Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari, guest at Bloomington University (Indiana, USA)

On Saturday 8 February 2025, the Moroccan spiritual master was the guest of the prestigious university of Bloomington in Indiana (USA) for a lecture on the esoteric meaning of religious garments. In recent weeks, Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (may Allah sanctify his secret) has spoken at many universities as representative of the Al-Karkari Institute, which works to share Sufi spiritual knowledge in the university setting.

He was accompanied by Professor Maria Hamilton, who addressed the cultural and spiritual dimensions of clothing and its (African) origins, as well as the way it was exported during the colonial period.

Also present was Dr Yousef Casewit, professor at the University of Chicago, historian and specialist in Sufism.

Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (may Allah sanctify his secret) reminds us that the Sufi garment, the patched cloak, is a well-known practice among Sufis since the very origin of Sufism, and long before that in the traditions that preceded Islam.

History lets us discover the traces of the search for the divine in every civilisation. Prof. Maria Hamilton’s talk proves it brilliantly. As for Sufism, it is the precise embodiment of that search and of that will to return to the origin. It is the tool and the discipline that allows every soul to be projected towards knowledge of the Real.

Every aspect of a life can become the expression of this journey, and it was the “garment” that was specifically treated in this lecture at the University of Bloomington.