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Sharifism was the system in pre-colonialMorocco in which theshurafā'—descendants of theIslamic prophetMuhammad (through his grandsonHasan ibn Ali, in the case of Morocco[1])—held a privileged religious and political position in society.[2] Those who claimed this lineage were regarded as a kind ofnobility and were privileged, in the words ofSahar Bazzaz, "as political agents, as interlocutors between various sectors of society, and as would be dynasts of Morocco".[2] They were additionally believed to possessbaraka, or blessing power.[2] Claiming this lineage also served to justify authority; theIdrisi dynasty (788–974), theSaadi dynasty (1510–1659), and the'Alawi dynasty (1631–present) all claimed lineage fromAhl al-Bayt.[3]
Theshurafā' surfaced in theMarinid period as a loosely defined group with social and political privilege, gaining political prestige through their involvement in thejihad resistance to Iberian Catholic invasions in the 15th century.[2] Under Sharifism, theshurafā' came to be venerated as saints—awliā'sāliḥīn (أولياء صالحين "righteous authorities")—by all social classes in Morocco.[2] Sharifism manifested itself inMawlid celebrations, claims of possessing propheticrelics, a new hagiographic tradition, and traditions ofziyara to thetombs and thezawiyas of theshurafā', which were considered "sacred and inviolable", and offered sanctuary (حُرمḥurm) from theMakhzen.[2]
Sufi teachings associated withMuhammad al-Jazuli supported the idea of the authority of theshurafā'.[2] These teachings were rooted in the concept oftajdid (تجديد "renewal"), based on theprophetic teaching "God will send to this community at the turn of every century someone who will restore religion."[4] Al-Jazuli and his followers saw theawliā'sāliḥīn as models of spiritual and social virtue.[2]
TheSaadi dynasty revived Sharifism in the 16th century to assertArab supremacy in a mostlyAmazigh region.[1] At this time, it competed with and eventually marginalizedSufism to become the main channel of legitimacy and power.[1] It became particularly important in the "Maraboutic Crisis", referring to the power struggles involving Sufizawiyas orribats following the end of the powerful Amazigh dynasties (theAlmoravids, theAlmohads, and theMarinids), which intensified after the death ofAhmad al-Mansur, when his sonsZidan Abu Maali andAbu Faris Abdallah fought for the throne.[1][5] Under the Saadi dynasty, the armed Sufi ribats represented a challenge to the Makhzen's authority.[1] The Saadis sought to absorb the authority of the Sufis by taking over jihad.[1] They even dug upMuhammad al-Jazuli's body and buried it in a mausoleum in Marrakesh.[1]
TheAlawite dynasty fromTafilalt rose to power through its own claims of prophetic lineage as well as its alliances withshurafā' families inFes, especially theIdrisid family, descendants of the founder of Fes,Idris II.[2] Beginning during the reign of SultanIsmail (1672–1727), the Makhzen began to officially document and verify lineages, restricting the number of families that could receive tax cuts and other benefits on the basis of theirsharīfī lineage.[2]
Edmund Burke III described Sharifism as "central to Moroccan politics" in the precolonial period.[3] Prestige, influence, and power in Moroccan society were based on lineage rather than wealth, and families ofsharīfī descent were, according to Sahar Bazzaz, "more likely to gain wealth as a result of their noble descent or through access to the patron-client networks of these sharifan families".[2] Examples of Sharifism in the pre-colonial period include the vast land holdings north ofFes of theshurafā' ofWazzān, the rebellions against theMakhzen led by thesheikhs of the Sharqāwi Sufi order, and the campaign of the pretenderal-Jilāli az-Zarhūni.[2]
The 19th century saw the rise of a new merchant class with unprecedented political influence. This new commercial elite began to supplant traditional hierarchies based onsharīfī lineage,[2] gaining power and prestige through its ties with European trading companies and knowledge of European languages and modern governing, economic, and business models, of great value to the Makhzen.[2] In 1830, for example, after theFrench invasion of Algiers, a group of merchants fromFes convinced SultanAbd al-Rahman not to end relations with France, as their commercial interests in Algeria were too important to be threatened by political conflict.[6][2] After theAnglo-Moroccan Treaty of 1856 and later treaties with France and Spain, Moroccan merchants—Muslims and Jews alike—flourished.[2] From the mid-19th century, Moroccan merchants joined the bureaucracy of the Makhzen, which was expanding to facilitate relations with Europe, in roles as tariff-inspectors or theumanā' established byMuhammad IV.[2][7]
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