Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al-_Djazouli is one of the most prominent figures among the religious leaders of Moroccan Islam. In modern studies he is praised as a Holy Man who led armed resistance against the Portuguese occupation of Morocco’s Atlantic littoral. He is described as a lodestar, who played an important role in the history of Maghribian Sufism, a restorer of the _S_ha_dhiliyah order and founder of a new order, the ‘tariqa’ _Djazouliyah. This article presents al-_Djazouli as he is characterized in the biographical dictionaries and scholarly literature written in Arabic during the Sa’did period (1524-1659). It traces the development of al-_Djazouli’s character during the 16th century and sketches his image in accounts of the lives and activities of Sufi leaders. It also elaborates on al-_Djazouli’s role in the organization and development of Islamic institutions in Morocco, focusing on the relation between cultural expression, the ideology of the ruling sultans and the social order. Notes, ref., sum.
