Lila, une nuit Aïssawa
Lila, une nuit Aïssawa
It results directly from the tradition soufie which gave its rise to this brotherhood.
This tariqa was founded by Mohamed Ben Aïssa born in 1465 and come from the area of Souss according to the popular belief, died in Meknès about 1526, which became later for the posterity "El Sheik Kamal", the "perfect Sheik". He is buried besides in "Bab El Jdid", place of pilgrimage.
The zaouiyas did not cease hatching during this period. This brotherhood has ramifications in all Maghreb, in
After the death of Ben Aïssa, other followers enlarged the rows of the tariqa being divided into two groups:
- the way soufie
- the way of the practices soufies by the ritual
This normalized art become Art before is very perceived like the symbol of the Sufism.
I will try to give to you an account here of a Aïssaoua evening and his ritual or will hadhra such as it is held in Meknès for example. In each city, the meeting can be led differently. And a fortiori, in the Moslem countries, the variations multiply according to local or regional specificities.
The evening begins after Isha last prayer from the day.
The group or Ta' ifa meets to a hundred of meters of the place where Lila will be held.
It gathers surrounded of the disciples or will fouqaras in front of the door of the host, under the crook of the head of Ta' ifa or Moqqadem whose role is dominating in the good course of the meeting. It is thus named and respected because it is equipped with all necessary qualities to take up such a duty by its knowledge better on:
* Coran,
* Sufism,
* The saint founder of the brotherhood,
* and finally on the ritual aïssaoua
They recite a short prayer, Fatiha and enter the house of their hosts. They are called then El Jalala.
They hold with end of arm the streamers or the aalamat, embroidered of gold to the various names of God. Ceremonial clothing, the burn-perfumes, the encensoirs and the musical instruments are there too to give all its glare to the evening.
It follows a new recitation of Fatiha and the invocations can then start. The group directed by Moqqadem assied in the medium of the house, the temporarily put instruments on side. It recites then has cappella "the praises with the Eternal" or Hizb "Soubhan Al-Daïm, chant written by the Sheik Ben Aïssa.
Sequence with twenty praises with the Prophet or sefat. Resumption of Fatiha.
The group can then take again its musical instruments and sing. Everyone strikes in its hands and then begins the evocation, the memory of God or Dhikr Allah by poetries in dialectical Arabic borrowed from the repertory of the "religious" malhun. Only God, the Prophet Mohamed Ben Aïssa and the saints are with the honor.
Quickly let us review the instruments:
- a double terra cotta drum with two skins struck using two rods or counted, used only by the moqqadem.
- a small digital terra cotta percussion in the shape of sand glass or tarija. One uses it with a hand.
- drums with two faces carried to the shoulder and struck using two rods or tbila.
- turned over a copper bowl struck using two rods or packed.
- a digital percussion instrument, to bendir it, heavy, surrounded by small cymbals or boujnajin
- Finally an oboe or ghaita ((to pronounce it raïta). Only melody instrument (three).
The group takes again then the instruments (tarija + tbila + packed + boujnajin) to which one adds counted it and is approached then a series of religious poetries to form fixes whose topics are entreaty, asylum and protection called derqaouiya.
This "derqaouiya" comprises a sung part and the other danced.
Sequence by the evocation of divine Unicity or haddun (single). The oboes take the changing of the voices then.
The moqqadem intervenes then by addressing short prayers to the Sheik Kamal, at the request of the assistance, or ghaziya.
One then passes to the ritual of call geniuses or belmlouk, which occupies the body of the individuals. There are the very popular ones such as Hammou, Aïcha el Sudaniya, Al Gnawi, Mira, Lalla Malika.
The first called is always Al Gnawi and the last Lalla Malika.
Each one of them has its specificities.
The dance (par excellence) of fright of the Aïssaoui initiates or mjerred can then start. The mjerred constitutes the top of the ritual.
Before approaching the dance of fright open to the public or rabbani (divine), there is a short introduction by an old song called "zammeta". This song tells the manufacture of mets made up of barley or corn, sugar and flour of corn. The dancers balance their body of before behind on the rate/rhythm while not ceasing repeating "immortal God", Allah Daïm.
The fatiha closes the meeting and the participants for whom one asked for graces are thanked.
The group leaves the house while shelling:
"This house is the house of God, and the disciples are creatures of God"
AD dar, dar Allah, wol will fouqra abid Allah
The first prayer of the morning is made. Nearly five or six hours were passed.
As a conclusion, I will say that it is necessary to distinguish two types of Aïssaoua: the urban one and the rural one like Shim El Mokhtar.
Many things were written on Aïssaoua and each one can consider them from the point of view soufic, religious or from the artistic point of view.
Much wrote on Aïssaoua like Chatelier since 1886 or Brunel in 1926.
Some groups played a dominating role with Meknès like:
- Rakeb el Filali, founded at the XVIIème century, directed today by Driss El Mrabet with the famous disciples such Boubeker El Mestachi, Moulay Idriss Mokdad, El Mahjoub Azizi, Abdelilah Deroussi and so much of others;
- Taïfa El Ismaïlia directed by Abdejellil Lemreber,
- the taïfa Zitoune (in the medium of Meknès),
- Twarga,
- Sidi Amar,
- El Kasbah
- Taïfa de Moulay Idriss Zerhoun.
These rites are there to perpetuate the relations between the invisible world, the forces of nature and one crowned immanent with the universe.
If I wanted to speak to you today about this tariqa in art or of this art in the tariqa, whereas so many things are said, it is that I wanted quite simply to make you foresee another thing, that behind the folklore of had and appearances, is an oral culture of all the directions carrying out straight towards banks of the Culture through sounds and melodies.
Saïd EL MEFTAHI
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