Fès: Sufism as a cure for crisis

In a world marked by rising individualism, information overload and multiplying social crises, a gathering of researchers and Sufi scholars in Fès offered an unexpected diagnosis on Sunday: the answer may be several centuries old. Convened under the theme “Sufism and the challenges of current crises — the path towards human balance”, the colloquium brought together academics, jurists and Sufi representatives to argue that the spiritual tradition has both the depth and the practical tools to address the psychological and social imbalances of modern societies.

Asmae Errebai, representing the Tariqa Qadirya Boutchichia and a member of Fès’s local Ouléma council, placed the concept of “awakening” — Yaqada — at the centre of her intervention. The notion, she explained, describes the passage from spiritual heedlessness to inner presence, and constitutes a foundational step in Sufi education. Spiritual consciousness, she argued, becomes a means of understanding the meaning of existence and reaching inner peace — and from there, of building a balanced individual capable of sustaining a healthy society.

The issue is not mystical in the abstract sense — it is about maintaining social cohesion.
— Asmaa El Masmoudi, researcher in Sufi studies · Fès, 24 May 2026

Researcher Asmaa El Masmoudi pushed the argument further, linking individualism and informational overload directly to social and psychological fragmentation. Sufism, she said, by working on consciousness and inner presence, “reconstitutes the bond to oneself, to others, and to the collective”. Her point was deliberate: Sufism should not be read as withdrawal, but as a practice capable of restoring meaning, strengthening human ties, and cultivating a culture of inner peace and social cohesion.

All paths lead to the same source

Fatimazahra Maalainine, lawyer and doctor in international public law, brought a different register, reflecting on the influence of Sufi Sheikh Maelaïnine — who held that all Sufi brotherhoods are bound by spiritual fraternity, and drew from each to found his own path. Beyond spirituality, she noted, the Sheikh accorded particular importance to science and knowledge as facilitators of the individual’s proximity to God.

The colloquium was initiated by the Al Moltaqa Foundation and the Tariqa Qadiriya Boutchichiya, in partnership with the Faculty of Law of Fès and the Bouabate Fès association. Its organizers were clear about the ambition: to demonstrate that Sufism does not mean retreat from the world, but a humanist approach reconciling the individual with themselves, with others, and with the sacred.

• Source: MAP