On Friday evening the city of Tangier became a space of dhikr and prophetic praise. The Palace of Culture and Arts was hosting the third edition of the “Riyad An-Nour” gathering, which brought together scholars, jurists and disciples from different regions of the Kingdom, alongside a religious and scholarly delegation from Libya.
The gathering took place in the presence of Sidi Fouad Al-Qâdiri Boutchich, brother of the guide of the Tariqa Qâdiriya Boutchichiya, and brought together participants from several Moroccan cities. Sessions of dhikr, litanies and prophetic madih followed one another in “an atmosphere marked by contemplation and serenity”, a reflection, the outlet stresses, of the educational approach adopted by the Tariqa Qâdiriya Boutchichiya, founded on a Sunni Sufism of the middle way, the purification of the soul and the values of love, coexistence and tolerance.
The official launch of the Sidi Hamza Al-Qâdiri Boutchich Prize
The evening marked a milestone: with the blessed authorisation of Sidi Mouad Al-Qâdiri Boutchich, cheikh of the Tariqa Qâdiriya Boutchichiya, may Allah preserve him, the Sidi Hamza Al-Qâdiri Boutchich Prize for the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an and the teaching of its sciences was officially launched on the occasion of “Riyad An-Nour 3”.
Abdelaziz Afilal, moqaddem of the Tariqa in Tangier, describes the evening as an occasion the zaouïa organises every year for its disciples: a programme of “heard dhikr”, made up of authentic Moroccan poems drawn from an original heritage, performed by the Official Ensemble of Samâa and Madih of the Tariqa Qâdiriya Boutchichiya. “Thanks be to God, this year the programme is rich and exceptional”, he says, also welcoming the presence of disciples from Libya at a ceremony which, in his words, “is enjoying resounding and unprecedented success”.
The voices of the samâ’, under the supervision of the cheikh of the zaouïa
The Tangier outlet Tanja24 gives a fine account of the musical substance of the night. Under the supervision of the cheikh of the zaouïa, Sidi Mouad Al-Qâdiri Boutchich, the Official Ensemble offered a selection of madihs and Sufi qasidas “in a collective performance where voices alternate and responses blend, restoring the spirit of samâ’ gatherings founded on dhikr, purity of speech and the evocation of prophetic love and the purification of the soul”.
The programme alternated calm passages with broader flights, “the human voice remaining in the foreground, far from any excess of effects or staging”. Faithful to the style that distinguishes its art, unity of sound, melodic gradation, the responses of the munshidin, the Ensemble gave the Sufi qasida a central place, making the hearing of the words an integral part of the experience, alongside melody and rhythm. “Riyad An-Nour 3”, the outlet writes, brought back to the stage of the Palace of Culture one face of Moroccan Sufi heritage, carrying the atmosphere of samâ’ circles and zaouïa gatherings onto a stage open to the people of the city, without ever cutting the singing off from its spiritual root.
A tribute to Qur’anic transmission
A high point of the evening: the tribute paid to the educator cheikh Sidi Mohammed Al-Habti, director of the An-Nour private school of traditional education and president of the At-Tadamoun association for the care of orphans and the needy. In him, the Tariqa honoured one of the great men of the city of Tangier, a servant of the Holy Qur’an and a figure of preaching, charity and love of the good: hundreds of male and female students have been trained at his hands and in his institution, many of whom are today teachers, doctors, imams and mourchidines.
Tanja24 hails him as “the ‘allâma Mohammed Al-Habti, one of the accredited religious officials, recognised for having guided generations of students in the sciences of the Sharia”, honoured “for his career in teaching and guidance, and for his contribution to the transmission of the religious sciences”. The tribute, the outlet notes, took on a particular meaning within an evening devoted to samâ’ and dhikr: there the Sufi qasida was joined to loyalty towards the people of knowledge and education.
The An-Nour school is not merely a memorisation centre: it is a private school of traditional (‘atiq) education officially recognised by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, attached to the Tangier-Tetouan regional delegation. Located on Avenue de l’Armée Royale, in the Azib El Hajj Kaddour district of Tangier, it offers a complete curriculum covering the primary, lower secondary and upper secondary cycles, in which memorisation of the Qur’an goes hand in hand with the sciences of the Sharia. It is this patient work of a lifetime, carried out in the heart of the capital of the Strait, that the evening sought to honour.
Visibly moved, the recipient spoke of his surprise and gratitude: “In truth, I cannot believe that I am here to be honoured. It is Sidi Mouad’s choice, by the grace of God, without any request on my part.” He hailed him as a “beloved Cheikh and merciful father, in whom we see goodness, blessing, the smiling and welcoming face, always at the service of the people of God”, before giving thanks to the Commander of the Faithful, King Mohammed VI, “shepherd and protector of this goodness, this light and this peace that we enjoy in our country”.
The Tangier press widely reported on the evening: in its report, the local outlet 9 Avril hails “an exceptional Sufi night” in which the Tariqa celebrated “the people of the Qur’an”.
An international dimension
The Libyan delegation gave the gathering an international dimension. Its presence bears witness, H-News writes, to “the strong scholarly and spiritual ties that unite Morocco with Muslim countries”, and illustrates the continuing reach of the Tariqa Qâdiriya Boutchichiya beyond national borders, carried by its message of moderation and dialogue.
Among the Libyan guests, Professor Khamis Suleiman Muhammad Suleiman, professor of Qur’anic sciences and the history of religions at Libyan universities, executive director of the Libyan League of Memorisers of the Holy Qur’an and general rapporteur of the General Syndicate of Chorfas in Libya, expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco, government and people, and to the Commander of the Faithful, before greeting the zaouïa and its cheikh, Sidi Mouad, may Allah preserve him: “We are under the aegis of this blessed zaouïa, where our ears are enchanted and our tongues softened by the remembrance of God, which bears witness to the love for the Prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him, in this country.”
Sources: H-News (hnews.ma), article by Amin Al-Qadri, 18 July 2026 (quotations taken from the video report accompanying the article and from the Tariqa’s press release) · Tanja24, “In the gardens of Riyad An-Nour 3: Boutchichi madih flows in Tangier and celebrates the people of knowledge” · 9 Avril (9avril.ma), video report, 18 July 2026 · official record of the An-Nour school, Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs.
