He began and obtained the Great Mosque and was appointed a teacher at the Great Mosque in the city of Fes. This experience gave him a strong foundation for his preaching and his call to God. This was beneficial for him and prepared him for the role he would play as a great preacher. It also led him to his first experiences in public life, where he met ordinary people and student groups, benefiting from this in his ability to enlighten the masses. It is believed that he succeeded in gaining the trust of the public and in uniting them. On the other hand, he gained an insight into entering the realm of authority for the first time in his life. The historians of the Sanusi order do not provide much information about this interaction. Ziyada, quoting Ren, says, "It appears that he caught the attention of the Emperor of Morocco, Moulay Sulaiman, and Sulaiman wished for Ibn al-Sanusi to serve in his court." Ziyada adds, "But al-Sanusi refused and was repulsed by the idea of being a courtier." Pritchard, quoting Sam bin Amer, says, "There is a translator of him who says that one of the reasons for his departure from Morocco was the impending clash with the authority that was displeased with his call for Islamic unity, which was his goal, and feared that it might have political aims." Shukri elaborates on this point, saying, "During his stay in Fes, al-Sanusi's merit became apparent, and his students flocked to him, and his fame as a great scholar grew. Since his concern was for the benefit of Muslims and his desire to see justice spread its wings over the people of the Sultanate and all Islamic peoples, he did not achieve what he wanted in his life. He increased his good preaching during his lessons and tried with the people and the dignitaries of the Sultanate in Fes, using methods of guidance, sometimes gently and sometimes sternly, to call them to justice and goodness, to unite the Muslim nation, and to purify souls and stay away from sins. This did not yield immediate results. Rather, all that happened was that the government of Sultan Moulay Sulaiman became aware of this call and sensed danger from it, fearing that the religious call might turn into something else."