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Meeting in all “fraterni-tea” & the Shaykh's visit – Paris (01/04/2017)
For the Shaykh’s stay in Paris, the disciples of the Karkariya Sufi Order decided to take advantage of this important moment to organise the second edition of the “Toute Fraterni-Thé” meeting. It is without doubt the most important stage of this visit of the Shaykh to Europe. It is in Paris that the greatest number of disciples is found, and it is also to Paris that most of the French disciples travelled to meet the Shaykh.
There were many visitors and many bay‘a (pledges to the Shaykh) were taken. For the occasion two new books, freshly printed and published, were made available exclusively. And finally, a key element of the evening: the question-and-answer session, which led to more than 7 bay‘a being taken with Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (may Allah sanctify his secret).
But let us begin at the beginning… this conference has its backstage and disciples who organise it. While they are immersed in the preparations (before welcoming the public), the Shaykh settles in and answers the fuqara’s questions until the dhuhr prayer.
The Shaykh took the opportunity to introduce us to a disciple who had come from Tunisia to see the Shaykh. A disciple commonly called al-Buraq (a masculine nickname, and for good reason!) who has organised the whole Tariqa in Tunisia, setting the rhythm of the Tunisian weeks with 5 majma‘ (dhikr gatherings).
After 4 p.m. the Shaykh finally arrived. The opening was made with the recitation of Surat al-Mulk and the ‘Asr prayer.
The meeting begins with the talks of 4 disciples: Sidi Abderrazzaq on “the proprieties of presence”, Sidi Mohammadou on the famous account of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on the question of the vision of the Lord, a piece of music performed by Sidi Muhammad Florian, and finally Sidi Suhayl on the question of Sufism as an option or an obligation of Islam.
Sidi Abderrazzaq on “the proprieties of presence”.
Sidi Mohammadou with the commentary on this famous question put to Imam ‘Ali: “O ‘Ali, have you seen your Lord?”
Sufism, an option or a necessity? By Sidi Suhayl.
Breath of Life, music at the heart of Sufism
For this special occasion Sidi Muhammad Florian composed and performed a piece of music on his unusual instrument called the “Hang”. He was accompanied by three other disciples to adorn the melodies with various tints of voice.
Questions and answers
After all the talks, the Shaykh offered a question-and-answer session or a direct talk from himself. A hand was soon raised to put the first question of a long gathering very rich in teaching.
The first question was how to find the right Shaykh according to the Qur’an and the Sunna, and without being mistaken. The answer to this question took the whole gathering, with a few intermediate questions, notably an interesting one that we will phrase thus: “Can we, mere servants, compare ourselves to Musa (peace be upon him) in his quest to al-Khidr (peace be upon him), when the latter already had divine knowledge?” The videos are available below.
The complete video:
During the gathering, the little ones do not hesitate to take certain privileges… when the big and the small meet…
10 prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ were said after the maghrib prayer in order to benefit from the Prophet’s ﷺ intercession on the Day of Judgement.
“Whoever prays 10 times upon me morning and evening will find my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” [narrated by at-Tabarani].
7 bay‘a (pledges) taken
The question-and-answer session ended with 7 pledges being taken with the Shaykh. A moment so far unique and exceptional.
The Shaykh did not fail to give advice to the new disciples and to express his Love for all those present and absent from the meeting.
And so the meeting closed beautifully with more than 7 bay‘a. The Shaykh made his invocations for all the disciples and went back up to his rooms.
The rest of the stay was devoted solely to the disciples, with whom he visited various places in Paris.
Notre-Dame for the Men of God
A small handful of disciples went with the Shaykh to Notre-Dame de Paris to visit the immense cathedral and set foot on the zero point.
It is kilometre point 0, from which the distances of the roads leaving the capital are calculated. Situated some fifty metres from Notre-Dame, the Shaykh set his feet there. It is no coincidence, since the vocation of the Karkariya is to lead everyone who joins the path to their origin: the divine Light. The symbol is strong.
Together they also visited the cathedral and its various ancient objects (such as Gospels and garments), frescoes, and so on. The Shaykh also signed the register book for the occasion.
As an anecdote, the disciples, like all visitors to the place, had to uncover their heads, except the Shaykh, for whom an exception was made.
The Eiffel Tower was also honoured by our Shaykh’s visit. It, and the barge that carried them on the Seine. These are the last images of our Shaykh in France, which he left shortly afterwards to return to his country of residence and origin, Morocco.
We, the disciples, thank our Shaykh for his comforting and blessed presence during this stay. We thank the Hotel Qualys for the conference rooms we were able to rent. We also thank all the visitors who came wherever the Shaykh was. May Allah spread His Mercy wherever His Waliy set foot.