Others
82-718: The Madariyya is a Sufi order ( tariqa ) popular in North India , especially in Uttar Pradesh , the Mewat region, Bihar , Gujarat and West Bengal , as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh . Known for its syncretist beliefs and its focus on internal Dhikr , it was initiated by the Sufi saint Shah Madar Badi' al-Din and is centered on his shrine ( Dargah ) at Makanpur , Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The Madariyya order reached its zenith in
164-518: A mujaddid (a "renewer of Islam "). Bamba's fame spread through his followers, and people joined him to receive the salvation that he promised. Salvation, he said, comes through submission to the cheikh and hard work. There is only one surviving photograph of Amadou Bamba, in which he wears a flowing white kaftan and his face is mostly covered by a scarf. This picture is venerated and reproduced in paintings on walls, buses, taxis, and other private and public spaces all over modern-day Senegal. At
246-763: A Sheikh of the Tariqat . Additionally to the Three Pillars of Mouridism, the Mourides follow what is called the Mouride Triangle: Amadou Bamba is considered a mujaddid (renewer of Islam) by his followers, citing a hadith that implies that God will send renewers of the faith every 100 years. The members of all the Senegalese brotherhoods claim that their founders were such renewers. The Mouride beliefs are based on Quranic and Sufi traditions and influenced by
328-469: A better life and solve their problems as well. Even taxi and bus drivers fill their vehicles with stickers, paintings and photos of the marabouts of their particular brotherhoods. The marabout-talibe relationship in Senegal is essentially a relationship of personal dependence. It can be a charismatic or a clientelistic relationship. In a charismatic relationship demonstrations of devotion and abnegation towards
410-424: A considerable effort to attain the support from these religious leaders for their personal advancement. In order to attain their support in elections, bribes and material incentives were given to marabouts from political parties and potential candidates. Many believed that no party could hope to attain political power if the marabouts were completely opposed to it, and any party who rose to power had to comply with
492-460: A conventional education. These boys receive Islamic training and are instilled with the doctrine of hard work. Many Mourides consider the city of Touba as equally or even more important than Mecca. Pilgrims regularly come to Touba all year round, but the peak of the year is a mass pilgrimage called the Grand Màgal , which celebrates Bamba's return from exile. As in other parts of West Africa and
574-405: A cumulant body of tradition, rather than individual and isolated experiences. In most cases the sheikh nominates his khalifa or "successor" during his lifetime, who will take over the order. In rare cases, if the sheikh dies without naming a khalifa , the students of the tariqa elect another spiritual leader by vote. In some orders it is recommended to take a Khalif from the same order as
656-461: A marabout. These collective farms were largely responsible for the expansion of peanut cultivation. A Mouride peasant may submit to a marabout's organization of agricultural work because it is the best option available to him, independently of the ideology which supports it. In contrast to a vision of masses blindly manipulated by a religious elite, the ties of talibes to their marabouts are frequently far more contingent and tenuous than assumed. As
738-453: A means of economic advantage through the increasing production of crops for export. Due to this high proportion of groundnut crop produced by the Mouride, the brotherhood has always seemed to have a large influence in the groundnut market and the economy. Economic involvement is in fact encouraged by the religious leaders to their disciples through the use of ideology that places great value on
820-572: A ritual of allegiance called njebbel , as it is considered highly important to have a sheikh "spiritual guide" in order to become a Mouride. The Mouride brotherhood was founded in 1883 in Senegal by Amadou Bamba . The Mouride make up around 40 percent of the total population, and their influence over everyday life can be seen throughout Senegal. The Mouride brotherhood was founded in 1883 in Senegal by Shaykh Aḥmadu Bàmba Mbàkke ( Wolof name), commonly known as Amadou Bamba (1850–1927). In Arabic , he
902-615: Is a large tariqa ( Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in the city of Touba , which is a holy city for the order. Adherents are called Mourides , from the Arabic word murīd (literally "one who desires"), a term used generally in Sufism to designate a disciple of a spiritual guide.The beliefs and practices of the Mourides constitute Mouridism . Mouride disciples call themselves taalibé in Wolof and must undergo
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#1732881044350984-451: Is called Al Qudra Mizaan [(United States)]. The Sanusi order was also highly involved in missionary work in Africa during the 19th century, spreading both Islam and a high level of literacy into Africa as far south as Lake Chad and beyond by setting up a network of zawiyas where Islam was taught. Much of Central Asia and southern Russia was won over to Islam through the missionary work of
1066-523: Is considered the spiritual leader of all Mourides. There are other marabouts , each with a regional following. Dahiras are a unique institution of the Senegalese Sufi model which connect followers of a particular marabout or order in an association. They are often based on shared allegiances to a particular marabout or common geographical location, for example, a neighborhood or city-specific dahira. Other dahiras bring together followers belonging to
1148-664: Is known as Aḥmad ibn Muhammad ibn Habīb Allāh or by the nickname "Khadīmu r-Rasūl" ("Servant of the Prophet "). In Wolof he is called "Sëriñ Tuubaa" ("Holy Man of Touba"). He was born in the village of Mbacké in Baol , the son of a Cheikh from the Qadiriyya , the oldest of the Muslim brotherhoods in Senegal. Amadou Bamba was a Muslim mystic and ascetic marabout , a spiritual leader who wrote tracts on meditation , rituals , work, and tafsir . He
1230-409: Is located at Makanpur , near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh state, India . It is visited by thousands of visitors every month and especially during the annual Urs celebrations. Sufi order A tariqa ( Arabic : طريقة , romanized : ṭarīqa ) is a religious order of Sufism , or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with
1312-632: Is not limited to) performing individual obligations ( Fard Ayn ) such as prayer, ablution, fasting, pilgrimage and giving charity. A Mouride aspires to achieve Iman by the Six Articles of Faith: Belief in God , his angels , the prophets , the revealed Holy Books, the Day of Judgment and the Divine Decree. A Mouride aspires to achieve Ihsan by the path of Tasawwuf (Sufism) through taking initiation ( Bayat ) with
1394-484: Is perhaps best known for his emphasis on work, and his disciples are known for their industriousness. Although he did not support the French conquest of West Africa , he did not wage outright war on them, as several prominent Tijani cheikh had done. He taught, instead, what he called the jihād al-akbar or "greater struggle," which fought not through weapons but through learning and fear of God . Bamba's followers call him
1476-462: Is said to have broken his leg-irons, leapt overboard into the ocean, and prayed on a prayer rug that miraculously appeared on the surface of the water. In addition, when the French put him in a furnace, he is said to have simply sat down and had tea with Muhammad . In a den of hungry lions, it is said the lions slept beside him. By 1912, policy shifted towards using the Senegalese Sufi orders – among them
1558-594: Is sought since they are thought to be a source of much baraka "blessings, divine grace". The marabouts of the Mouride Brotherhood devote less time to study and teaching than other brotherhoods. They devote most of their time to ordering their disciples’ work and making amulets for their disciples' work and making amulets for their followers. Devout Mourides’ homes and workplaces are covered with pictures and sayings of their marabout, and they wear numerous amulets prepared by them. These acts are believed to bring them
1640-617: Is the sub branch of Chishti spiritual lineage. The Maizbhandari Tariqa or Maizbhandari Sufi order is a liberated Sufism order established in the Bangladesh in the 19th century by the Gausul Azam Shah Sufi Syed Ahmadullah Maizbhandari (1826 AD − 1906 AD), 27th descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Warsi Tariqa was founded by Waris Ali Shah . Membership in a particular Sufi order is not exclusive, unlike
1722-597: The Ulma or officially mandated scholars, and often acted as informal missionaries of Islam. They provided accepted avenues for emotional expressions of faith, and the Tariqas spread to all corners of the Muslim world, and often exercised a degree of political influence inordinate to their size (take for example the influence that the sheikhs of the Safavid had over the armies of Tamerlane , or
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#17328810443501804-425: The murshid . In some groups it is customary for the khalifa to be the son of the sheikh, although in other groups the khalīfa and the sheikh are not normally relatives. In yet other orders a successor may be identified through the spiritual dreams of its members. Tariqas have silsilas ( Arabic : سلسلة ; "chain, lineage of sheikhs"). All orders claim a silsila that leads back to Muhammad through Ali , except
1886-667: The Burhaniyya becoming popular within the people of Pakistan & India. Large tariqats in Africa include Muridiyya , Burhaniyya and Tijaniyya . Others can be offshoots of a tariqa. For example, the Qalandariyya has roots in Malamatiyya and Wafa'i (a combination of Yasawiyya - Sunni and Batiniyya - Shia ) of orders are offshoots of the Suhrawardi order. The Ashrafia after the 13th century illustrious Sufi saint Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
1968-456: The Naqshbandi silsila, which traces its roots to Abu Bakr , the first Caliph of Sunni Islam . Every Murid , on entering the tariqa, gets his awrad , or daily recitations, authorized by his murshid (usually to be recited before or after the pre-dawn prayer, after the afternoon prayer and after the evening prayer). Usually these recitations are extensive and time-consuming (for example
2050-451: The Quran followed by a single phrase prayer. Criteria have to be met to be promoted in rank: the common way is to repeat a single phrase prayer 82,000 times or more as in the case of Burhaniyya , a number that grows with each achieved rank. Murids who experience unusual interaction during meditation: hear voices like "would you like to see a prophet?" or see visions who might even communicate with
2132-413: The awrad may consist of reciting a certain formula 99, 500 or even 1000 times). One must also be in a state of ritual purity (as one is for the obligatory prayers to perform them while facing Mecca ). The recitations change as a student (murid) moves from a mere initiate to other Sufi degrees (usually requiring additional initiations). The Initiation ceremony is routine and consists of reading chapter 1 of
2214-430: The gerontocratic traditional order and incorporating modern media while calling for a return to a mythologised Mouride past of rejecting authority. These interactions and new movements highlight Islamic Studies professor Rüdiger Seeseman’s argument that rather than treating Sufism and reform Islam as unchanging and opposed, these movements interact and lead to new forms of thoughts which incorporate beliefs to best address
2296-411: The njebbel , a loyal Mouride is ideologically required to follow his religious leaders’ instructions or risk of losing any material support that would have been given to him if he disregards them. Marabouts very rarely themselves participate directly in the political process. What is more common is to see them exert their influence over their followers and use this in return to gain a larger presence in
2378-422: The "rightly guided one". The metaphor of "way, path" is to be understood in connection of the term sharia which also has the meaning of "path" , more specifically "well-trodden path; path to the waterhole". The "path" metaphor of tariqa is that of a further path, taken by the mystic, which continues from the "well-trodden path" or exoteric of sharia towards the esoteric haqiqa . A fourth "station" following
2460-692: The 17th century by Ma Laichi and other Chinese Sufis who had studied in Mecca and Yemen , and had also been influenced by spiritual descendants of the Kashgarian Sufi master Afaq Khoja . On the Chinese soil the institutions became known as menhuan , and are typically headquartered near the tombs ( gongbei ) of their founders. Muridiyya In terms of Ihsan : The Mouride brotherhood ( Wolof : yoonu murit , Arabic : الطريقة المريدية aṭ-Ṭarīqat al-Murīdiyyah or simply المريدية , al-Murīdiyyah )
2542-501: The Baye Fall ( Wolof : Baay Faal ), many of whom substitute hard labor and dedication to their marabout for the usual Muslim pieties. Sheikh Ibrahima Fall was one of the first of Amadou Bamba's disciples and one of the most illustrious. He catalysed the Mouride movement and led all the labour work in the Mouride brotherhood. Fall reshaped the relation between Mouride talibes (disciples) and their guide, Amadou Bamba. Fall instituted
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2624-452: The Christian monastic orders which are demarcated by firm lines of authority and sacrament. Sufis often are members of various Sufi orders. The non-exclusiveness of Sufi orders has consequences for the social extension of Sufism. They cannot be regarded as indulging in a zero sum competition which a purely political analysis might have suggested. Rather, their joint effect is to impart to Sufism
2706-487: The French had he wanted. Fearful of his power, the French sentenced Bamba to exile in Gabon (1895–1902) and later Mauritania (1903–1907) and confining him in house arrest in Senegal until 1912. However, Bamba's exile fueled legends about his miraculous ability to survive torture, deprivation, and attempted executions, and thousands more flocked to his organization. For example, on the ship to Gabon, forbidden from praying, Bamba
2788-491: The French. In 1928 the French colonial administration issued a deed recognizing the land of Bamba’s tomb and the Great Mosque as private property of the Mouride community. This marked the first step towards Touba’s autonomy from the wider Senegalese state which continued post-independence. The Mourides played a central role in the 1958 Senegalese constitutional referendum which determined whether Senegal would become part of
2870-508: The Marabout's demands or lose their political support. In the 1962 power clash between now-President Senghor and Prime Minister Mamadou Dia , the Mourides again played a notable role. Dia was supported by Salafiyya -inspired urban Reform movements which opposed the Mourdides’ collaboration with the colonial system and maraboutic influence. In line with these concerns, Dia had previously opposed
2952-523: The Mouride brotherhood was allowed to grow and in 1926 Bamba began work on the Great Mosque in Touba, where he would be buried one year later. Bamba’s successors were increasingly cordial with the French administration, collaborating and receiving support against rivals and material benefits such as land and machinery in return. This led to the brotherhood’s authority becoming part of a form of indirect rule by
3034-479: The Mouride brotherhood was well-respected among the Senegalese and partnered with them to promote political and social order. Traditional Wolof aristocrats had proven problematic as intermediaries for the colonial authorities, and they hoped that Mouride leaders would be more effective and legitimate. During the French colonial reign, the marabouts usually gave their support to politicians based upon their support of
3116-455: The Mourides as a solid bloc of support. The Party for Truth and Development , founded by Cheikh Ahmadou Kara Mbacké, a descendant of Cheick Amadou Bamba, marked the entry of an explicitly Mouride organisation into organised politics, with Kara reportedly also targeting a presidential run but being discouraged by his relatives. Groundnuts are the third largest export from Senegal after fish and phosphates. The amount of groundnut crop which
3198-453: The Mourides produce has been estimated to range from one-third to three-quarters of Senegalese groundnut production, although others have now estimated it to equal around one-half of the national total of groundnuts produced. This partnership between the Brotherhood and the government stems from the French colonial administrators, who had viewed the production of groundnuts by the Mourides as
3280-489: The Mourides – as assets in the colonial administration. This way, it was thought, the authority and power of the orders could instead be used to support colonial rule. In order to facilitate rapprochement and in an attempt to limit the appearance of Bamba as a freedom fighter, he was released from house arrest and moved back to Diourbel , close to the future site of Touba . The Mouride doctrine of hard work served French economic interests, as addressed below. After World War I ,
3362-515: The Mourides." The members of the Baye Fall dress in colorful ragged clothes, wear their hair in dreadlocks which are called ndiange ("strong hair"), which they decorate usually with homemade beads, wire or string. They also carry clubs, and act as security guards in the annual Grand Magal pilgrimages to Touba. Women usually are covered in draping coverings including their heads and occasionally are known to wear highly decorative handmade jewelry made from household or natural items. In modern times
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3444-508: The Murid are held dear in the " Haḍra ", the weekly group-chanting of prayers in attempt of reaching spirits as they are likely to experience something unusual and pass it on. This Murid is promoted faster than others. The least common way is to cause a miracle to happen with criteria similar to that of Catholic Sainthood. Being mostly followers of the spiritual traditions of Islam loosely referred to as Sufism, these groups were sometimes distinct from
3526-650: The Qadiri and Tijani brotherhoods, as well as the works by the scholar al-Ghazali . Amadou Bamba wrote more than 1000 books in Classical Arabic , all of which are based on the Quran and Hadith . Ahmadou Bamba said "If it's not in the Qur'an or Hadith, it's not from me". Mourides sometimes call their order the "Way of Imitation of the Prophet". Parents sometimes send their sons to live with the marabout as talibes rather than giving them
3608-435: The Senegalese politics. Such things as withholding seed from granaries, unless followers purchase party cards, is a way that some marabouts exert their influence in the region to attain votes. Other marabout may actually seek out political office, but most prefer to use their influence as an intermediary of politics in Senegal. As noted above, following a period of repression, French colonial administrators recognized that
3690-519: The Tarīqahs, and the majority of Indonesia 's population, where a Muslim army never set foot, was converted to Islam by the perseverance of both Muslim traders and Sufi missionaries. Sufism in India played a similarly crucial role in the diffusion of Islam at the élite and popular levels; its music , art , and poetry flourished in a highly sophisticated Persianate society . Tariqas were brought to China in
3772-430: The aim of seeking haqiqa , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a murshid (guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director. The members or followers of a tariqa are known as muridin (singular murid ), meaning "desirous", viz. "desiring the knowledge of God and loving God" (also called a faqir ). Tariqa is also believed to be the same as Tzadik of Judaism meaning
3854-462: The brotherhood's leaders and interests. The most notable of these was Blaise Diagne , whose successful campaign to the Chamber of Deputies in 1914 they subsidized. Together with the continued cooperation with the colonial administration, this successful partnership built the foundation for the future cooperation between the Senegalese government and the Mouride brotherhood. This was further strengthened by
3936-588: The central role of Mourides in Senegal has meant that even some Salafist-inspired reform movements have, over time, softened anti-maraboutic stances in order to focus on other issues, at times even cooperating with notable Mourides in order to gain popular support and pursue goals appealing to most Muslims. Other types of reform have come from inside the Mouride order, with younger marabouts drawing inspirations from reformists and West African Pentecostalism . They combine these inspirations with aspects of traditional Mouride beliefs, offering new forms of worship removed from
4018-504: The city more autonomy. While the effects of this are contested, the Grand Marabout did issue a forceful njebbel in support of Diouf for the 1988 elections, according to which failure to vote for him amounted to betrayal of Cheick Amadou Bamba’s will. However, this move was unpopular with many Mourides, and later led to a retreat from national politics by the position of the Grand Marabout. The public perception of Mourides’ involvement in
4100-556: The close alliance with Léopold Senghor , who had courted the Mourides and other Sufi orders from early on. Senghor campaigned on stabilizing the price of groundnuts , vital to Mouride economic interests (see below) and promised to subsidize the completion of the Grand Mosque of Touba. In this way Senghor gained the electoral support of the Mourides while the order and the Grand Marabout benefitted from investments in Touba’s infrastructure and
4182-440: The culture of work among Mourides with his concept of Dieuf Dieul , ("you reap what you sow"). Ibra Fall helped Amadou Bamba to expand Mouridism, in particular with Fall's establishment of the Baye Fall movement. For this contribution, Serigne Fallou, the second Caliph (leader) after Amadou Bamba, named him "Lamp Fall" (the light of Mouridism). In addition, Ibrahima Fall earned the title باب المريدين Bab al-Murīdīna , "Gate of
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#17328810443504264-450: The development of local industry, preferring to force the exchange of raw materials for European finished goods, and a large number of taxation measures were instituted. At the end of the 19th century, French colonial authorities began to worry about the growing power of the Mouride brotherhood and its potential to resist French colonialism. Bamba, who had converted various kings and their followers, could probably have raised an army against
4346-411: The distribution of land, especially during periods of expanding peanut cultivation. Mouride social organization was developed in the context of the expanding peanut economy and its unique formulation was adapted to the economic imperatives of that context. The most distinctive institutional expression of Mouride agro-religious innovation is the daara, an agricultural community of young men in the service of
4428-420: The government places an importance on the Mouride cultivators, the disciples do not have efficient ways of cultivating groundnuts, and their techniques are often destructive to the land. Rather than looking out for the best use of the land, the Mouride cultivators are more interested in a fast payback. The methods used by the marabout have led to a constant depletion of the forests in Senegal and have taken much of
4510-422: The hard labor is often replaced by members roaming the streets asking for financial donations for their marabout . Several Baye Fall are talented musicians. A prominent member of the Baye Fall is the Senegalese musician Cheikh Lô . Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba taught the Three Pillars of Mouridism: In summary, a Mouride aspires to achieve Islam by following the basic recommendations of Shariat . This includes (but
4592-466: The heart of the Mouride movement. After his death Bamba has been succeeded by his descendants as hereditary leaders of the brotherhood. The caliph (leader) of the Mouride brotherhood is known as the Grand Marabout and has his seat in Touba. The first five caliphs were all sons of Amadou Bamba , starting with his eldest son: The Grand Marabout is a direct descendant of Amadou Bamba himself and
4674-444: The highest level of politics changed with the election of Abdoulaye Wade in 2000. A devout Mouride, Wade travelled to Touba the day after his election to seek the blessing of the Grand Marabout, Serigne Saliou Mbacké . Wade pledged financial support for the Mourides and included notable Mourides in his government, securing public support of notable Mourides – however not that of the Grand Marabout. This support allowed Wade to cultivate
4756-419: The issues of urban migrants but have since spread across the country to rural areas as well. Next to providing a community of like-minded Mourides, they help facilitate the participation of members at important festivals and help raise funds for sudden expenses which individuals may be unable to cover themselves, such as funeral costs. Daaras are madrassas or Quranic schools. They were originally founded by
4838-456: The laborers). They continued to turn a share of their agricultural output over to their spiritual guide, as groundnut production was the community's only means of sustenance. The large share of the Mouride's control over the groundnut production has placed them in the center of the nation's economy. The government's economic planners in turn have kept the brotherhood in their minds when establishing policies about groundnut production. Although
4920-483: The late Mughal period between the 15th and 17th centuries and gave rise to new orders as Shah Madar's disciples spread through the northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariyya has been created by forming a Nisba from the name of its founder, (Shah) Madar , though it is sometimes also referred as Tabaqatiyya . The Dargah , or the tomb of Badi' al-Din Shah Madar ,
5002-428: The marabouts can only explained because their talibes see them as intercessors or even intermediaries with god. This charismatic relationship is reinforced and complemented by a parallel clientelistic relationship between marabout and follower. The results is that marabouts are expected to provide certain material benefits to their follower in addition to the spiritual ones. This patronage function has been important in
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#17328810443505084-401: The marabouts, their cooperation with the French colonial system, and their authoritarian position inside Senegal’s religious system. The Mourides’ strong economic position and political influence (see below), system of unconditional submission to their marabouts, and focus on labour over prayer, made them a natural target of the reformers. The importance of marabouts and saints in Mouride thought
5166-538: The marabouts’ political influence through a number of agricultural reforms. Mouride leaders’ support lay squarely with Senghor, and Dia could muster little popular support among the rural population who followed their marabouts’ loyalties. This unwavering support of Senghor continued until Fallilou Mbacké’s death in 1968, after which relations with the government cooled. Support for the government returned with Senghor’s successor Adbou Diouf in 1980, who again allocated funds to infrastructure projects in Touba and afforded
5248-421: The mediators between Allah and the people. The people seek the help of marabouts for protection from the evil spirits, to improve one's status (in terms of career, love or relationship, finances etc.), to obtain a cure or remedy for sickness, or even to curse an enemy. Marabouts are believed to have the ability to deal with the spirit world and seek the spirits’ help in things impossible for humans. The spirits’ help
5330-762: The missionary work of Ali-Shir Nava'i in Turkistan among the Mongol and Tatar people). The tariqas were particularly influential in the spread of Islam in the sub-Sahara during the 9th to 14th centuries, where they spread south along trade routes between North Africa and the sub-Saharan kingdoms of Ghana and Mali . On the West African coast they set up Zawiyas on the shores of the river Niger and even established independent kingdoms such as al-Murabitun or Almoravids . The Al Hakika Mizaan Mizaani Sufi order deals with heavy internalization and meditations, their spiritual practice
5412-780: The nation's economy , for example the transportation sector and the peanut plantations. Ordinary followers donate part of their income to the Mouridiya. Islam is central to the political sociology of Senegal: the religious elite carry great weight in national politics; political discourse is replete with references and appeals to Islam. There is virtually no opposition to the principle of the secular state, socio-political cleavages based on religion, whether between Muslim and non-Muslim or between Sufi orders, are also virtually non-existent. Within Muslim discourse we find constant reference to such concepts as Islamic government, Islamic economics, or Islamic social order. The essential Islamic core lies in
5494-412: The nature of leadership and the relations between leaders and followers, the nature and sources of power and authority and the limits and constraints of the economy are all factors, which mediate and direct the impact of Islam on Politics. Senegalese elites have not found appeals to ethnic solidarity a productive means of building a mass following. Common religious affiliation has played a role in defusing
5576-485: The new French Community . The leaders of the main Senegalese Sufi orders jointly announced their loyalty to Charles de Gaulle and their support of the proposed French Community. Their campaigning, supported by the French Administration, led to the overwhelming yes of nearly 98% being coined “the marabouts’ Yes.” Shaikh Amadou Bamba was buried in 1927 at the Great Mosque in Touba, the holy city of Mouridism and
5658-477: The nutrients out of the soil. Government agencies have made attempts to help the marabout become more efficient in groundnut production, such as providing incentives for the workers to slow down their production. Because of their emphasis on work, the Mouride brotherhood is economically well-established in parts of Africa, especially in Senegal and the Gambia. In Senegal, the brotherhood controls significant sections of
5740-437: The potential for tensions that arise from other social cleavages. There however remains a potential for ethnic and caste divides to enter the Senegalese socio-political organization. The Senegalese have a mystical aspect to Islam, much like other Sufism brotherhoods. In Senegal, Islamic practice usually requires membership in religious brotherhoods that are dedicated to the marabouts of these groups. Marabouts are believed to be
5822-416: The production labor which is performed in the service of God. Thus the Mourides devoted themselves to prayer and unpaid agricultural labor in service to their religious leaders. They cultivated the marabout's fields for a decade, and then returned all land profits earned from the groundnut production. After ten years of dedicated work, laborers then received a share of land (large estates were divided up among
5904-570: The same age, gender, occupation, or school, linking them across Senegal and even abroad. A key example of this is the Hizbut-Tarqiyyah , which brought together Mouride students and alumni of the University of Dakar . Notably many Mouride dahiras name the Grand Marabout as their patron and thereby avoid allegiance to a specific marabout inside the order. Dahiras first appeared in urban areas as religious solidarity and mutual aid groups to tackle
5986-994: The same time the Bektashi Order was also founded, named after the Haji Bektash Veli . Five large tariqas in South Asia are: the Naqshbandi Order, named after Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari ; the Qadiri Order, named after Abdul Qadir Jilani ; the Chishti Order, named after Khawaja Mawdood Chisti while Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti is the most famous sheikh; the Suhrawardi Order, named after Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi ;
6068-488: The shared belief in the fundamental unity of the Muslim world. The sense of belonging to a larger community, felt by many Muslims, is reinforced by the common use of Arabic as the language of prayer and religious learning. Islam is a powerful mobilization instrument and provides the rhetoric for the formulation of ideological movements, and serves as a force for mobilizing people in the pursuit of goals defined by those movements. The role of local Islamic social structures,
6150-405: The shaykh, his descendants, or disciples to teach the Quran and the khassida (or xassida , poems honoring Muhammad) as well as cultivating the land. Hence they have grown to be associations of Mourides, generally based on shared allegiance to a particular marabout . One famous disciple of Bamba, Ibrahima Fall , was known for his dedication to God and considered work as a form of adoration. Fall
6232-472: The situations they find themselves in. The Mourides have wielded significant political influence on the national and local scale for most of their history. In a 1965 survey, elite Senegalese named Mouride Grand Marabout Fallilou Mbacké as the second most influential person in the country. Since then, the order has been described as having played a major role in fostering consent for government policies, and as being important political power brokers. As part of
6314-654: The succession of shariah , tariqa and haqiqa is called marifa . This is the "unseen center" of haqiqa , and the ultimate aim of the mystic, corresponding to the unio mystica in Western mysticism. Tasawwuf , an Arabic word that refers to mysticism and Islamic esotericism, is known in the West as Sufism. The most popular tariqa in the West is the Mevlevi Order , named after Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi . In
6396-427: The symbolic power of state support. After universal suffrage was given in 1956, Senegal saw a rapid increase in the number of voters, almost triple the number just 10 years prior. This swift increase meant more power for the marabout whose outreach spread largely over the rural and peasant communities, which now had the opportunity to vote. Because of the 'marabouts' far reaching influence in Senegal, politicians made
6478-504: The time of the foundation of the Mouride brotherhood in 1883, the French were in control of Senegal as well as most of West and North Africa . Although it had shared in the horrors of the pre-colonial slave trade , French West Africa was managed relatively better than other African regions during the Scramble for Africa and ensuing colonial era . Senegal enjoyed small measures of self-rule in many areas. However, French rule still discouraged
6560-574: The wider Muslim world, the return of students from the Salafist and Wahhabist -influenced Islamic universities in the Middle East brought a new Islamic Reform movement to Senegal post-Second World War. As these movements rejected many of the Sufi traditions and foundations that marked Islam in West Africa, and had been linked to the idea of an “ Islam noir ” by French colonial administrators, they opposed
6642-429: Was seen as shirk . This also extended to locations, with reformers opposing the central role of the holy city of Touba and the Mouride tradition of spending significant amounts of money to transport dead relatives to be buried in the city. On a more popular level, the eccentricities of the Baye Fall have also been associated with the Mourides as a whole and been used to criticise them by various non-Mourides. However,
6724-512: Was the one to introduce the conduct with which a disciple should interact with his Shaykh, based on the example of the Sahabas and concepts presented in the 49th chapter of the Quran Al-Hujurat . Ibrahima Fall was responsible for guiding many of Bamba's more eccentric followers and new converts to Islam. His followers were the precursor to a subgroup of the Mouride brotherhood today referred to as
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