I was invited to attend a scientific conference, held in Marrakesh, on April 29 and 30, 2024. Its topic was “Ibn Burjan al-Ishbili al-Marakshi” (d. 536 AH). Ibn Burjan – some considered him “the conqueror of Islam” – was not only a Sufi mystic, but also An interpreter looks with the eye of the heart beyond the words, and involves the disposition of the mind in the science of recitation, and in all of this he combines knowledge of the hadith and the caliber of its narrators. This enabled him to practice the science of theology, and to develop a mental craftsmanship that appeared in his knowledge of engineering and arithmetic. After this sign.
I say, I was invited to attend this scientific conference, which is sublime in itself and sublime in its meaning. It was an occasion to honor two distinguished university graduates: His Eminence Dr. Faisal Al-Sharaibi and His Eminence Dr. Muhammad Fathallah Mesbah. The conference was supervised by a professor known for his interest in knowledge and his keenness to furnish Moroccan culture with what is beneficial, beneficial and great, which gave the College of the Arabic Language in Marrakesh its brilliance.
This conference was held within the framework of “Marrakesh, Capital of Culture of the Islamic World for 2024.”
When the distinguished professor invited me, he told me that we will reserve your hotel room for you. I told him I don’t need that. In Marrakesh, there is the “nest” of the bird that can never forget the warmth of its ovary. He argued to me that one of the benefits of such an encounter was the closeness of bodies, which are the home of hearts and minds. In such a rapprochement, those concerned with research share the weight of what exhausts the mind, and they console in the alienation of the people of thought. squelch.
My son accompanied me to Marrakesh, and we opened the room that had been “gifted” by the party that had donated it, as a contribution to this wonderful scientific conference – and the supervisor of the conference had never seen the room in the hostel before – my son looked at me when he saw the two beds and said: Dad……I understood what he wanted. What he said, so I silenced him before he could finish. I told him: Take our pajamas and dental cleaning supplies, and let us leave the bag here in the room, and return to it early tomorrow, so as not to hurt the feelings of the organizers of this conference…
I know the effort made by this team of professors, and I know their dedication to serving their students and serving knowledge, and the nights they stayed up, and the fatigue they suffered as they selected the participating scholars, in the search for traces of one of the nation’s greatest scholars….
It is not necessary to continue talking about the residence chosen by the person who chose it for a majority of researchers, Moroccans and guests. It is not necessary to talk about the quality of feeding these researchers, and in some cases the organizers were forced, using their own money, to patch up what was not done by those who should have done so. So they did it, and they were professors whose pockets were eaten up by the purchase of books and the price of research and its consequences (and I know what type of professor I am talking about).
The festival was held within the framework of “Marrakesh, Capital of Culture of the Islamic World for 2024.” The research topics were clear, and Mr. Ahmed Al-Tawfiq’s lecture, which was the light lesson, was a lecture in elegant style, with lofty meanings and eloquent references, surrounded by the majesty of gratitude and thick with melting emotion. A combination of an atmosphere in which the souls of those present were drawn to intoxication.
I am appalled by the fact that the prestigious scientific festival, which is being held within the framework of “Marrakesh is the capital of culture in the Islamic world,” as written in its publications, has nothing in the hands of its organizers except a little “of God’s blessings,” and the curiosity of those who pity people like him prompted me not to sleep while they are in… They only eat at tables that are the cousin of fast food restaurants (small restaurants). I asked the professor, who was well-mannered, about the financial situation of this scientific meeting. He hinted at me but did not say anything. So I kept silent about him. Then I took the “ISESCO Program” (the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Communication), which was placed in the documents related to the celebration, and in the general program for the entire year. I did not find any mention of this prestigious scientific conference, despite it being labeled as such in its documents. So, I found that the year’s program includes twenty-seven “activities” that include university scientific seminars within general knowledge, and courses that are appropriate for children. Organizing competitions in photography, drawing, and the like, and showing films, videos, and the like. Some of the titles of these activities are vague and do not indicate knowledge, but rather they were put at the request of ordinary employees, when they were asked to prepare anything for a global celebration with high goals. In fact, to be honest, some of these activities are advisable in that they are programs that were prepared before, with the care of university professors who prepared them within their own cognitive framework, and some youth associations, or programs prepared by the delegation of the Ministry of Culture in Marrakesh.
In short, I found a normal program that I wished had been a program on the level of “Marrakesh, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for the Year 2024,” and on the level of “The High Patronage of His Majesty,” who has always reminded that “the nation’s moral heritage is more deserving of care and honor,” and this is the occasion that was What His Majesty said must be fulfilled.
The Marrakesh Year Program was officially launched on Friday (January 26, 2024) in a “large ceremony,” organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco, in cooperation with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), “in the presence of the Director-General of ISESCO, the Minister of Culture, and Moroccan and non-Moroccan figures.” . After the official opening speeches, “artistic and singing performances followed that entertained the attendees and transported them to the worlds of art that the Red City abounds in.”
Before I conclude my article, I must point out that my opinion is not focused on an ancient organization known for its effective and good work, because its duty was limited, I believe, to financing the scientific track of the Sunnah program, may God reward it. Rather, I mean by my comments those who care about culture in the State of Morocco, They are the authors of the cognitive and artistic educational program, and they are the ones who began with “artistic and singing performances that entertained the attendees and transported them to the worlds of art that the Red City abounds with.”
This is not how the shoulder is eaten.
The occasion relates to “the Islamic world and its culture” and to “an ancient Islamic city,” in which Islamic culture has flourished since the dawn of Islam. Therefore, the ceremony should have been larger than it was, and it should have opened with an international scientific conference, the topic of which combines the status of ISESCO today, the present culture in Islamic countries, including the Maghreb, and the status of the city of Marrakesh in its intellectual history and its efforts in Islamic giving, not With “artistic and singing performances.” What is the status of this in thought and culture in Islam? – (I am not against this, but it had no place on this occasion at all) – It was desirable for this ceremony to be broadcast by channels and advanced media in a global broadcast that would be on par with the organization and Marrakesh, and not with a “touch sense.”
As for what is related to the program during the year, it would not have been picked up in the last hour from the “basket” of what is present in its original form. Most of it comes from the position of employees whose relationship with thought is humble. This is an underestimation of the stature of the ancient organization, the symbol of “Honoring Marrakesh,” and the civilization of Morocco and its rich heritage, Arab, Islamic, and Amazigh.
I do not think that the person in charge of cultural affairs understood what it meant for Marrakesh to be the “capital of culture in the Islamic world.”
I do not think that he knew that the matter was not related to a “celebration” limited to Marrakesh alone, with a modest opening in knowledge, but rather it was a global Islamic celebration, intended to highlight Marrakesh’s position in the Islamic and humanitarian intellectual path, and the position of Islamic knowledge in Marrakesh. Because of this lack of understanding by those who are concerned with culture and who are far from the field of culture, what should have been a “solid cognitive program” was not prepared for the Sunnah.
Whoever bore the burden of culture had to prepare for the matter long before this year, by selecting an elite of university men, an elite of judiciary men, an elite of lawyers, an elite of applied sciences and medicine, and of Marrakesh’s committed and knowledgeable men and politicians. And to invite figures from the Islamic and Western world who are interested in Moroccan civilization and Islamic thought, and to prepare all the reasons, in a meeting with the homeland of the people, the spacious plain, to develop a program that is at the level of what ISESCO wanted and what Marrakesh deserves.
* This program had to chronicle the Islamic intellectual movement in the faces of its various expressions in Morocco, and it was necessary to chronicle the figures of Islamic culture, both Marrakesh and residents of this ancient city. There are many men of Islamic thought who lived or passed through this city, including Ibn Al-Arif, who died in Marrakesh (1088-1141), who was the author of enlightening mystical and behavioral works. Ibn Tufayl, who died in Marrakesh (1110-1185), and the author of the narrative “Hayy Ibn Yaqzan,” and perhaps Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) inspired his theory of emergence and advancement from this narrative.
Abu al-Qasim al-Suhayli, who died in Marrakesh (1114-1185), was an expert in the language of the Qur’an, Hadith, and fundamentals, and wrote amazing works on the sciences of language. Ibn Rushd, who died in Marrakesh (1126-1198), was the one who explained to the West the heritage of its greatest figure: Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), and laid out the foundations of Western civilization. To this day, the West considers him the greatest explainer of the head of their culture, Aristotle. If he had been one of them, they would have erected a monument to him, not in Cordoba alone, but in every known house of theirs. Abu Ali Al-Hasan, the Amazigh of Marrakesh, who died in Marrakesh (d. 1262), is one of the great mathematicians, astronomy, trigonometry, and geography scholars. Ibn al-Banna al-Marakshi, who died in Marrakesh (1256-1321), is one of the greatest astronomers and mathematicians who solved many of the mysteries of these two sciences. His measurement of the Earth’s circumference did not differ from what today’s science has reached, except slightly, as I heard from a lecture given by the scientist Fuad Sozgin.
Many prominent figures of thought lived or passed through this city, and left behind a valuable asset recorded in the code of human knowledge. Many others have followed suit today. Among them are Ibn al-Muqaqit, Ibn Abd al-Razzaq, al-Rahali al-Farouq, and Woo.
It was necessary for this program to pay tribute to the greatness of the institutions that Marrakesh has known in its history, which are wonderful fingerprints on the face of the earth, including palaces of government, mosques of worship, ornamental gardens, lakes of training and learning, strong walls, beautiful doors, and wondrous arches and domes. Among them is the great university that was sponsored by the Almoravids and Almohads, and it was the first scientific university in which the greatest political, doctrinal, and intellectual event took place, which was the debate that took place between Abd al-Mumin ibn Ali, the head of the Almohads, and the jurists of the era. I studied various mental and transmission sciences there. From her, along with her sister Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, the first spark of the revolution against colonialism came.
This program had to pay tribute to the bimaristan that the Almohad Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur built, and grew it in a lush garden, and provided for it what is not available today in the largest hospitals: care for clothing and food, sophisticated treatment, and beautiful music.
Marrakesh, the birthplace of scholars. Home of scholars. The pride of history, and the pride of a nation. With these qualities, the sultans of the Alaouite state nurtured it, especially in the era of Morocco’s awakening, starting with Muhammad V, and passing through his son Hassan II, may God have mercy on them, to the grandson and son Muhammad VI, may God support him and grant him victory.
This is the calligraphy that should have been displayed on the opening day of the year “Marrakesh, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World.” Not for the sake of “Perform Hajj” offers, but with the awareness that is presented to our children, in kindergarten, at school, and at university, about the beauty of their history, and the high level of their ancestors’ achievements in: architecture, urbanism, politics, knowledge, high determination, good morals, intensity of grievance, and distance of ambition. Let them know fully that their Marrakesh was an adornment in the knot of knowledge, linking from above our homeland to the West, and the star of its knowledge shone where there was obscurity in the dark ages of Europe. It directly linked our homeland with the East, and its scholars occupied chairs of knowledge in Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Levant. It linked our homeland to Africa in the south, where Timbuktu is in Mali, Agadez in Niger, Djenné in Mali, and Kaolack, Pire, and Koki in Senegal. Kano, Katsina and Borno in Nigeria. Researcher Omar Kane from Harvard spoke about these landmarks of knowledge in Africa, in his book published by the presses of this prestigious university (2016), entitled:
Beyond Timbuktu: an intellectual history of Muslims West Africa. It linked us and beyond the Atlantic Sea before the dawn of America and before the day of its independence in 1777, with the maps and leaders prepared by the Muslims, about which selfish Western history remained silent.
Can you, O responsible for culture in Morocco, make up for what you have missed and what remains of the year “Marrakesh is the capital of culture in the Islamic world”? So that your account for the ancient organization that placed trust in you and handed over to you the wealth of Muslims (this is what I think, and God knows best), is a pure account that is “your value and the fruit of your values,” and it is an acquittal of your responsibility that you bore while you were safe from the nation’s shepherd in caring for its cultural heritage, which is not limited to “scratching and scavenging.” Although they are both part of our heritage, which we are rightfully proud of.
Let me help you with what you say about your achievements in your speech, on the day you announce in a “big ceremony”, at the end of the year “Marrakesh is the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World”, in front of ISESCO officials and those you hosted.
You can say, sir:
“The funding provided by ISESCO is not part of the expenses of this modest program that was prepared before and has nothing to do with “Marrakesh, the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World.” It declares, “This funding will not go toward…and at…. But it was allocated to cultural projects, including:
1 Restoration of the tomb of Ibn Burjan with what is worthy of it, as he is one of the great figures of non-world science and the ultimate science of numbers and arithmetic. His burial is a pile of dirt, near Darb Arjan in Old Rahba. One of my friends was embarrassed by one of the Harvard flags when he accompanied him to visit this flag, which Harvard is proud of, by commenting on the condition of the place “adorned” with garbage and piles of dirt. I hope that the person in charge of culture knows the location of the burial place.
2 Purchasing the house of Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakshi, one of our greatest scholars, and today it is in foreign ownership, where he drinks alcohol and commits what he commits (this is what I was told and I cannot confirm it, and the person responsible for culture must investigate the matter), after verifying its location.
3 Building the roof of the Maqqur Conservatory in Al-Harti, which is today “Khirbet”. Our greatest musicians graduated from him, such as Professor Awatef. He ably led the Royal Army Choir until he retired, and he should not have retired, as his craftsmanship does not diminish with the passage of time. Professor Abdullah Essami, author of “The Call of Hassan II,” graduated from it, an innovation that resonated throughout the world. It is from this place that a large number of musical figures emerge.
4 Reconstruction of the Glass Hall that saw and heard in the same place, from leading lecturers before and after independence. It was a welcoming place in which the intellectuals of Marrakesh and those who visited them exchanged beautiful debates and beautiful forms of literature.
5. Addressing the matter of the Ibn Rushd Chair in Marrakesh, which was announced by UNESCO during a symposium held in Marrakesh in the 1980s. It was a chair without a place, because the university was not its place, and its giving remained small, and UNESCO today is determined to close its doors that have rusted and have only been opened in modesty. On occasions that have nothing to do with the man’s thinking and giving.
6 Directed by “Dar Al-Basha”, which was once the headquarters of a full treasury supervised by a group of scholars, such as the scholar Ali bin Lamlem, and the struggling scholar who signed the Declaration of Independence, Professor Al-Arabi bin Al-Siddiq. In his days, it was a hotbed of knowledge, after it had been a house of authority, and researchers and students took shelter in its shadow, until it was taken over by those who lacked the weight of thought and the splendor of knowledge, so it was transformed in the era of “culture and ridiculousness” into a café, bearing a badge, which is a degrading colonial commercial symbol, a shame to be removed. Students of knowledge about their knowledge, they are more deserving of it. There are a thousand cafes and places in Marrakesh, and they are full of something similar and better. Or do cafes only lack a place of knowledge and what belongs to the entire nation without seeking the nation’s opinion?!!!
7 Developing a well-crafted program for a large, splendid celebration, concluding the year “Marrakesh, Capital of the Islamic Year,” in which the major figures of Marrakesh who have excelled in various sciences and superior inventions are honored, while they are in Morocco and outside Morocco, and in which everyone who made Islamic Marrakesh the center of his heart and literature is honored. From any country, and in any field. This is the meaning of celebrating the Islamic world and “Marrakesh, the capital of the Islamic year.”
My hope, you responsible for culture, is that you say: “This is nothing but polite talk to be scattered on café papers.” These are the words of someone who advises you to live up to ISESCO’s trust in you, and to live up to the expectations of the men of Marrakesh regarding you, even though you did not consult them and they are the people in charge. And do not say, “The important thing takes place in a year.” Leave what is truly sprouting on the ground to produce acquaintances that you will be lucky to taste in some of them. Titles are erased by the completion of tasks, or sudden dismissal hurts those who left no trace.
May God help you, O owner of the matter, and He has honored you with the job of caring for culture, to write the speech at the end of “The Year of Marrakesh as the Capital of the Islamic World” with what is awareness, responsibility, honesty, and a valuable impact that exists on the face of the earth, not lists in the ledger. The time has not yet passed, and perhaps achieving high determination will not be difficult for those whom God has guided and made happy with his family. Eid Mubarak, may God bless you with the deliciousness of a shoulder of it that you know how to eat.
Sorry if my message is late, as I ran with time and it defeated me, and everyone who was determined arrived.
*Member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco
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2024-06-18 20:30:32