A zaouïa , also spelled zawiya or zawiyah (rear RTL زاوية), is a Moslem religious building . In Turkish, it is called zaviye .

Initially, this term indicates a site or a room reserved inside a vaster structure where the soufis (mystical) could be withdrawn as implies it the direction of the root of the Arab word (angle or recess).

Thereafter, the word indicates a religious complex comprising a Mosquée, rooms reserved being studied and the meditation as well as an inn to receive the poor ones there. The spiritual practices there are carried out and one buries there the Saint S founders of the Confréries soufies.

The community soufie (rear RTL رابِطة) gathers in a Ribat (rear RTL رِباط) sometimes strengthened. With the the Maghreb, these communities developed within the urban framework in the form of the zaouïas. Sometimes the members of these brotherhoods are made call marabouts (rear RTL مَرْبوط or مُرابِط).

French, Belgian and English colonization has somewhat damages some zaouïas and influenced in a major way the continuation of rites and ceremonies. In Algeria, phenomena such as the French conquest, Algerian risings against the occupant, the war of independence and then the civil war of years 1990 enormously tested these rites.

In the Maghreb, with the historical direction, a zaouia was more than one simple brotherhood recruiting of the followers. The zaouïas, which knew in the Maghreb a birth and a propagation with adapted popular worship between the XI and XIIIème century, will be done, for the majority of them, promotrices of the social life. Especially in spaces or the regionalistic thought is strong, i.e., appreciably in Tunisia, slightly in Algeria and strongly in Morocco.

To Morocco, the zaouïas will start to prepare, work the Moroccan company. Already, towards the end of the Almohade era, at the moment when Morocco passed a phase of feudal dislocation, where the idea of the cherifism went up in force in the cities having a prestige by its religious teaching (such as Fès, Marrakech, etc…).

Where religious particularism was strongly impregnated malikism mixed with a past kharijito - Shiite completed. The zaouias will give their definitions in their goals and their sphere of activities.

By this particularism, they (zaouïas) do not redefine Islam, as hear it on the matter the puritan and rigorous ideologies Moslem intransigent, but rehabilitate an Islam with the popular needs.

Thus, one attends with the worships of the saints, the festivals related to an event relating to popular happiness, take the example of Moussem. The zaouïas will represent in the Maghreb and more precisely in Morocco, a force clean with the popular wills. It will be them which will channel the combat, popular Jihad in XVIe century, when the Spaniards and the Portuguese take coastal places (Badis, Azemmour, etc,…), it will be them which will make strong barrier when the sultan alaouite, moulay Slimane, tried for his own interests, establish the wahhabism in the years 1790.

But the principal disadvantage of this attitude lies in the fact that the zaouïas must find a certain credibility via the cherifism and thus to get a noble ascent. And consequently represented, in addition to one popular force, an obstacle with any contact with outside, think of the period when Morocco was isolated from the international scene between the years 1750 - 1850.

Currently, the zaouias have nothing any more but one primarily folk role, in various occasions, festivals, marriages, etc…

Organization of the brotherhoods within the zaouias

Sheik

At the top of the hierarchy the sheik (pl. l-chioukh) is placed, spiritual and temporal director of the order, omnipotent and omniscient man, supported of lenient and miséricordieux God, who extended his benefits on his person by delegating to him a spark of his any power (luck), which formed of it its link obliged near the human beings. It is the man who has a perfect knowledge of the divine law, which sometimes happened at the degree of perfection in art to know the infirmities and the evils whose hearts are afflicted, the remedies suitable to guide them in the way of God. It is a true pontiff, heir or founder of special teaching to the Tariqa, only which has all the secrecies of them, that Allah honoured with all the divine titles (ouali, Soufi, kotob, ghout, etc). Character magnanime, austere, synthesizing all the virtues, all sciences, having the gift of the miracles; in a word, the true continuator of the tradition that so many famous men illustrated by their piety and their knowledge Soufi, derouich, Marabout.

The sheik does not recognize of another power, above his, that of Single God and his Envoy; take as a starting point other thoughts only of those which suggests to him God himself or his very powerful initiator sat, in the other world, beside the sovereign throne and imbu of the feelings Être Supreme. Such is with the mystical direction of the word, the sheik as conceive it the believers, followers or servants of the brotherhood placed under her patronage.

The Caliph

With the second rank the caliph or lieutenant of the sheik is his coadjutor in the countries moved away, invested from part of its capacities, its delegate near the faithful ones. Sometimes one indicates it under the name of naïb , temporary, but then, the naïb, as its name indicates it, exerts all the powers of the khalifa without being officially invested of this title.

Moqaddem

Below the khalifa the moqaddem (prepositus, pl. moqaddim) is placed, kind of cantonal Vicaire, faithful executor of the instructions that the Sheik gives him, orally or by letters missive, its delegate near the vulgar one, the true propagator of the doctrines of the tariqa, the heart of the brotherhood, sometimes missionary, sometimes directing of a convent, professor (a' lem) well-read man or ignoramus, he is the initiator of the commun run which requests its support.

He fulfills, in that, the role of the daï of the Ismaélite S , has same attributions, the same rights and the same duties. The moqaddem not yet established carries, like the khalifa, the title of naïb (temporary) (vicarius alterius, pl. nouèb).

The moqaddim generally have special agents, kinds of assembled emissary (rakeb, with the pl. rokkab), especially charged to warn the followers of the day of the arrival of the Master, to make known to the assembled brothers of the instructions, written or verbal, that the moqqadem their fact of arriving from time to other, and to ensure the relations of the followers with the chief of the order. In certain brotherhoods (Rahmaniya, Taïbiya, Hansaliya), these auxiliaries bear the name of chaouch .

Khouans and other followers

Lastly, comes, at the last level of the hierarchy, the mass of the followers who are differently qualified, according to the brotherhoods to which they belong: their generic name is khouan (brothers), in septentrional Africa, and derouich in the East; but, actually, these qualifications, which recall unceasingly to affiliated the intimate bond which attaches it to its co-religionists fed with the same divine source, Tariqa, are not employed the first, which in the orders derived from Khelouatiya, particularly in that of the Rahmaniya, and the second in those resulting from the doctrines chadéliennes, mainly in that of the Dérkaoua.

The Qadiriya S and their derivatives preserved the famous name to adjir (tenant). The Tidjaniya S call their followers as' hab (companions) and the local brotherhoods (Cheikhiya, Ammariya, Sellamiya or Soulamiya, Boualiya), having, generally, a Marabout like owner, name them Khoddam (servants). Let us add, for memory, that the followers of the brotherhoods are sometimes designated, by the other believers and their superiors themselves, under the name “of as' hab” the companions, the friends; often also they supplement this designation by saying As' hab-el-fetoua , companions of the decision; As' hab-el-bissat , companions of the carpet or the plait (being used for the prayer); As' hab-and-Tariqa , companions of the way; As' hab-ech-Chebd companions of the zeal, the bond to the same faith As' hab-el-ied , companions of the hand. They also say, for the whole of the order, Ahl-el-Tariqa , people of the way, etc

The celestial favors to which the followers of a brotherhood aspire, with some degree of the hierarchy which they belong, are not exclusively reserved to the men: the women also profit from the beneficial mâne which the sheik founder and his disciples spread; like consequence, they obtain their affiliation with the Order of their dream and arrive even until the rank of moqaddem, female, moqaddemat . One indicates them under the generic name of Khaouniat or Khouatat , female plural of Khouan.

Some zaouïas in the Maghreb

Morocco

• Zaouïa Naciria
• Zaouïa Cherqaouia
• Zaouia Aïssaouia
• Zaouia Hamdouchia
• Zaouia Tidjaniya
• Zaouia Boutchichiya
• Zaouia El Qadiriya

• Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef Errachidi (Miliana)
• If Ben Alî Chrif (Akbou)
• Beautiful-Ezrag Sidi
• Zaouia de Sidi Benamar (Fillaoussenne)
• Zaouïa Boudarga
• Zaouïa Derkaoua
• Sidi Mohammed Ben Omar El Houari
• Sidi Mohammed bou Semah' has,
• Sidi Moh' amed Ou' L Il' afian.
• Sidi Moulebhar
• Zaouïa Chadhiliyya
• Zaouïa Qadiriya
• Lalla Rahmaniya
• Fondateur Sidi Me hamed Bou Qobrine (Algiers and Bounouh)
• Sidi Me hend oumalek (Tifrit is born oumalek)
• Sidi Moh' Ali oulhadj is born oumeziane (Tifrit Does not have el Hadj)
• Zaouïa Thaalibiya
• Fondateur Sidi Abderrahmane Thaalibi
• Zaouïa Sennoussia
• Sidi Serhane
• Sidi Soumeymane Ben Abdallah
• Zaouia Tidjaniya
• Sidi-Wahhab
• Sidi Yakkout