BARAKA, a term used among the Berbers (q.v.) to indicate the quality of "holiness" of people and things. The word is Semitic and primarily meant knee but now means "blessing." It is not derived from or connected with baraq, lightning. A person possessing baraka in an exceptional degree is called by a term conveniently translated "saint." No one possessed so much baraka as the Prophet, and the transmission of a portion of his baraka to his descendants through his daughter Fatimah accounts for the veneration paid to every sherif, of whom there are immense numbers in Morocco, the majority no doubt with no real genea logical claim to the title. But apart from descent high office pro duces, or perhaps more fairly is a sign of, baraka; thus the Sultan of Morocco possesses both the baraka which is inherent in him as head of the `Alawiim family, and that of the sultanship, he being the vice-regent of God on earth: "It is on the Sultan's baraka that the welfare of the whole country depends. When it is strong and unpolluted the crops are abundant, the women give birth to good children, and the country is prosperous in every respect ; in the summer of 1908 the natives of Tangier attributed the exceptionally good sardine fishery to Mulai Hafid's accession to the throne. On the other hand, in the reign of his predecessor the deterioration or loss of the Sultan's baraka showed itself in disturbances and troubles, in drought and famine, and in the fruit falling down from the trees before it was ripe. Nay even in those parts of Morocco which are not subject to the Sultan's worldly rule the people believe that their welfare, and especially the crops, are dependent on his baraka. . . . Be sides the shereefs there are other families whose members are possessed of baraka as a hereditary quality, namely the families of mrabtin (sing. mrdbdt ) These families consist of the descendants of some saintly ancestor who was not a shereef and whose baraka was in some degree transmitted to them." These "marabout" (the French form—which also denotes the shrines of holy men) are the everyday saints and miracle workers of north Africa, who so often have given a religious sanction to the anti-European activities of the tribes, while in peaceful times the less distinguished instruct the young, call to prayer, and gen erally preside over religious functions. The village Imam com monly receives a salary for his services besides claiming presents in kind from all who can afford them.
But baraka is naturally communicated to the tomb of a saint and the objects associated with it ; it is inherent in corn—especially seed corn—bread, trees, especially palms and olives, wells, springs, stones, rocks, caves, sometimes animals or birds (not necessarily those to which medicinal virtues are ascribed), such as the swallow, while of all animal products milk stands pre-eminent as full of baraka (in this connection it is worth noting that in Africa while most nomad Arabs will give a traveller milk few will sell it). Finally it must always be remembered, for offence is easy, that baraka is extremely sensitive to pollution, and is spoilt, e.g., by contact with infidels. One reason why the sultan Mulai `Abdul Aziz lost his baraka was the presence of Christians at his court, while the barbers of Andjra say that there is no baraka in the razors used by their colleagues in Tangiers because they are sharp ened by Christians. A prayer said in a Christian's house or in the house or garden of a Jew is of no avail. A scribe from the Rif told Westermarck that in order to retain his baraka a pilgrim must not go to the market and expose himself to the looks of the Jews who are gathered there. So too Jews are not allowed to come near the place in the market where the Muslims sell their grain, they must not appear on a threshing-floor, enter a granary, nor even approach a beehive, lest baraka be lost.
See E. Westermarck, Ritual and Belief in Morocco.