Sharifian lineage
Sidi ʿAli ibn Moussa
Sixteenth century · al-Aroui (eastern Rif) · participant in the Battle of the Three Kings
Sidi ʿAli ibn Moussa was a religious master of the eastern Rif who lived in the sixteenth century, under the Saadian dynasty. He is known for having taken part in the Battle of the Three Kings (1578). His mausoleum is at al-Aroui.
A master of the eastern Rif
Son of Sidi Moussa ibn ʿAli, he belonged to a family of sharifs established in the eastern Rif. He served as a religious master to the people of the region.
The Battle of the Three Kings
In 1578 the battle of Ksar el-Kebir (or “Battle of the Three Kings”) pitted the Saadian sultan ʿAbd al-Malik, accompanied by his brother Ahmad al-Mansur, against King Sebastian I of Portugal, supported by the deposed sultan al-Mutawakkil. The Moroccan army won completely; King Sebastian and al-Mutawakkil perished, and the defeat was followed by the annexation of Portugal by the Spanish crown. Sidi ʿAli ibn Moussa was among the participants.
Return and death
He returned to his home region, al-Aroui, where he was buried. His mausoleum is beside that of his father, in the cemetery bearing his name at the entrance to the town.
The mausoleums of the eastern Rif
Since the sixteenth century, twelve forefathers of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi Al Karkari have been buried between al-Aroui and Tamsaman, in domed mausoleums. Many were jurists and spiritual masters. From Sidi ʿAli ibn Moussa descend, in order, Moulay Mohamed, Moulay al-ʿArbi, Moulay Ahmad, Moulay ʿAbd al-Qadir and Muhammad ibn Qaddour al-Wakili.