Shembaz

Magazine

“Religions are like stained glass in a church, they reflect the same divine light, just in different colors.”
Father José Luis at the Abbey of Our Lady of the Atlas in Midelt, Morocco

academics

There is no difference between the Sufi experience of women and men, because the origin of creation is one

It is said that some female saints had the same graces (gifts) as male saints. Among many female saints who could heal the sick, Rabia Al Adawiya is a good example. Her fingers...

The Editorial Board · 4 December 2022

academics

Rabbi Amram ben Diwane

One of Morocco’s major Jewish shrines is that of Rabbi Amram ben Diwane in Azjèn, near Ouezzane. Entrance to the cemetery of Rabbi Amram ben Diwane in Azjèn (ph. Eric Ross) The...

Dr. Eric Ross · 15 August 2022

lovers

Lalla Fatima Zohra al-Kush

Lalla Fatima Zohra al-Kush (peace be upon her) is a prominent figure in Sufism and among the renowned saints of Marrakesh. She became notorious for her piety, asceticism and...

Zakaria Ait Oufkir · 20 July 2022

academics

Morocco’s Seaside Shrines

12th of Rabî’ al-Awal is an important holiday for Sufis, it’s the ‘Ayd al-Mawlid, the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (saaws). Moroccan shrines mark the day in a variety of ways...

Dr. Eric Ross · 28 April 2021

spiritual teachers

Varanasi: Shiva’s Holy Land

Editors’s Note: Vagish Shastri, Sanskrit scholar and yoga guru based out of Varanasi a.k.a. Kashi, shares with us his wisdom around India’s spiritual capital, the universality of...

Sri Vagish Shastri · 7 April 2021

academics

The City of Touba

View of the qibla facade of the Great Mosque of Touba (ph. Eric Ross) The most substantial part of my research in urban and cultural geography has focused on the city of Touba and...

Dr. Eric Ross · 2 November 2020

spiritual teachers

Prayer: A Cosmic Struggle

Editor’s Note: Sheikh Muhammad Valsan discusses war metaphors as we find them in the world’s ancient wisdom traditions. The Sheikh argues that across these modalities we can...

Sheikh Muhammad Valsan · 12 April 2020