Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqawamatuhum lil-Bida wa al-Tasawwuf wa al-Quburiyya wa al-Mawasim

Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqawamatuhum lil-Bida wa al-Tasawwuf wa al-Quburiyya wa al-Mawasim (The Scholars of Morocco and Their Resistance to Innovations, Sufism, Grave-Veneration, and Seasonal Festivals) is a contemporary treatise by the Moroccan researcher Mustafa Bahou examining historical Moroccan and Maliki scholarly opposition to innovations, Sufi practices, grave-veneration, and popular festivals Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1.

Background and Purpose

The book is the third installment in Bahou's series Buhuth fi al-Madhhab al-Maliki (Studies in the Maliki School), following his treatises on singing and the veil in Maliki jurisprudence Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…. Published by the Moroccan newspaper Jaridat al-Sabil, its first edition appeared in Jumada al-Akhira 1428 AH (June 2007 CE), followed by a second edition in Dhu al-Qi'da 1428 AH (December 2007 CE) Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw….

Bahou authored the work to challenge contemporary claims that strict opposition to religious innovations, tomb-visitation rituals, and Sufi orders represents an alien ideology imported from outside Morocco Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…. He argues that rejecting such practices is indigenous to the Maghrib and deeply rooted in the historical Maliki tradition Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1.

Content and Themes

The work gathers historical rulings, treatises, and excerpts from prominent Maliki jurists, Moroccan scholars, and rulers across multiple eras Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1:

• Sufi Practices and Innovations: The text compiles refutations of practices such as dancing (shath and raqs) during dhikr, collective vocal chanting, and organizational allegiance to Sufi sheikhs and orders Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1. Bahou cites classical authorities such as al-Qurtubi, Abu Bakr al-Turtushi, and Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi, as well as later Moroccan figures including Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Abdusi (d. 849 AH), Muhammad ibn al-Madani Kannun (d. 1302 AH), Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Nasiri (d. 1315 AH), and Abd al-Rahman al-Nutayfi (d. 1385 AH) Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+3.
• Grave-Veneration (Quburiyya): The author documents prohibitions against building domed shrines over graves, plastering them, and praying inside tomb-sanctuaries (zawiyas), tracing these positions to Malik ibn Anas in al-Mudawwana and later Moroccan treatises, such as Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Tawit al-Titwani's Ikhraj al-Khabaya Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1.
• Seasonal Festivals (Mawasim): Bahou reviews official and scholarly denunciations of popular seasonal gatherings and tomb-festivals, highlighting the famous sermon of the Alaouite sultan Mawlay Sulayman against shrine festivals, as well as the critical writings of scholars such as Muhammad ibn Abd al-Salam al-Nasiri (d. 1239 AH) and Abd al-Salam al-Sarghini (d. 1354 AH) Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw…+1.
• Specific Polemics: The book documents specific polemical exchanges, including rulings against the Tijani order by Sultan Mawlay Abd al-Hafiz, Taqi al-Din al-Hilali, and the 1925 CE fatwa of the scholars of the University of al-Qarawiyyin condemning Muhammad al-Fatimi's book on Salat al-Fatih Ulama al-Maghrib wa Muqaw….