Islam in Senegal
Encyclopedia
Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. Ninety-four percent of the country's population is estimated to be Muslim. Most Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
are members of one of the Sufi brotherhoods. Islam has existed in Senegal for more than a millennium. The first ethnic groups to convert to Islam were the Toucouleur kingdoms
Toucouleur Empire
The Toucouleur Empire was founded in the nineteenth century by El Hadj Umar Tall of the Toucouleur people, in part of present-day Mali....
during the 11th century CE, and by the beginning of the 20th century CE most of Senegal was Islamic.
The way Islam is practiced in Senegal is significantly different from most other Islamic countries. Islam in Senegal is partially derived from mystical Sufi traditions. In Senegal, Islamic practice takes the form of membership of religious brotherhoods that are dedicated to their marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
s (the founders or current spiritual leaders).
History
Toucouleur
The Toucouleurs are a Fula agricultural people who live primarily in West Africa: the north of Senegal in the Senegal River valley, Mauritania, and Mali.-History:...
kingdoms, although it only took hold with the conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
of the leader (Damel
Damel
Damel was the title of the ruler of the Wolof kingdom of Cayor in what is now northwest Senegal, West Africa.The most well-known damel is probably Lat Dior Diop who died in battle during the final French drive to capture his territory, which was one of the strongest areas of resistance...
) of the kingdom of Cayor
Cayor
The Kingdom of Cayor was the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Empire of Jolof , in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in north and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom of Jolof and north of Baol and the Kingdom of Sine.In 1549, the king, or...
, Lat Dyor Diop around 1861 CE. He converted to Islam and established a union with other Wolof
Wolof people
The Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.In Senegal, the Wolof form an ethnic plurality with about 43.3% of the population are Wolofs...
and Fulani states to resist the French colonization
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
.
Instrumental in his conversion was the leader (Almamy
Almami
Almami is a title of West African Muslim rulers, used especially in the conquest states of the 19th century. It is a contraction of Amir al-Mu'minin , usually translated "Commander of the Faithful" or "Prince of the Faithful"...
) of the kingdom of Saloum
Saloum
The Kingdom of Saloum in Senegal is a traditional kingdom which was renamed Saloum in the late 15th century by the son of a Serer and a Guelowar from the kingdom of Kaabu to the south. The ancient and present capital of the Kingdom of Saloum is the city of Kahone. Previous to that, it was known...
, Maba Diakhou Bâ
Maba Diakhou Bâ
Maba Diakhou Bâ was a marabout from Rip, and a disciple of the Tijaniyya sufi brotherhood...
. As well as converting traditional states to Islam, Bâ's forces sought to abolish the traditional caste system of the Wolof
Wolof people
The Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.In Senegal, the Wolof form an ethnic plurality with about 43.3% of the population are Wolofs...
and Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
aristocratic states. In unifying with other Muslim forces, the West African jihad states aimed to end the reign of small regional kingships, which kept the area in a constant state of war and the lower classes in slave conditions. The Toucouleur Empire of El Hadj Umar Tall in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, which rose at about the same time, had much the same goals, and Umar Tall himself was in contact with and recruited among Maba Diakhou Bâ's forces.
At the end of the 19th century CE, Senegalese Muslim brotherhoods
Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal
This is a list of Muslim groups in Senegal . They are active Muslim organizations that can also be found in many other parts of Africa and the Islamic world.The three largest are:...
such as the Tijani and Muridiyyah fought against French and British colonization
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Race for Africa or Partition of Africa was a process of invasion, occupation, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers during the New Imperialism period, between 1881 and World War I in 1914...
. Eventually the resistance ended when prominent religious leaders like Malick Sy
Malick Sy
El-Hadji Malick Sy was a Senegalese religious leader and teacher in the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood.-Life:Born in Gaya to a Fulani family, El-Hadji Malick Sy traveled to Mauritania, then to Saint-Louis, Senegal in 1884 as a religious student...
and Amadou Bamba
Amadou Bamba
Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké , was a Muslim Sufi religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the large Mouride Brotherhood Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927) (Aamadu Bamba Mbàkke in Wolof, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb Allāh also known as Khadīmu...
decided to cooperate with the French in exchange for religious independence. The French colonists established a secular state
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
and post-colonial Senegal has remained secular up to this day. In practice, however, the Muslim brotherhoods have substantial influence on politics in modern-day Senegal.
Schools of thought
Senegalese Muslims are overwhelmingly members of one of the Sufi brotherhoodsTariqah
A tariqa is an Islamic religious order. In Sufism one starts with Islamic law, the exoteric or mundane practice of Islam and then is initiated onto the mystical path of a tariqa. Through spiritual practices and guidance of a tariqa the aspirant seeks ḥaqīqah - ultimate truth.-Meaning:A tariqa is a...
. The two largest orders are the Tijaniyyah
Tijaniyyah
The Tijāniyyah is a sufi tariqa originating in North Africa but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Northern Nigeria and Sudan...
and the Muridiyyah, although the pan-Islamic Qadiriyyah and the smaller Layene
Layene
The Layene are a politically autonomous religious community of the Lebou people, who live in fishing communities on the Cap-Vert peninsula, north of Dakar, Senegal. The Layene brotherhood is one of the smaller Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal and is ruled in religious and temporal matters by their...
sect are also represented in parts of the country. Individuals become a member of one these groups either through their parentage or by adherence to their preferred marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
.
The Tijani brotherhood originates in North Africa but is now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. The Mouride
Mouride
The Mouride brotherhood is a large Islamic Sufi order most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia, with headquarters in the holy city of Touba, Senegal...
brotherhood is based in Touba
Touba, Senegal
Touba is a city in central Senegal. It is the holy city of Mouridism and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke...
, a state within a state in which there is no governor, no administration, and no police force. The de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leader of the city is the Grand Marabout of the Mouride brotherhood, Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké
Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké
El Hadji Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké, or Sheikh Bara Mbacké was the Grand Marabout of the Mouride movement in Senegal. The movement is prominent outside Senegal as well, in places such as New York, Paris and Rome....
. Veiling is not required, and criminal activity is rare. Alcohol, cigarettes, loud music, and politics are banned .
Leadership
The members of the Muslim brotherhoods vow obedience to their maraboutMarabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
, a personal spiritual leader and the inheritor of the barakah
Barakah
In Islam, Barakah is the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres as prosperity, protection, and happiness. Baraka is the continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with God and flows through that and those closest to God. Baraka can be found...
(divine grace) of the brotherhood's founder. The founders of each of the brotherhoods are considered mujaddid
Mujaddid
A Mujaddid , according to the popular Muslim tradition, refers to a person who appears at the turn of every century of the Islamic calendar to revive Islam, remove from it any extraneous elements and restore it to its pristine purity...
(renewers) of Islam by their followers, citing a hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
that implies God will send renewers of the faith every hundred years. The marabouts in Senegal are organized in elaborate hierarchies, with the highest marabouts elevated to the status of de facto rulers.
Marabouts are believed to have the power to heal illness and grant spiritual salvation to their followers. Most marabouts have inherited their position from their fathers. Marabouts are expected to teach and counsel their followers, as well as organize their work. The marabout, a scholar of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, presides at various ceremonies, makes amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s for good luck, and in some cases actively guides the life of the follower. Marabouts rely on donations to live and often there is an obligation to support the marabout that has accumulated over generations within a family.
Culture
After the conversion of Lat Dyor Diop many began writing on Islam in both WolofWolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. The tagg
Tagg
- People :* Barclay Tagg , an American horse trainer* Ernie Tagg , an English football player* Robert Tanios Taggert "Tagg" Bozied , an American sportsman- Places :* Tagg's Island, an island in the River Thames, England...
, or ode song in Wolof, was reused in an Islamic context — an important integration of pre-Islamic style into the new Muslim paradigm.
See also
- SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
- Muslim brotherhoods of SenegalMuslim brotherhoods of SenegalThis is a list of Muslim groups in Senegal . They are active Muslim organizations that can also be found in many other parts of Africa and the Islamic world.The three largest are:...
- MourideMourideThe Mouride brotherhood is a large Islamic Sufi order most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia, with headquarters in the holy city of Touba, Senegal...
- Tijani
- SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
- Islam in AfricaIslam in AfricaFrom its beginning, Islam has been a central feature in Africa. Africa was the first continent into which Islam expanded, and it has become an integral part of many African cultures and histories. According to World Book Encyclopedia, Islam is the largest religion in Africa, followed by Christianity...