Inner determination: what carries the disciple along the path
Contents
‘Say: “God!” then leave them to their vain talk.’ (Qur’an VI, 91)
A living initiatic path, Sufism is a possibility offered to whoever is willing to draw from within himself a richness he can at first only sense, and to which he has no immediate access. As such, it is a direction, an orientation, and it takes its place quite naturally within a sincere personal approach. The disciple’s inner determination grows stronger as he is able to anchor himself more firmly in regular ritual practice. For Sufism is tasted above all through the effective participation of the whole body in individual and collective rites, whose function is to purify the way one sees things.
It is of course always possible to take an interest in the metaphysical doctrines set out by the masters of the past, or to be won over by the beauty of Sufi poems dedicated to the divine. But these are only preparatory stages on the way to what drives the transformation of the being: spiritual practice.
The need for guidance
Being guided is indispensable at a time when it is easy to obtain documents describing techniques used in ritual gatherings, and we cannot insist enough on the need for genuine guidance. By their very nature, the rituals specific to Sufism (most particularly the dhikr) can awaken in the practitioner unusual states, before which he will find himself at a loss. These rites in fact constitute the very vehicle by which the spiritual guide delivers his teaching to the disciple. A contact is thus established between them, a guarantee, for the disciple, of harmonious progress along the path. But this method requires a ‘dosage’, suited to the disciple’s present capacities, which can only be known by an authentic guide or by the one he has chosen to represent him.
The present issue of Soufisme d’Orient et d’Occident describes supports for meditation specific to Sufism. One will notice obvious analogies with practices recommended by other spiritual traditions: the dhikr can thus be related to the recitation of mantras in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions, or even to the repetition of the name of Jesus that characterises hesychasm within Eastern Christianity. But one will also appreciate the profound originality and the perfectly accomplished science of a path that reaches directly the heart of the one who explores it.
Morocco, land of living tradition
Morocco is a land on which the Muslim tradition has always shone with a particular brilliance. Today as yesterday, the whole country is an oasis of colours, scents and sounds in which one loves to find oneself when one wants to take stock and break with the relentless rhythm of daily life. The mosque of the Qarawiyyîn in Fez is a haven of beauty and recollection that has borne witness for twelve centuries to the gentle and refreshing presence of an authentic spirituality, whose only aim is to uplift souls. It forms a link between past and present, and holds secrets that the attentive visitor will pick up as he wanders.
Fez is precisely the city where the Festival of World Sacred Music takes place each year; it has quickly become a living showcase for the traditional musical heritage of the five continents. The festival opens a space for discovery, dialogue and encounter between East and West, in deep respect for the cultural specificities of each, in echo to a globalisation that is accelerating day by day. The calls to prayer, the periods of fasting and the ritual feasts are the intangible landmarks that order daily life in Morocco. The feast in honour of the Prophet’s birth, in particular, is an occasion to gather for long vigils punctuated by chants and prayers. Members of the tariqa qadiriyya butshishiyya were recently able to celebrate the event in the zawiya where the master of the brotherhood lives, near the Algerian border: an impressive gathering of 15,000 disciples and sympathisers, some of whom had come from very far away, which reveals the real vitality of Sufism at the threshold of the twenty-first century.
