Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari at Forum104 (19/12/24)

On Thursday 19 December 2024 we had the honour of taking part in a lecture by Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (may Allah sanctify his secret) in an emblematic cultural venue in Paris, the Forum104. A place occupied by various Paris associations to promote sharing, knowledge and the cultures of the world.

This lecture followed a trip by the Shaykh to the USA, where he was able to speak in workshops organised by two prestigious universities, Stanford University and UC Berkeley. He did so as representative of the Al-Karkari Institute, a foundation recently created by the Shaykh whose aim, among others, is the study and promotion of spirituality in the university setting.

The Shaykh’s visits to Europe can no longer be counted, still less his talks, which are numerous and have always proved pedagogical and accessible to all audiences. No fewer than 60 people took part in the lecture that Thursday at the Forum104, with as its main theme: the stages of the spiritual journey and the importance of the call to God.

The spiritual journey indeed breaks down into several phases, and this is perfectly related in the very famous Qur’anic account (Surat al-Kahf / The Cave) that describes the relationship between al-Khidr and Moses. It begins with a search and a consultation, which is what Moses did in addressing his Lord, who redirected him to one who knew more than he, a servant (spiritual master) on whom He had bestowed His Knowledge. Once the meeting has taken place, the journey takes concrete form through a contract, clear and unambiguous, between the seeker (the disciple) and the teacher (the spiritual master). Al-Khidr thus asked Moses to follow without questioning in exchange for sharing a part of his knowledge. That was the contract clearly established.

And it is exactly this ancestral spiritual method that is found in the same form in the Karkariya Sufi brotherhood. The disciple is the pupil, aware of his lack of knowledge and experience, who will follow the master’s instructions on a long spiritual journey in which the Shaykh will make him know all the facets of his soul.

This contract is moreover guaranteed by an eminently important word of the Shaykh, which constitutes one of the foundations of the Karkariya Path:

Our Tariqa is the Tariqa of vision in the waking state; whoever does not see, I am not his Shaykh and he is not my murid.

This is a summary that does not represent the whole richness of the talk of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (may Allah sanctify his secret), which you will soon find on our YouTube channel with a complete translation into French.

You can, however, already benefit from the Shaykh’s teachings thanks to all the existing translations of his books, which you can find at the publishing house Les 7 Lectures.