Sheikh Sidi Hamza al Qadiri al boutchichi
Who is Sheikh Sidi Hamza?
Sheikh Sidi Hamza is the current Sheikh of the Qadiri Boutchichi Tariqah (spiritual methods passed down from Prophet Muhammad to form a chain of teachers). He has been spreading teachings of Islam through the door of spirituality using the key of peace, love and unity.
Sheikh Sidi Hamza is also the great descendant of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and a descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
Where is he from?
He was born in 1922 in a village of Morocco called Madagh, which is just north of a city called Berkane. He is from the Beni Snassen tribe.
Important facts
By the age of 9 he had memorised the Quran. He also mastered Arabic grammar called Nahu and islamic jurisprudence which is called Fiqh in the Maliki school of thought. He continued his studies in these subjects until 1940 in the city of Oujda. After which, he went back to his village in Madagh where the Zawiya (school of spirituality - translates as Cornerstone) is located. While in the zawiya in [Madagh] he continued to be tutored by two Scholars who had studied in The Famous Islamic university in Fez, Morocco called University of Al-Karaouine. these two scholars taught him the sciences of exegesis (explanations of each sentence) of the [Quran], further studies into Islamic Jurisprudence of the Maliki school of thought, Hadith (recorded sayings of Prophet [Muhammad], sayings of his companions and any of the pious from among the first three generations ([Salaf]) of [Islam]). Other subjects studied by Sheikh Sidi Hamza were mathematics, rhetoric and logic and theology.
After he completed his studies (1942) in these studies (which he mastered) he then started his studies in tassawuf (known as Sufism in English) which is known as an esoteric science. He studied this under the Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan al Qadiri al Boutchihi (his uncle). At this time, Sheikh Sidi Hamza's father (Sheikh Sidi Haj al abbas) was also studying with Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan.
The important thing he is that Sheikh Sidi Hamza was 20 and his father Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas was 40 years old. 40 the the age of requirement to start the studies in Sufism, Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan has made a unique exception for Sheikh Sidi Hamza. The wise old men of the village had stated that he would be an exceptional man of great influence when he would grow up and Sheikh Sidi Abu Mayan also saw this in him and accepted him 20 years before the required age requirement normally allowed.
Until 1958 Sheikh Sidi Hamza and his father Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas had studied intensively from Shikh Sidi Abu Madyan and had made note of everything he had taught them. A lot of their time with Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan was used also used to perform the Dhikr (remembrance of God) of the Tariqah.
In 1958, Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan appointed Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas and Sheikh Sidi Hamza as the inheritors of the Tariqah Qadiri Boutchichi. Sheikh Sidi Hamza out of sincerity and manners he stepped back to allow his father (Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas) to be the head of the Tariqah. He said, "A black beard does not grow from a white beard". what he was stating was that a son cannot precede the father.
Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas passed away in 1972 and then Sheikh Sidi Hamza became the head of the Tariqah Qadiri Boutchichi.
Like Sheikh Sidi Haj al Abbas, Sheikh Sidi Hamza has made a large impact on the people of Morocco. They have revived the Science of Sufism by changing the ways it was taught. Sufism was taught through methods of difficulty like fasting for large periods of time, lack of sleep, isolation for meditation purposes to increase one's patience and to help deny this world as much as possible.
Sheikh Sidi Hamza has stated that all of the spiritual tests and difficulties (used to attain a perfected soul) can be found in the dhikr that he gives to his disciples. He also teaches his disciples that love (Mahabba in Arabic) and orientation (Tawajjuh in Arabic) is the key in reaching the goal of perfection.
The spiritual tests applied on the disciples where through the door of Jamal (majesty) and now the door of Jamal (beauty) is the right door to go through. due to social changes in the last 50 years or so, people do not have the time to dedicate themselves towards sciences like Sufism so the method had to be changed.
Sheikh Sidi Hamza once said,
"The reasons for this change are both historical and social especially men’s natural attractions to the material world and the imbalance of the spiritual and the physical aspects of life which has altered religious consciousness. On the one hand modern man is prone to a multiple array of distractions from spiritual awareness and on the other hand there has been massive destruction of all that is religious and of spiritual value in modern times. Sufism has thus adapted to these new realities prevalent in the modern world."
Once a year Sheikh Sidi Hamza al Qadiri al boutchichi arranges a mawlid to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad. The date agreed upon my the majority of Muslims is that the date of his birth is the 12th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal. This event is usually broadcast on Moroccan national television.
His Disciples
Due to the impact Sheikh Sidi Hamza has had on Islam, his disciples can now be found all over the world. The majority of his disciples live in USA, Canada, United Kingdom and France.
His disciples are given certain portions of Quran to read (twice daily) along with some names of Allah and some blessings upon Prophet Muhammad. Some of these can be found in the famous book written by Imam Muhammad al-Jazuli (He is one of the saints buried in Marrakech) called the Dala'il Khayrat. His disciples are also recommended to read Qadi Iyad's ash-Shifa (which is a book dedicated to explaining the rank and respect of Prophet Muhammad).
Silsila (Chain)
- Prophet Muhammad
- Ali ibn Abi Talib
- Hasan al-Basri
- Habib al-Ajami
- Suleiman Tai
- Maruf al-Karkhi
- Abul Hassan Saqti
- Abulqasim al-Junaid
- Abu Bakr Shibli
- Raziuddin Abdulwahid
- Youssef Tartusi
- Ali Ahmad al-Hankari
- Mubarak al-Mukhrami
- -- Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani -- (Founder of the Qadri Tariqahs)
- Sheikh Sidi Abderrazaq I
- Sheikh Sidi Isma'îl
- Sheikh Sidi Muhammad
- Sheikh Sidi Muhammad
- Sheikh Sidi Abdul Qadir
- Sheikh Sidi Ali Shoaib
- Sheikh Sidi al Hassan
- Sheikh Sidi Abû Dakhîl
- Sheikh Sidi Muhammad
- Sheikh Sidi Muhammad
- Sheikh Sidi Muhammad
- Sheikh Sidi Abu Dachich
- Sheikh Sidi Ali
- Sheikh Sidi Mokhtar I
- Sheikh Sidi Hajj al Mokhtar
- Sheikh Sidi Hajj Muhyi Addin
- Sheikh Sidi al-Mokhtar
- Sheikh Sidi al-Mokhtar
- Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan (Sheikh Sidi Abu Madyan also received from Sheikh Sidi Muhammad Lahlu al Fassi of the Darqawi Tariqah, from Sheikh sidi al Mahdi Bel'arian of the Tijani Tariqah and from Sheikh Sidi Ahmad ibn Mustafa al Alawi (Mostaganem in 1930))
- Sheikh Sidi Hajj al-Abbas
- Sheikh Sidi Hamza al Qadiri al Boutchichi
Official Websites
Official International website
http://www.tariqa.org
Official US website
http://www.sidihamza.us
Official Audio/Video website
http://www.radiosamaa.info
Official UK webiste
http://www.sufiway.net