History| Jihad Of The Pen: Inside Sheick Amadou Bamba’s Legacy

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By Sheriff Saidykhan 


Educator, Philosopher, Revolutionary, Sheick Amadou Bamba was/is regarded as one of the founding pioneers of Islam in West Africa.

His times and era were during the period when modernity, and race for wealth was beginning to impinge on the lives of Muslims by the French in Senegal, West Africa. 


Revered by many as one of the greatest Saint's in Africa. He was born in 1853 in the village of Mbackè Baol. His parents; Morr Anta Sall and Mam Jarra Busso were all Islamic scholars. Mamine Mahram Mbackè, his grandfather was the founder of Mbackè.


His father was a Qadi and also a Fiqh adviser.  He is widely credited for establishing a linked with the Muslims in southern Mauritania.  His mother, who taught him the early education of Islamic knowledge, also played an important role by exposing and teaching him the thematic areas of “Nahw”Arabic grammar, “Sarf” morphology and “Balàgha” rhetoric.  Plus telling him the stories of the Prophets. 

His umcle Muhammed Busso, also taught him the Quran in a traditional way. Sheick Amadou Bamba envisioned to do “khalwa” seclusion prayer at the hinterlands. 


 The French at the coast were intensifying their occupation of the hinterlands, coupled with its anti Islamic mission. During the French conquest of the interior  part of Senegal, women were taken into slavery and abused by the French. 


At the age of 20 years, he wrote a book entitled “Mawāhibul Quddûs” (The Gifts of The Holy Lord) and he started to give “fatwas”. He positioned himself strategically, as he shared the believe that “A scholar is better off in distancing himself from the rulers,”.







In 1883 Alhagie Kamara of St Louis gave him Hijaza, and hands him the ritual turban. He also received lot of manuscripts from Sheick Sedia in Mauritania. 

Sheick Amadou Bamba later established “Da'iras” settlements for Islamic education. Many of these Da'iras were named as: “Da'iratul khouduss, Da'iratul hàfùrr and Da'iratul man’nam. 


In 1885 Sheick Amadou Bamba went to hijra/migration to look for a place called TOUBA. It has a synonymous name of a TOUBA tree in paradise. He later identified a tree. Under this tree he prayed and built his mosque in 1886. His dua/prayer reads:  “O'Allah secure this place, and make it a place of forgiveness and guidance. 


And make it a place of Sunnah, free from Bid'ah. And make it constantly a place of learning. A place of thought and the acquisition of knowledge, guidance, instruction, and correction”.


The mosque is said to be one of the largest mosques in Africa. Since then of TOUBA gained much recognition during his time. He worked with Sheick Ibra Faal, one of his strong desciples and Sheick Anta Mbacke his half brother.

From the city of Cayor in central Senegal, where he haiked, Sheick ibra Faal has helped convert many non believers from his town into Islam. Envied by the popularity of Sheick Amadou Bamba, the French insinuated that he is preparing to wage a war against them, and also disrupting the social order.


The French arrested him In August 10th 1895, and put him in a show trial that lasted for few hours.  He was subsequently taken to Gabon and spent 7 years in prison. He wrote his prison memoir entitled “The Journey” below is the little excerpts from his memoir.


“I was taken away when I was reciting the Qur'an. On my journey with my captives I was doing my Zikr prayer along. With the blessings of Allah I was saved from all the conspiracies,”.


Upon his release from prison large crowd gathered to commemorate the historic day known as “Magal”. The day is set aside to reflect the anniversary of his arrest, accompanied with Quranic recitation and prayers. 


Sheick Amadou Bamba died peacefully in his sleep in 1927. His first son Mustapha Mbacke became his ultimate successor. Every year, over three million Muslims worldwide visited this holy place of TOUBA.




Below are some of the pictures of his son's



Mustapha Mbackè, first son of Amadou Bamba



Fallou Mbackè, second son of Amadou Bamba


Bassirou Mbackè



Suwaibou Mbackè, left


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