A story of love - Madagh April 2005

by Mustafa Kwenane

My journey to the place called Madagh North East of Morocco ( where Sidi Hamza resides). An unknown place in Morocco amongst the Moroccans I met and a well known place among the Lovers of ALLAH throughout the world, began on the 15^th of December 2004.

I've been a Muslim for years and in that period I never gave up searching for a path that will quench my spiritual thirst. I moved from one Sufi gathering to another asking Allah’s guidance in what I was searching for. In my search I met very interesting human beings that were deeply rooted in spiritualism. They offered their help to satiate my quest through meditation practices and retreats but there was something still lacking, but I couldn’t identify it as yet. One of my mentors said to me , "Sidi Mustafa I think I taught you what I could and I cannot take you any further". That was a turning point for me and I started to look towards the Maghrib (Morocco).     

I remember vividly when I was browsing Sufism pages of different Spiritual Ways (Turuq) trying to find a solution to my spiritual confusion. I went through lots of web pages and lastly I went to the website of other Tariqa's including other branches of the Qadiri Tariqa' . I had a meeting with some of them, they are wonderful people, but also I found there was no inner attraction. Finally I opened the website of www.tariqa.org of Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya. My inner state was confronted with the reality of what I've been searching for, and it was in the  face of Sidi Hamza (the guide of spiritual hearts & Master of Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya) in his photograph and my heart told me,  "this is your master", I knew it and there was no doubt about it.  Immediately I searched further because the site was not giving enough information about the man and the Tariqa (the path). I visited www.sufiway.net of Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya, a website based in UK and it was there I really got help and also where my search stopped. I then inquired through email about the tariqa (the path) Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya and the master himself. The rest I can say became a story of love. I praise Allah for all of that.

When I was told there would be an event of Mawlid in Morocco, I said to myself,  'this trip is going to determine my life and the life of my loved ones (family and my close friends who witnessed my confusion ever since I became a Muslim some twenty odd years ago).   

There has been a group of individuals in UK that made my travelling to Madagh easy. In UK there is this man who has a heart of a lover; I used to feel his love through our email communication. I will always tell my fellow Muslim brothers that there is a faqir (a disciple of Tariqa Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya) somewhere in UK whose love is strange and if he has this, I wonder how his Shaykh would be. He supported me in the path and unconditionally willing to share what he knows with me, but will always attribute everything he shares with me to his Shaykh or the family of the Shaykh.  In later moments of my travelling I was introduced to another Faqir who works in London but is from Morocco, what an amazing fellow. He also added love that flows from Sidi Hamza, unconditionally giving himself to serve me. I said if this is coming from the Fuqara' of a Shaykh then I know the Shaykh, I don’t have to see him.

I arrived in Casablanca airport on Thursday 20^th April 2005 and I met two Fuqara' waiting for me who had come especially for me from Meknes. The one was an elderly man accompanied by an energetic young man. They too were amazing company; I was a stranger in Morocco but never felt like one. These fuqara' made me to taste the love that this tariqa is offering. We travelled for hours before we reached Madagh, may ALLAH protect it and its people. We arrived in Madagh very late in the night of the Mawlid. The rural area was under siege by hoards of people, this is the only way I can describe the occasion.

It was really amazing to see such a crowd which came to see this wonderful man of ALLAH. It was difficult to go into the area where Sidi Hamza and his family were seating,  due to the large crowds, the feeling I had about the whole event was that this man is not just an ordinary man. There is something about him which attracted many people throughout the Maghrib (Morocco) and the whole World at large. Any way I managed to go through into the complex by the help of young Muhammad and his father. I was bit nervous the way they introduced me to the event coordinators in order to give me an access to the proximity of Sidi Hamza, "a faqir from South Africa is here to see the Sidi Hamza ".

A moment of truth arrived when I saw Sidi Hamza's illuminated face in a distant. I went into a state of shock that I have never experienced from a human being. I closed my eyes and praise GOD and avoided looking at him again. As the crowd was making a way for me it was like Sidi Hamza was staring at me, my heart nearly came out of my mouth, I mean it was seriously beating heavily. I tried to maintain sanity because it was like I'm losing myself. I avoided looking at him throughout; I was humbled by his presence and his amazing energy that was flowing in my heart. Then he left the tent, people went upto him and I deliberately avoided him.

Then I went to see and greet Sidi Jamal (the son of Sidi Hamza) and Sidi Mounir (the grandson of Sidi Hamza). They showed happiness to see me as if we long knew each other. I feel really honoured to know Sidi Hamza, Sidi Jamal and Sidi Mounir, may ALLAH be pleased with them.

There was melody in the air created by the singers and a vibration that came from a spiritual chanting and dancing called 'hadra'. I kept asking myself one question: "What effort have you made to deserve all of this?"  After the hadra, the people dispersed to their respective destinations.

Later ,the father of Sidi Muhammad took me to Sidi Jamal who immediately took my hand and said: "Do want this….do you want to make a pact?" Words were not there except few in Arabic, I said: "na'm" (“Yes”). And the pact was sealed.

Friday and Saturday I spent time with fuqara' who were eager to share with me their love and experiences in the path. What surprised me about the fuqara' is that none expressed with words how they loved me but I would feel loved and simultaneously I developed love for them, it is amazing!

The atmosphere in the zawiya was an experience of a life time. People coming and going, the generosity of the people of the house of our host (Sidi Jamal) was without measure, may GOD increase them all the time.

On Saturday night I was sitting with some of the fuqara' from UK and they told me they were waiting to visit Sidi Hamza. At that moment a faqir came straight to me with good news that I should come to Sidi Hamza's house, because he wants to meet me.  It was then , what? I became lame; my body was no longer functioning well. As I walked to Sidi Hamza's house I knew that the matter is over, I'm one of the fuqara'. I was lead to meet him and I didn’t know what to say. He looked at me and said "I'm welcomed and it is my sincerity that finally brought me to him" (words to that effect). Then fuqara' who were with me spoke as well to the Shaykh. Then we left his room. Whilst outside one faqir from said to me: "Sidi tonight is your birthday". I couldn’t understand him in the first place but later I knew he meant after seeing Sidi Hamza your life won't be the same again. And I said the meeting with Sidi Hamza for me meant the end of my spiritual confusion.

And really what Sidi Hamza has said in his sayings that,  "Oral teaching is not necessary. What is most important is the transformation of the hearts." One's heart transformed by virtue of being in the company of Allah’s lovers.
Their presence is alchemy.

*Glossary in Sufi terms

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Sidi Hamza al Qadiri
al Boutchich

 Madagh, Morocco 2005