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According to Dr. Hami, each brotherhood consists of a body of believers (or tarîqah) who follow a spiritual leader who in turn proclaims a unique interpretation of Islam, especially the unique form of Sufi Islam found in the Maghreb. The brotherhood establishes a community built around a zâwiyah, or center for the religious studies of the brotherhood. The leadership structure of the brotherhoods place the spiritual leader at the top, who spreads religious and political instruction through a deputy (nâ’ib), who then passes information and orders along to a lieutenant (mutaqaddim). Throughout the history of the Maghreb, a number of zâwiyahs served to spread the particular beliefs of a brotherhood throughout the region. Brotherhoods such as the Almoravids and the Almohads extended the boundaries of their zâwiyah-centered societies throughout North Africa, Spain, and Western Africa.

The history of the Maghreb cannot be understood properly, Dr. Hami argued, without understanding the history of the brotherhoods. These brotherhoods have a major impact on the international relations of the Maghreb states, and the form of political Islam offered by these brotherhoods is interrelated to the political, social, and economic agendas of the Maghreb. Of the seven dynasties to rule Morocco, five originated from a particular brotherhood.

Dr. Hami cited the Tijania and the Qadiriyah as the two most important brotherhoods in the Maghreb, due to their effects on the diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria. Both brotherhoods trace the origin of their zâwiyah to the remote parts of northwest Africa. It was in these remote locations that the spiritual dimensions of the brotherhoods, such as the silsilah al-rûhiyah or the “mystic chain” form of prayer, were practiced by the Tijania.

The present-day influence of these brotherhoods exists in the internal politics of Maghreb countries, the relations between states of the Maghreb, and the different schools of Islam practiced throughout Africa. In Morocco, traditional conflict over political power has always been between the Sharîfi, or those who ruled based on proven lineage to the Prophet Muhammad, and the brotherhoods. Thus even though King Muhammad VI of Morocco can trace the legitimacy of his rule to his Sharîfi descent the Prophet Muhammad, Moroccan political society still reserves a voice for the members of the brotherhood.

Brotherhoods also have served as both tools of diplomacy and discord between states of the Maghreb. Both Morocco and Algeria have been in conflict over the treatment of the Tijani brotherhood in southwestern Algeria. Yet that brotherhood has also been used as a tool to gain concessions or enter into an agreement with occupying powers, such as the Ottoman Empire.

Finally, the impact of the brotherhoods can still be seen in the different schools of Islam practiced throughout the northern half of Africa. The origins of the Almoravid Empire in the deserts of West Africa influenced Islamic scholarship and practice throughout the region.