Fighting the Greater Jihad: Amadu Bamba and the Founding of the Muridiyya of Senegal, 1853–1913

New African Histories

by Cheikh Anta Babou

In Senegal, the Muridiyya, a large Islamic Sufi order, is the single most influential religious organization, including among its numbers the nation’s president. Yet little is known of this sect in the West. Drawn from a wide variety of archival, oral, and iconographic sources in Arabic, French, and Wolof, Fighting the Greater Jihad offers an astute analysis of the founding and development of the order and a biographical study of its founder, Cheikh Ahmadu Bamba Mbakke. Cheikh Anta Babou explores the forging of Murid identity and pedagogy around the person and initiative of Amadu Bamba as well as the continuing reconstruction of this identity by more recent followers. He makes a compelling case for reexamining the history of Muslim institutions in Africa and elsewhere in order to appreciate believers’ motivation and initiatives, especially religious culture and education, beyond the narrow confines of political collaboration and resistance. Fighting the Greater Jihad also reveals how religious power is built at the intersection of genealogy, knowledge, and spiritual force, and how this power in turn affected colonial policy. Fighting the Greater Jihad will dramatically alter the perspective from which anthropologists, historians, and political scientists study Muslim mystical orders.

Genres: Islam

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2007

Reviews

[David]

A pretty good examination of one of the most influential institutions in Senegalese society. I read this in quite a hurry but it offers very interesting insights into the relationship between Muslim scholars and the pre-colonial West African states. I wish it talked more about the French, but as with Thomas' "Layennes" book, Babou's argument is that the tariqa must be examined beyond a simple colonial framework. I guess we'll just have to satisfy ourselves with hearing what the Mouridiyya had to say for themselves!

[Omar Al-Zaman]

extremely excited to read this

[Roman]

This is a decently written, comprehendable historical inquiry into the life of Amadou Bamba. The author proposes some theories, including in two places about the intentions of the French administration that I don't think are particularly well founded, so I'm iffy about the author's contributions to historical scholarship about the shaykh, but I do admire his synthesis of existent scholarship on the subject. This is not a people's history, a sociology or an anthropology - the author doesn't delve into why people were attracted to the Muridiyya or the nuances of custom, tradition and lifestyle of the lay believer. It very much focuses on kings, colonial administrators and shaykhs.

There are limited resources when it comes to historical resources on the Muridiyya, so there are clear limitations on the scope of projects on the topic. With that in mind, well, this book's alright.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this books title is very misleading (at least in the understanding of the Jihad in American society today). It was a very well written book that I was very interested in. I am a future teacher and learning about how Amadu Bamba taught his disciples and the importance of education to him, struck a nerve in my teacher veins! It is a must read for anyone interested in the Muridiyya, Jihad, or Education.

[The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trés bon livre. La recherche historique est profonde et recoupe une diversité de sources. Si vous voulez découvrir l'émergence de la confrérie mouride et le contexte de la lutte de Bamba, je vous le conseille.