Abu Ubayd Muhammad al-Sharqi

Sidi Bouabid Charki (Abu Ubayd Muhammad al-Sharqi) traced his lineage to Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. After mastering Quranic sciences and Islamic theology in Marrakech and Fez, he retired to the arid plains of Tadla to establish a hermitage centered on prayer, mediation, and hospitality.

Around his zawiya grew the city of Bejaad, which became an inviolable sanctuary (hurm) where rival Berber and Arab tribes laid down their weapons to resolve blood feuds. The Zawiya Cherqaouiya flourished as a renowned center of manuscript copying, religious learning, and inter-communal refuge for both Muslims and Moroccan Jews.