Sheikh Muhammad Fouzi Alkarkari was born in 1974 (1349 Hijri) on a Wednesday in Morocco, hailing from the tribe of Tilemcen. He is the founder of the Taiqa Alkarkariya (Karkariya Sufi Order), which is headquartered in Morocco and has several branches worldwide.
Central to his teachings are the divine name of Allah and the Quranic verse, “Allah is the light of heaven and earth,” as found in Surat Al-Nur. Followers report experiencing the divine light, with thousands of testimonials available online. He is well-regarded and accepted by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including both scholars of theology and everyday people, regardless of gender or social status.
2020 – 2022 License in Economic Sciences and Management from the Institut Supérieur de Management Adonaï
2022 Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESS Business School
2007 – Present Founder of the Karkariya Zawiya and Order
2024 – Present Founder of the Al-Karkari Institute for Sufi Studies
2025 – Present Founder of the Karkariya Order of North America (KONA)
Arabic
الأذكار النورانية و الأدعية الربانية (Al-Adhkār al-Nūrāniyyah wa al-Adʿiyah al-Rabbāniyyah) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
الكواكب الدرية في بيان الأصول النوراني (Al-Kawākib al-Durriyyah fī Bayān al-Uṣūl al-Nūrāniyyah) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
ديوان دنان الأرواح (Dīwān Danān al-Arwāḥ) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
سبأ الإنس و الجان في حضرة داود و سليمان (Sabaʾ al-Ins wa al-Jānn fī Ḥaḍrat Dāwūd wa Sulaymān) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
المعارج النورانية في الأذكار الكركية (Al-Maʿārij al-Nūrāniyyah fī al-Adhkār al-Karakiyyah). Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
المحجة البيضاء (Al-Maḥajjah al-Bayḍāʾ) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
التراتيل الهائية في الآية الهارونية الموساوي (Al-Tarātīl al-Hāʾiyyah fī al-Āyah al-Hārūniyyah al-Mūsāwiyyah) Maṭbaʿat al-umnīyah al-Rabāṭ, Rabat, Morocco
أصول القسمة للام العصمة (Uṣūl al-Qismah li-Lām al-ʿIṣmah) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
أفانين السجود لألف الخلود (Afānīn al-Sujūd li-Alif al-Khulūd) Maṭbaʿat ṣināʿat al-kitāb, Casablanca, Morocco.
2017
ك الأستار في هـ الجلالة من أسرار (Kaf al-Astār fī Ha’ al-Jalālah min Asrār), Maṭbaʿat al-umnīyah al-Rabāṭ
In the Footsteps of Moses: A Contemporary Sufi Commentary on the Story of God’s Confident (Kalim Allah) in the Qur’an. Translated by Yousef Casewit and Khalid Williams, Les 7 Lectures, 2021.
Introduction to Islamic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Sufi Treatise on the Secrets of the Divine Name. Translated by Yousef Casewit and Khalid Williams, Les 7 Lectures, 2021.
Sufism Revived: A Contemporary Treatise on Divine Light, Prophecy and Sainthood. Translated by Yousef Casewit et al., Les 7 Lectures, 2021.
The Foundations of the Karkariya Order. Translated by Yousef Casewit et al., Les 7 Lectures, 2021.
The Friday Prayers: A Collection of Devotional Readings and Remembrances. Translated by Mobeen Ahmed et al., Les 7 Lectures, 2025.
The Sufi Path of Light. Translated by Yousef Casewit and Khalid Williams, Les 7 Lectures, 2023.
“Living Sufism and Artificial Intelligence: Exploring the Mysteries of the Human and the Machine”. A public lecture given in Swift Hall at the University of Chicago Divinity School (May 3, 2023)
Graduate Workshop on Ecstatic Sufi Literature. A closed workshop delivered to advanced graduate students in the Martin Marty Seminar Room in Swift Hall at the University of Chicago Divinity School (May 4, 2023)
“Walking as a Spiritual Practice: A Conversation with Shaykh al-Karkari”. A private interview by Professor Yousef Casewit, sponsored by the Martin Marty Center of the University of Chicago Divinity School (May 5, 2023)
“I Saw My Lord with the Eye of My Heart” A public seminar and commentary on the poetry of Mansur al-Hallaj by Shaykh al-Karkari, organized by the Al-Karkari Institute at Stanford University (December 12, 2024)
“Exploring Abu Madyan’s Legacy: A Commentary on ‘Whenever I Remember My Lord'” A public workshop on ecstatic Sufi poetry organized by the Al-Karkari Institute for Sufi Studies at the University of California-Berkeley (December 14, 2024)
“An Impossible Conversation: Shaykh al-Karkari Thinks with Dr. Jeff Kripal”. A public conference with Shaykh al-Karkari and Dr. Jeff Kripal of Rice University, given in Swift Hall at the University of Chicago Divinity School (January 30, 2025)
“Islamic Mysticism” delivered in-person at the invitation of Dr. Yousef Casewit, Chair of Islamic Studies, in Swift Hall at the University of Chicago, Divinity School (March 1, 2025)
“Islamic Psychology” delivered in-person at the invitation of Dr. Yousef Casewit, Chair of Islamic Studies, in Swift Hall at the University of Chicago, Divinity School (March 1, 2025)
“Spiritual Attire: The Inner Dimensions of Clothing in North and West African Religious Traditions,” A public conference with Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde and Dr. Yousef Casewit, sponsored by the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at the University of Indiana – Bloomington (February 8, 2025)
“The Multidimensionality of the Patched Cloak in Islamic Sufism” An interview with Dr. Heather Akou, Associate Professor of Fashion Design at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at the University of Indiana-Bloomington (February 9, 2025)
“Longing, Unveiling, and Annihilation in Ibn al-‘Arabi’s ‘Interpreter of Desires'” A guest lecture delivered by Shaykh al-Karkari at the invitation of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies in Yale University. (February 12, 2025)
“Sainthood (wilaya) Between the Light of Sufism and Academic Inquiry” A guest lecture delivered by Shaykh al-Karkari at Yale University. The Al-Karkari Institute for Sufi Studies organized the lecture. (February 14, 2025)
“Love in Islamic Sufism,” A guest lecture delivered by Shaykh al-Karkari at Choate Rosemary Hall in Yale University. The Al-Karkari Institute for Sufi Studies organized the lecture. (February 15, 2025)
“Illumination and Light in the Aphorisms of Ibn Ata’Allah al-Iskandari,” A public workshop delivered at the University of California – Berkeley and organized by the Al-Karkari Institute of Sufi Studies (February 17, 2025)
“The Secrets of the Intellect in the Growth of Artificial Intelligence,” A public workshop delivered at Stanford University and organized by the Al-Karkari Institute of Sufi Studies (February 21, 2025)
“The Binary Code of Being – An exploration of Digital and Divine Order” A public workshop delivered in the Classics Department at Stanford University and organized by the Al-Karkari Institute of Sufi Studies (February 22, 2025)
“AI and Peace: What Future Do We Want?” A Conference at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, with Shaykh al-Karkari, Cédric Fiducia, an AI expert, and Hassan al-Bakkali, CEO of Ceres Advisory. (February 27th, 2025)
Al-Karkari Institute for Sufi Studies
Shaykh of Spiritual Education 2023—Present
Private courses at retreats in San Francisco, California, Virginia, and Chicago, Illinois
Zawiya Karkariya
Sufi Master and Founder 2007—Present
Trains and educates a community of global students in the traditional sciences of Iḥsān, including self-purification, Divine Realization (taḥqīq wa ma’arifa), ethical cultivation, etc.
Karkariya Order of North America (KONA) 2025—Present
Sufi Master and Founder
Guides and instructs students on traditional Islamic spirituality (Sufism) and oversees humanitarian initiatives in the United States of America
Zawiya Karkariya provides financial, medical, educational, and physical assistance to hundreds of communities throughout Africa and the world. Shaykh al-Karkari coordinates with local nonprofits and NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance following natural disasters and illnesses, and to improve living conditions for those in poverty. For complete documentation of his efforts worldwide, visit https://africa.karkariya.com/.
African Trophy was awarded to Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari for his humanitarian contributions in Africa (December 16, 2020)
Certificate of Honour was awarded to Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari by the ‘Trophée de l’Africanité’ at the first African Summit organized under the auspices of the United Nations (December 16, 2020)
Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari was awarded the Shaykh of Spiritual Guidance Certificate by the Zawiya Karkariya Nonprofit (August 2022)
Arabic:
Native speaking, reading, and writing fluency in Classical Arabic, Modern Standard (MSA)
Native speaking, reading, and writing fluency in Moroccan Colloquial Arabic (dārija)
French:
Advanced reading, speaking, and writing fluency
Discover more about Khal Al karkari through following him on social media. Through this website we aim to carry forward teh message of seeing, living and being the Light. You are invited to walk the path of illumination with us.