Daria V. Solovyeva

The article is focused on the role of jihad in the social and political life of Morocco in the XVII–XVIII centuries as one of the main factors of legitimacy of the Alawi dynasty (since 1631). A study of historical sources allows us to suppose that the European presence in the Moroccan lands since the XV century had a serious impact on the religious life of the Islamic Far West. Using of the ideology of jihad the sultans succeeded to gain popularity among their subjects, primarily among the traditional Islamic scholars. They also tried to justify their different political and economic outlines by needs of the holy war.

The article is focused on the theological legacy of Moroccan Sultan Sidi Muhammad ben ‘Abdallah (1757–1790). The significance of his religious works is caused by the fact that since the Almohads (12th century) Sidi Muhammad was the first Moroccan sultan who consistently called for a return to the pure Islam of Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, a study of his theological heritage allows us to rethink the view of the development of Salafism in Arab-Islamic societies. For example, Russian and international researchers used to consider that Moroccan sultans had turned to Salafi ideas only after the development of the Wahhabi doctrine in Arabia. However, an analysis of the religious works of Sidi Muhammad shows that the rise of Salafi ideas in Morocco was not a result of adoption of the Wahhabi ideology which spread on the Arabian Peninsula, but formed at the stage when the Wahhabi movement was just emerging. The fundamentalist views of the Moroccan sultan were the result of internal processes that took place at that time in the Islamic Far West, and not of external influence. This conclusion broadens the limits of our perception of the renewal tendencies that emerged in the Arab-Islamic world in the second half of the 18th century.

The article examines relations between Moroccan sultans and Sufi brotherhoods in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the Alawis established their rule, they had to limit the power of Sufi orders while avoiding open conflict with influential shaykhs. Historical chronicles show a more complex relationship than a simple confrontation.