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Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba: A Peacemaker for Our Time
Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba ranks with such apostles of peaceful militancy as Mahatma Gandhi, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and Martin Luther King Jr. His adventures begin in the villages of Senegal in West Africa before he is thrust into the dense, treacherous, dark jungles of the French Congo and the pristine Sahara Desert in Mauritania.The French who had control of much of West Africa, caught up with Bamba in the summer of 1895. Bamba seemed to know what was to happen to him for, the night before his arrest, he gathered his disciples together. The majority fervently pronounced that they were willing to launch a violent resistance and to die rather than allow the French to take Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba away. Bamba’s reaction was to state that in a war there are never any victors.Thirty-three years of exile, imprisonment and house arrest only fortified his spirit, as affirmed by his moving ubiquitous poetic expressions. His writings are seen as living texts that make them forever current. He petitioned God to ensure that the verse he composed “be an eternal source of happiness for whomever would apply its knowledge . . . and that it would lead the sincere aspirant to spiritual vision, and to unveiling of profound secrets.”This story of the role of African ‘natives’ and Sufi Masters in peace building breathes a fresh spiritual and intellectual air into the history of Islam in Africa in general and Senegal in particular.Kimball’s presentation of colonial resistance and non-violent social change is compelling and timely. This is an unprecedented account, through oral and written histories, into the life and times of a great poet and peacemaker. It is a book of universal import with a message of truth, peace, and the power of nonviolence.
400 pages, Paperback
Published December 27, 2018
34 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Michelle R. Kimball
2 books3 followersMichelle R. Kimball received her BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz, with honors. She pursued graduate studies in Near Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley and received her MA from UC Santa Barbara. She compiled the book, Muslim Women Throughout the World, an annotated bibliography, and has written articles on Rumi, Suhrawardi, Islamic spirituality, and women in Islam.
Kimball founded the International Peace Project, and in the 1990’s she took up the cause of the plight of the Iraqi people, especially children, suffering under sanctions and bombardment. She made an aid trip there with 80 others, to show support and deliver medicines, while risking imprisonment. She wrote articles about her experiences, including, “Let the Children Live,” and made media appearances, gave lectures and organized many events focusing on global peace initiatives.
Kimball lectured at interfaith gatherings with fellow Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist colleagues, and hosted Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Gabriel Kassab and organized events to support his work in Iraq. She is one of the first signatories to “A Common Word Between Us and You,” an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. She produced a CD of mystical chants dedicated to world peace. While committed to working for peace, she hosted Senegalese Presidential candidate, Shaykh Abdoulaye Dieye who introduced her to the work of Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba.
Her other interests are in health and design. She is also the author of Tropics Alive: Living Cuisine.
Check out:
peacemakerforourtime.com
Available on Amazon
Kimball founded the International Peace Project, and in the 1990’s she took up the cause of the plight of the Iraqi people, especially children, suffering under sanctions and bombardment. She made an aid trip there with 80 others, to show support and deliver medicines, while risking imprisonment. She wrote articles about her experiences, including, “Let the Children Live,” and made media appearances, gave lectures and organized many events focusing on global peace initiatives.
Kimball lectured at interfaith gatherings with fellow Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist colleagues, and hosted Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Gabriel Kassab and organized events to support his work in Iraq. She is one of the first signatories to “A Common Word Between Us and You,” an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. She produced a CD of mystical chants dedicated to world peace. While committed to working for peace, she hosted Senegalese Presidential candidate, Shaykh Abdoulaye Dieye who introduced her to the work of Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba.
Her other interests are in health and design. She is also the author of Tropics Alive: Living Cuisine.
Check out:
peacemakerforourtime.com
Available on Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 12, 2022
Wow. What a biography. As an American this book completely changes my perspective on what nonviolent resistance is - the book advertises itself as an Islamic biography of someone comparable to Gandhi or MLK of the modern era, but Shaykh Bamba’s trajectory was completely different than what Gandhi or MLK did.
As a Muslim, I have often read about the need to purify your soul, remove all character defects, and as such you can change the world. Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba’s story shows how theory can become practice. He literally changed the fate and future of Senegal, and has continued to dramatically transform it today.
I started this year visiting Senegambia, and was so amazed at how tolerant and spiritual the area is. The region does seem to be untouched by the spiritual colonialism that Saudi Arabia is practicing. Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba inspired an entire region to transform Whats around it by transforming what’s inside us. What a read. I feel like every modern Muslim should read this book.
As a Muslim, I have often read about the need to purify your soul, remove all character defects, and as such you can change the world. Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba’s story shows how theory can become practice. He literally changed the fate and future of Senegal, and has continued to dramatically transform it today.
I started this year visiting Senegambia, and was so amazed at how tolerant and spiritual the area is. The region does seem to be untouched by the spiritual colonialism that Saudi Arabia is practicing. Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba inspired an entire region to transform Whats around it by transforming what’s inside us. What a read. I feel like every modern Muslim should read this book.
April 8, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. The more I read it the more I enjoyed it.
I often wondered why Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba's approach was so different from that of Imam Shamil's, Omar Muktar's and others. Although not the purpose of the book it goes a long way in explaining why.
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about his 'trip' to Mauritania and the latter chapters about the tariqah. I love that some of the Shaykh's works are included in the appendix. It gives a real sense of who the Shaykh was.
It would have been useful to have some maps in order to follow the new settlements and the Shaykh's movements across Senegal and Mauritania (and exile).
I often wondered why Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba's approach was so different from that of Imam Shamil's, Omar Muktar's and others. Although not the purpose of the book it goes a long way in explaining why.
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about his 'trip' to Mauritania and the latter chapters about the tariqah. I love that some of the Shaykh's works are included in the appendix. It gives a real sense of who the Shaykh was.
It would have been useful to have some maps in order to follow the new settlements and the Shaykh's movements across Senegal and Mauritania (and exile).
Want to read
August 25, 2021Bonjour comment faire pour avoir ce livre au Sénégal
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews