Mawlay al-ʿArbi ad-Darqawi

Mawlay al-ʿArbi ad-Darqawi renewed the Shadhili way in the Maghreb and gave his name to the Darqawiyya, one of the most influential orders in Morocco in the nineteenth century. His letters, which describe the practice of dhikr with simplicity, were widely circulated and translated.

Origins

Muhammad al-ʿArbi ad-Darqawi was born in 1760 among the Bani Zarwal, in the mountains north of Fez. His family was sharifian (Hassanid-Idrisid), settled among the Berber populations of the region.

The master ʿAli al-Jamal

In Fez he was the disciple of ʿAli al-Jamal, a Shadhili master, under whom he followed a demanding training. He succeeded him at his death in 1779-1780.

A renewal of the Shadhili way

He insisted on detachment from material goods and on the regular practice of dhikr under the guidance of a master. His teaching method was simple and direct. After his death, the Darqawiyya was organised around his teaching, with disciples from all walks of life. It became the most influential order in Morocco before spreading to Algeria and Tunisia.

The letters

His letters to his disciples (fuqara') deal with the practice of dhikr and the conduct of daily life. Compiled by himself, then copied and printed in Fez in lithographed form, they have been translated into English under the titles Letters of a Sufi Master and The Darqawi Way.

Relations with power

Sultan Mawlay Sulayman (r. 1792-1822) had him imprisoned, suspecting his order of supporting revolts; he was released under the reign of Mawlay ʿAbd ar-Rahman. Between 1803 and 1805, members of the Darqawiyya played a role in the uprisings of western Algeria against Ottoman rule in Oran.

Disciples and legacy

Among his disciples, Muhammad Buziyan al-Gharisi wrote after his death the Kanz al-Asrar, the main source on his life. He died in 1823; his tomb is at Bou Brih, in the Rif. Several branches issued from the Darqawiyya, among them that of al-Bouzidi and, through him, the ʿAlawiyya of Mostaganem.