In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
During the month of Safar (second month in the islamic calendar), there will be incessant chatter about the Magal of Touba, especially online where transnational communities come together. The need to explain the origin and background of this event is pressing, given the benefits that come from such an endeavor. The following article therefore summarizes the history, origin and importance of this event for Senegalese Muridiya and for non-Senegalese who also follow the teachers of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba (May Allah be pleased with Him).
First it is essential to define Muridiya, for those unfamiliar. The term Muridiya derives from the Arabic "Al Muriid" an Al Muriid is a person who longs for the meeting with his Lord by having a devoted aspiration.
Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba ( May Allah be pleased with Him), the founder of the Muridiya, has been credited for the revival of this movement whose followers aspired to meet their lord by means of making a personal commitment to follow the Shari’a’s teachings and to keep themselves away from any violation of it. In other words, by means of the purification of their souls. The importance of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba ( May Allah be pleased with Him) is not confined to his role in the religious revival of Senegal, but also encompasses his role as martyr and symbol of resistance to French colonial rule. For the noble Shaykh, however, his acts of resistance had less to do with politics than with his unbending allegiance to Allah, the Most High and Exhalted, and his determination to remain true to his purpose of pleasing him. For the colonizers however, the Shaykh's faith, his charisma, and his increasing number of followers represented a threat to their rule. His faith was deemed an act of defiance that required strong arm tactics.
The Magal of Touba recognizes and commemorates the greatest of feats of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba, which understood by many is his confrontation of the French colonial rule by means of passive resistance. It was during this month that Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba ( May Allah be pleased with Him)his family, his schools, his students in order to confront the colonial Power who had plans to exhile him. To many, the Shaykh sought a greater goal than political emancipation, he sought the honor of being among the companions of the prophet, those who had fought for Islam at the battle of Badr. This is a goal that would cost him much hardship and tribulation but that to him was worth all of the pain that he could bear. So in a sense, Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba was a warrior for Allah, the Most High and Exhalted, and for his lord, he would not only endure the vilest of torture but also a lengthy exile to the feared forest of West-Central Africa (Gabon). The first meeting between the Shaykh and the french exactly occurred on Saturday 18 th of Safar 1313 ( September 1895).
The murid community ( followers and lovers of the Shaykh) worldwide commemorate this day in order to thank Allah SWT for allowing his servant one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed a muslim, to be one of he companions of the Prophet SAW. This of course was achieved through not only through his suffering and exile but also through the countless good deeds and prayers that have been a direct result of this most noble of sacrifices. The event is observed by the reading of the Quran, by sending prayers to the seal of Prophets, and by feeding the community in the best manner possible.
Reasons for the Exile
Outward Reasons: During the 19th century, most of Africa was still under the European rule. Let us note that in the Senegalese arena, French colonization was very much focused in the stripping of the spirit, traditions, customs and religion of the people. The Shaykh was targeted for his role as a revivalist, he initiated his new sufi school based on spiritual education (close relationship between student and guide), high scholarship and hardwork for service of the community and for his increasing influence among Senegalese communities. The Shaykh was able to unite many of the main predecessor sufi schools – since both his parents were scholars and belong to the tijani and/or khadriya ways- and the mondain leaders ( traditional kings) who converted to Islam from paganism under his leadership. As a result of his popularity and his growing crowd of followers, the French leadership feared that an uprising led by the Shaykh was eminent. Their assumption was based on the fact that many contemporary muslim leaders had taken that path (e.g., Shouyoukhs Omar Futiyu Tall, Maba Diakhou Ba, Samoury Toure, Abdulahi Niass....). All these events led the Shaykh to be noticed, convoked and later taken to exile away from his adherents and lovers. Ironically, the Shaykh was most concerned with the inner struggle (Jihad) for his followers, conquering the ego and vices of the heart and not the struggle against the tyrannical French authorities.
According to the French, “ the activities of this religious leader and his followers have led to turbulences within the majority of the provinces. Therefore, in order to calm the spirits and restore the tranquility, we have decided by unanimity to deport the new muslim leader to Gabon until the agitation of the people, resulting from his teachings are forgotten”. Let us remember what Allah has said in his glorious book ( 8:30) : "The unbelievers planned to imprison, murder or expel you (Muhammad) from your city. They make evil plans but God too plans and God's plans are the best.” Ma sha Allah, as the verse highlights, no success can come from those who plan against those who love and fear Allah SWT. In the case of the French, we saw that their plans to quash the movement that the Shaykh inspired was a failure since the Exile to Gabon not only reinvigorated the political movement but it also gave birth to a longing and yearning for the Shaykh and a commitment by many to implement his teachings, eventually culminating in the foundation of the Muridiya which to this day has reached all four corners of the horizon.
Inward Reasons: Allah knows Best.
The Shaykh has written countlessly in his books but also conversed with some of his students about the exile and events which occurred have also been documented. He has said that Allah had decreed the exile in the year 1313 in order to serve the Prophet Mohammed ( peace be upon Him), although the Shaykh had intended to, long before. The Shaykh had entered into a spiritual retreat in the city of Touba ( Daru Khuduss) in which He saw the Prophet ( peace be upon Him) who told that in order to acquire the privileged rank of Khadimur Rassul ( Servant of Prophet, peace be upon Him), He had to be tested through hardship and misery but not in this blessed land of Touba for the following 3 reasons:
A. His uncle ( Shaykh Boussoubeh Al Hassani, shareef) is a saint ( wali) and if he sees him going through these tests, he might intervene by asking Allah ( Most High and Exhalted) to assist. Thus the mission will fail as he has to indure it all on his own by being patient.
B. The blessed land of Touba has been protected by Allah from any oppression. This is a consequence of the prayers asked from the book ( Matlabul Fawzaini) written in Touba which were accepted. Thus he has to leave the city in order for the french to treat him as such.
C. The need to stay away from family, followers in order to seclude himself for the sake of achieving the great work of writing the tons of books he willed for.
The Shaykh spent approximately seven years and seven months during the exile alone with the french army and officials. He endured fitnas ( trials) equal to the number of verses in Surah Baqara (285). The french reported to bury him alive, attempted to execute him in the mountain of Gabon ( with the 13 best snipers), putting him in an industrial oven, confront him with a hungry lion, confront him with a hungry lion, putting him in a tiny alley with a raging bull imported from Spain charing his way, starving him for months, letting him stay out in the open when it was storming consistently for days.....etc. But, as the Hadith reported byTirmidhi goes:”Know that even if the Nation (or the whole community) were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried". Therefore security comes from Allah. Allah is the protector of believers.
Further the french power has testified that all they saw him doing was just 3 things:
1. standing to pray
2. write books
3. read Quran
The Shaykh was then granted the priviledged rank of khadimur Rassul which many saints, elites wanted but did not acquire. He, via that exile, wrote incredible amount of books ( tons in weight) in beautiful rimes. He has praised Allah ( Most High and Exhalted) and the Prophet ( peace be upon Him) as it was never seen before in quantity and quality. He said in one his poem that:” Allah, the prophet, the 4 khalifs, the men of Allah are all happy and pleased by my writings”. “ My writings make the Prophet smile”. “ My writings facilitate the murids with the obligation ( fard) and sunna ( compulsory)” . “ Allah has made my writings equal to the blood of the martyrs”. “ The Prophet, peace be upon Him, has preferred my writings”. “ The Prophet, peace be upon Him, has made my writings above all noble praises and writings”
- In a nustshell, this day of Magal ( commemoration) of the Exile of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba ( khadimur Rassul) is a day which the murid community ( follower and lover of the Shaykh) thank Allah ( Most High and Exhalted) for allowing his Slave to serve the Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon Him).
The Shaykh himself has said that whoever cares about his happiness is invited to come lend him a hand in order to thank Allah for the benefits and rewards he has bestowed him through this exile. He added that every year when the month of Safar arrives, Allah blesses him with significant rewards which outweigh all the previous year's ones combined together.
The purpose of this note was to give a little enlightment around the “Magal of Touba”, the etymology, the relevance and its fair understanding. It was by no means to summarize the biography of the Shaykh, his miracles, his sayings, his bibliography. In sha Allah, I will do my best to write a note related to the mentionned categories.
I will close with this saying from the Shaykh:
“ The fact that I was granted the privileged rank of servant of the Prophet and the BOOK
is a true bounty from Allah ( the bestower) and not my Will”
كَوْ نِي خَدِيمًا لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالْكِتَابْ
فَضْلٌ مِّنَ الْوَهََََََََََّابِ لآبِالِْإكْتِسَابْ
Al hamdu lillaghi
Salam.
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