already tried siyaha while fasting, and I recommend it very little.
Here you see me on the train taking me to Tarragona, 100 km from where I was, that is, 3 days of walking. I take the opportunity to buy a new pair of shoes to finish the walk, at Decathlon, a place conducive to rest.
Day 12
A little walking will do me no harm, especially on a pleasant road and in mild weather. I take the opportunity to take a few symbolic photos at the foot of an olive tree. Admire the nicely round face, which will soon get thinner during the walk (I lost 10 kg!).
Day 13
Dead animals on the roads are common; however, our state of mind when walking gives us a different reading on seeing a dead beast. I likened it to my own nafs dying little by little as I advanced.
Once again a few troubles with my cart, so I brought out the big guns to settle the problem for good by inserting a nut in the axle, to fix the washer instead of gluing it. Filing the nut, gluing… In short, a DIY session in the open air that I would have avoided without hesitation!
Day 14
The road continues towards my goal… my Shaykh, Sidi Mohamed Faouzi Al Karkari!
Day 15
The road, still the road, and a nice place to sleep. A real corner of paradise for the vagabond that I am!
Day 16
I chain the kilometres together, and this time I find a dead snake… but that is a good thing, in sha Allah!
Day 17
Nothing special to report, the path continues.
Day 18
A hard day, but with an encounter on the road. Anything is good for breaking the solitude of the journey, which is beginning to weigh. The landscape is magnificent, so I do not hesitate to take a few photos during the regular stops, because it is a climb to get over a mountain and reach the motorway behind the mountain, which itself goes through it.
Day 19
A great moment of solitude after following my GPS, which led me into the mountains. Even the goat wondered what I was doing here. The track made progress difficult and exhausting because of my cart. It is when you find tarmac again that you realise the good it does. For a day I was plunged into the Middle Ages, pushing a cart and wondering, with rage in my belly, how they did it back then.
Day 20
And as navigation errors never come alone, I had a 2nd day even more exhausting than the day before. I cover myself as much as possible from the sun. Sometimes, beneath my glasses, the tears of suffering the journey brings are mixed with those of joy at the thought of reaching my goal and being welcomed by Sidi Shaykh. Without people even suspecting it, I crossed towns in very random states. At this stage the fatigue was really beginning to affect me, as was my morale.
Day 21
My feet too are beginning to show the long hours of walking, under a setting that becomes more and more insignificant to my eyes, so pressing is the wish to arrive.
Day 22
After arid landscapes, a little civilisation does the morale no harm. So I watch the people and their festival, still meditating on the gap between my presence here and theirs. For a moment I felt like a hair in the soup in the middle of their show; some paid more attention to me than to the show in the street.
Day 23
A short stop at the pharmacy for a few foot treatments. My new shoes being the cause of this business, I cut away part of the shoe to avoid chafing. Other photos show my tent spot of the day before and the bridge under which I will pitch my tent for the night at the end of this day. Well, I will try (see the video)…
Day 24
We are approaching Almería to take the boat towards the port of Nador.
Day 25
Still a little track for this day; fortunately I quickly find again the tarmac that I now particularly cherish. We are approaching Almería, still 70 km according to the sign.
Day 26
I combine business with pleasure by studying along the way the drip-irrigation system in Spain.
Day 27
Here we are: I am not far from Almería, and tomorrow I take the boat to finish the road from Melilla to Al-Aroui. These last kilometres will largely complete the goal of 1,000 km.