Sharifism

Sharifism is a term used to describe the system in pre-colonial Morocco in which the [[Sharif#Morocco|shurafā]] —descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (through his grandson Hasan ibn Ali, in the case of Morocco)—held a privileged religious and political position in society. Those who claimed this lineage were regarded as a kind of nobility and were privileged, in the words of Sahar Bazzaz, "as political agents, as interlocutors between various sectors of society, and as would be dynasts of Morocco." They were additionally believed to possess baraka, or blessing power. Claiming this lineage also served to justify authority; the Idrisi dynasty (788-974), the Saadi dynasty (1510-1659), and the 'Alawi dynasty (1631–present) all claimed lineage from Ahl al-Bayt. The shurafā' surfaced in the Marinid period as a loosely defined group with social and political privilege, gaining political prestige through their involvement in the jihadist resistance to Iberian Catholic invasions in the 15th century. Under Sharifism, the shurafā' came to be venerated as saints—awliā' sāliḥīn (أولياء صالحين "righteous authorities")—by all social classes in Morocco. Sharifism manifested itself in Mawlid celebrations, claims of possessing prophetic relics, a new hagiographic tradition, and traditions of ziyara to the tombs and the zawiyas of the shurafā''', which were considered "sacred and inviolable," and offered sanctuary (حُرم ḥurm) from the Makhzen. Sufi teachings associated with Muhammad al-Jazuli supported the idea of the authority of the shurafā'. These teachings were rooted in the concept of tajdid (تجديد "renewal"), based on the prophetic teaching "God will send to this community at the turn of every century someone who will restore religion." al-Jazuli and his followers saw the [[Wali|awliā]] sāliḥīn as models of spiritual and social virtue. The Saadi dynasty revived Sharifism in the 16th century to assert Arab supremacy in a mostly Amazigh region. At this time, it competed with and eventually marginalized Sufism to become the main channel of legitimacy and power.