Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

Khadimou Rasoul
Life, Teachings and Poetry
TOUBA CAF Publishing
Copyright 2008 by Abdullah Saliou
Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law.

Saliou, A.

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

Khadimou Rasoul
Life, Teachings and Poetry

Saliou. 1st edition / 2nd edition / 3rd edition

Introduction
There are several books about the life of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba in French and Arabic. Most of
the books in French present his life from a social and political or economical point of view.
They try to compare his life to what they have learned about mysticism from some Sufi books.
Some of the books even try to separate Mouridism from Orthodox Islam. The French colonialists
who were against Islam wrote some of them.
The books in Arabic about Cheikh Ahmadou Bambas life are very different from the books in
French. His son, Muhammad Bashir Mbacke, wrote one of the best books in Arabic on his life.
The name of this book is The Gifts of the Eternal One (Minan El Baqi El Qadim).
There are other good books in Arabic written by Mohammed Lamine Diop. He was one of the
disciples of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. His books are still in the form of manuscripts that have not
been published. There are hundreds of extensive Arabic poems written by Arab Islamic scholars
about Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. All of these books and documents can be found in the Library of
Touba. The best material for the study of the life and teachings of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba
would be his own writings and poetry.
Abdullah Fahmi, an Arab disciple of Serigne Saliou Mbacke, taught the information in this book
to me in Touba. Abdullah Fahmi was given the authorization of Serigne Saliou Mbacke to
translate the writings and poems of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba into French and English. During my
fourth journey to Senegal, I spent most of my time at the house of my beloved Cheikh, Cheikh
Bethio Thioune in Touba. This book was written in his house during the end of the Holy Month
of Ramadan and the month of Shawwal 1476 Hijra (1998).
It is not easy to write about the life of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba because his life and writings are
so miraculous. The depths and meaning of his poetry and writings is only comprehensible to
those that have true esoteric knowledge. The true essence of his poems cannot be conveyed in
any other language other than their original Arabic. We tried to come as close as possible to the
original meaning of his teachings and poetry.

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

Khadimou Rasoul

Life

Signs of the Divine

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba is known by many names. His birth name is Ahmed Ibn Mohammad
Ibn Habiballah Ibn Al Khair. He is also known as Serigne Touba and Khadimou Rasoul. Serigne
Touba means the Cheikh of Touba. Khadimou Rasoul means the servant of the Prophet. He was
born in 1270 Hijra (1852-1853) in the city of Mbacke Boal. His grandfather founded this city.
His parents were from the Toucouleur ethnic group. They moved to Senegal from Mauritania.
His parents were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) through his lineage
of Cheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. His mothers name is Mame Diara Bousso. She is very famous in
Senegal. During her lifetime, the Islamic scholars in Senegal recognized her as a Wali Kamal
(Perfected Saint). She was known as Diara Tul-Lah, the protected of Allah. The Bousso family
was known as descendants of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) that had many Islamic scholars
who exemplified purity.
Serigne Toubas Fathers name in Wolof is Mor Anta Sali. He was the highest advisor to the
king, Qadi, in the district of Cayor. He had one of the most famous Islamic schools in his time.
The Senegalese recognized him as one of the biggest Alim (Islamic Scholars) of his time.
Serigne Touba showed signs of sanctity at a very young age. His mother said that she did not feel
her pregnancy. She said that she experienced no pain during the birth of Serigne Touba. When
he was a baby, he did not want to sleep in the same bed with his mother. When his parents would
awake, they would find him sitting near the place where his father would normally pray. When
his mother would take him to festive occasions (weddings or naming ceremonies) with music and
dancing, he would cry so much that she would have to take him back home. When she would
leave the place of the occasion, she noticed that he would stop crying. Because of this, she
stopped taking him to these types of events.
When Serigne Touba was young, he would not play with the other children his age. He would not
participate in their childhood games. His father and some other relatives began to think he was
not normal. They thought that he had a psychological problem. His mother was the only one to
recognize the high spiritual development of her son at a very young age. As he grew older, his
father started to recognize his spiritual evolution.
One day, the king asked Mor Anta Sali about his son. He told him that Serigne Touba had a high
level of knowledge. The king asked him to call his son so that he could test him. The king asked
Serigne Touba some basic questions about the Holy Quran and told him to write the answers in
Arabic. The king tried to give him a wooden tablet to write on, from the place they were sitting.
Serigne Touba would not write on the tablet. The king insisted that he write on the tablet. Serigne
Touba refused to write on the tablet and told the king that he would go and bring a tablet from
home to write on. This type of treatment from a young boy outraged the king. He asked his father
why he was behaving in this manner. Serigne Toubas father explained to the king that his son
would never touch anything without knowing its proper owner. When he returned with his tablet
from home, he answered all the questions of the king correctly.
On another occasion when Serigne Touba was still very young, the king gave him a beautiful
horse. He noticed two people looking at him with anger. Serigne Touba went to the two men and
asked why they were angry with him. They told him that the king had taken their horse without
paying them for it. Serigne Touba sold the horse and gave them the money.

When Serigne Touba was a student in his fathers Islamic school, sometimes his father would let
him teach his co-disciples. Serigne Touba condensed the knowledge from extensive books on
fiqh, tawheed, theology and spiritual education into poems that were easy to memorize. His father
was amazed by the knowledge in these poems. He decided to use them in his school because they
made it easier for the students to learn the knowledge. The poems are still used by Mourides
today. The names of three of these poems are:
MAWAHIB EL QUDDOUS
(The Gifts of the Holy)
JAWHAR NAFIS
(The Precious Gems)
TAZAWWUD SIGHAR
(The Provisions for the Young)
The Gifts of the Holy is on tawheed (The Oneness of Allah). There are two types of teachings on
tawheed. One type of teaching is exoteric and the other type is esoteric. The poem contains the
exoteric teachings on tawheed according to scholarly methods (ILM EL KALAM). The
Provisions for the Young is on theology (AKHIDA).

Death of his Father

In 1300, HIJRA (1882), Mor Anta Sali died. At his fathers funeral, a friend of his father asked
Serigne Touba to come and visit the king so that he could be the next Qadi (Advisor). He
answered them with these poetic verses:
They tell me to come and work for the king and have many privileges and rewards. I only have
ambition in religion and knowledge. I put all my hope in Allah. I only have fear of Him. He
gives me all that I need, and saves me from all dangers. How do you expect me to put my hopes
in those who are not able to provide for themselves?
Serigne Touba continued to run his fathers school. After a short time period, he let one of the
other disciples run the school so that he could travel throughout Senegal and to Mauritania.
In this time period, there was no country that had as many Awlia, Cheikhs and Alims of exoteric
and esoteric knowledge as Mauritania. In Mauritania, he met Cheikhs from the Tidjani, Qadaria
and Shadhilia tariqats.
When Serigne Touba returned to Senegal, he had obtained the secret of the wirds of the Tidjani,
Qadaria and Shadhilia tariqats. He also obtained a vast amount of Sufi knowledge from the
Cheikhs and books in Mauritania that were not available in other parts of Africa. From this
experience, he composed his monumental work Massalik Al Jinan (Pathway to Paradise). This
book contains 1,562 poetic verses. It is a complete and comprehensive book on tasawuuf
(Sufism).

Quotes from Serigne Touba

in the
Introduction of Massalik Al Jinan
This book is a healing for the hearts of all seekers of truth. Its poetry can help the beginners
and the masters if they are humble. Those that argue with it will not benefit from their
contemporaries. I revive in this book all of the knowledge that was lost and incomprehensible by
my generation. Everything in this book is true. Maintain a good opinion of this book and have
faith in its teachings. Do not reject it because I am black. The best of the people for Allah are the
purest of people. The darkness of skin does not signify ignorance and untruthfulness. Do not
limit the grace of Allah exclusively to predecessors. I composed this poem to help my brothers. I
expect Allah to bless me for this work. I ask Allah to make this poem a protection for all of its
readers in this life; during the trials of the grave and on the day of resurrection.
Some topics covered in Massalik Al Jinan are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Maxims of Wisdom
Devotion Acts
Fasting
Wird
Zhikr
Fikr
Zakat
Charity
Uses of the Holy Quran
The Tricks of Satan
Jihad Al Nafs (Battle of the Soul)
Human Vices, Hidden and Apparent
Two Types of Adab (Good Behavior Inner and Outer)
Shukr (Thankfulness)
Sabr (Patience)
Perfection by Zhikr
Special times when Allah answers prayers
Special places where Allah answers prayers
Special people whose prayers are answered by Allah
Operative powers of specific suras and verses of the Holy Quran

The Founding of Touba

In 1302 HIJRA, Serigne Touba had a vision of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). The Prophet
told him to begin teaching his disciples by spiritual attraction (Himma) and not only by scholarly
methods. Serigne Touba called all of his disciples together for a meeting. He told them that
those who were only seeking scholarly knowledge could go and seek it elsewhere because it can
be found anywhere. He told them that those who are seeking Allah must stay and follow him.
In Islam, the vision of the Prophet is a controversial subject. Some scholars say it is not possible
to see the Prophet in a wakeful state. Some scholars say it may be possible for some individuals
who have obtained a high spiritual level. Some scholars prefer to remain neutral on the subject
because they have not experienced the vision. In the history of Islam, there have been hundreds
of saints and spiritual people who confirm the vision of the Prophet by experience. Some of them
saw the Prophet several times in their life. Some of them would see him all of the time
throughout their life. Some of them would even see him more than once in the same day.
In Sufism, a lot of Cheikhs of tariqats receive their wirds and spiritual teachings from the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH). Examples of this are Abu Hasan Shadhili, Sidi Ahmad Tidjani, Sidi Ahmed
Idriss, Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, Abu-l-Abbas al-Mursi and Abdul Qadir Jilani - May Allah be
pleased with all of them. Jalel Eddine Soyouti wrote a famous book on this subject entitled
Explanation about the possibility of seeing the Angels and the Prophets. Another person who
explained this subject in detail is Yusuf Al-Nabahani (1265-1350 HIJRA / 1855-1930) from
Palestine. He was the president of the high court of Beirut. He wrote several books on the
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), Awlia and their Karma. One of his books about the vision of the
Prophet is entitled, Saasdat Eddarein: Bliss of this and the next life.
After Serigne Toubas vision of the Prophet, he started to do a lot of spiritual retreats in the forest.
When he would stay in the forest for an extended period of time, his disciples would come to look
for him. One time when they went to look for him, they saw a hunter in the forest. They gave the
hunter a description of Serigne Touba and asked him if he had seen a man fitting this description.
He told them that he had seen a man that fit this description about five miles from where they
were. He described the area that he had seen him in. When the disciples arrived there, they found
Serigne Touba sitting under a tree by a pond.
Serigne Touba told his disciples that this is the place where they should build the mosque. He
told them that this land would be a holy city, founded for the worship of Allah and the
glorification of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This marked the founding of Touba. At this
time, Touba was an uncultivated forest that had never been previously inhabited. In this forest,
there were lots of poisonous and dangerous wild animals.
Serigne Touba designed the city of Touba according to sacred geometry. The mosque is in the
center of the city. The districts expand outward in circles around the mosque. The names of some
of the districts are Dar El Salaam (House of Peace), Dar El Quddus (House of the Holy), Dar El
Minan (House of the Gifts of Allah) and Dar El Alim Khabir (House of the All-Knowing).
When Serigne Touba told the disciples to build the mosque, many other disciples moved there to
help develop the area. Serigne Touba started giving his spiritual teachings there and had the
disciples begin the agricultural development of the land. He divided disciples into many different
groups and gave each group different methods of spiritual realization. He made the head of each
group a Cheikh to lead their spiritual development. When the small mosque of Bait El Quddus

(House of the Holy) was complete, Serigne Touba went into spiritual retreat for 5 years. He only
came out to lead the five daily prayers in the mosque. In this retreat, he wrote a lot of duas and
prayers upon the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Visit from the Prophet

At the end of the five (5) year retreat, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) accompanied with the
companions of Badr, came to visit Serigne Touba in the mosque. The Prophet announced to him
that he was the Qutub of his time, but he could not occupy this function until he was 40 years old.
At this time, Serigne Touba was only 39 years and 9 months old. Serigne Touba replied that his
hope was to be with the Prophet all of the time, like the Companions of Badr. The Prophet said
that the Companions of Badr earned this position by fighting in the Battle of Badr. This battle has
no equivalent in the history of mankind. If the Muslims had lost this battle, the truth and the true
way of worshipping Allah would have been lost.
The Prophet told him that many before him had reached his present level, but no one had reached
the level he was asking for because the trials to attain that level were so difficult. The Prophet
explained that to reach that level, he would have to accept and overcome the trials without asking
for any help. All who tried before him had to call on Allah for help with the trials and did not
reach that level. Serigne Touba said that his love for the Prophet would enable him to overcome
any trials and challenges. He said that if Allah would let him live, he would be successful by the
Grace of Allah and His Prophet.
The Prophet accepted his aspirations to reach that level and told him that he would be with him
all of the time. The Prophet told Serigne Touba that he could only warn him of approaching
danger and that he could not help him. To help him would be to show favoritism; and in the Way
of Allah, there is no favoritism. There is only submission to the will of Allah. The Prophet told
him that he must leave Touba to begin his trials. The Prophet also told him that nothing bad could
happen to him in Touba because it was a Holy City that was protected from evil.

Encounter with the French

Serigne Touba went to the district of Mbacke Baol and founded another village. Other religious
leaders and Princes of different tribes began giving negative reports to the French Colonial
authorities about Serigne Touba because many of their disciples and tribe members were
becoming disciples of Serigne Touba. When their disciples and tribe members would become
disciples of Serigne Touba, they would not follow the authority of anyone else.
The French began to get more reports on him and began spying on him to get more information.
They asked him several times to come and speak with the governor in the capital city of St. Louis.
He replied that he could not come because he only submits to the authority of Allah and His
Prophet. Because of this reply, the French made charges against him and sent their army to bring
him to trial. During this time, he moved from Mbacke Baol to Mbacke Djolof in Northern
Senegal. At this time, Serigne Touba received Allahs permission to go with the French. He left
the district of Mbacke to go and meet the French in Gueoul, about 50 miles away.
When he met the French army, they wanted to chain him up like a prisoner. The disciples of
Serigne Touba were ready to fight the French army. The French army saw the angels from the

battle of Badr in the sky with drawn swords facing them and became scared. Serigne Touba told
his followers not to fight the French and that he would go with them, but not as a prisoner.
When Serigne Touba began to walk with the French army, one of the leaders of the army tried to
put fear into the heart of Serigne Touba. He said to him, Do you have any support to protect you
now that you are in the hands of the French army? Serigne Touba asked him if he was talking
about support from angels, jinns or humans. Upon hearing this, the French leader became
frightened.
When they arrived in St. Louis, the French colonial authorities had summoned all of the Islamic
leaders in French West Africa to come there for a meeting. They had prepared a legal document
for the Islamic leaders to sign. The document stated that all of them must submit to the laws of
the French colonial government, even if they do not coincide with the laws of Islam and the
Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There were eighty-four (84) Islamic leaders present at
this meeting.
The French put all of the Islamic leaders into small houses in the palace of the governor and did
not give them any food for two days. On the third day, the French gave them a sheep to slaughter
and to eat for themselves. When they offered Serigne Touba his share of meat, he refused to take
it. He told them not to eat the meat because the French had injected it with the blood of dogs to
try and corrupt them. Because of their hunger, they did not believe him. He was the only one not
to eat of the meat.
After this, the French explained to them the content of the document and called them to sign it.
There was a big controversy among the leaders about signing the document. Some of the leaders
made reference to the verse of the Holy Quran that says it is permissible to say with your mouth
what is not in your heart during a time of trial.
All of the leaders signed the document. When it was Serigne Toubas turn to sign the document,
he asked for a new pen and ink that had not written any lies. He wrote: I testify that there is
none worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah. All of the other
leaders were set free. Serigne Touba was the only one kept prisoner.
They put him in a cage with a hungry lion that had not eaten for a few days. When they came
back to look for the remains of Serigne Touba, they found him praying next to the lion. The lion
was sitting in a peaceful position.
The official translator for the French was one of the most notable of St. Louis. His name was Bou
Moghdad. He made a proposition to the French to allow Serigne Touba to stay in his house until
the trial. He guaranteed that Serigne Touba would not leave before the trial. The French agreed to
his proposition. His trial was set for September 5, 1895.
When Serigne Touba entered the courtroom, he performed two (2) units of prayer before the trial.
The French accused him of buying guns and establishing an army in a strategic place, Touba, to
fight against the French. They said that he was their enemy because he refused to answer any of
their summonses and would not collaborate with them.
Some members of the French jury stated that there wasnt any material evidence against him and
tried to defend him. They said they thought he was a spiritual man who was not even associated
with what they accused him of. Finally, after some debate, they decided to exile him far away
from Senegal to the forest of Gabon.

Exile to Gabon
Serigne Touba was brought to Dakar to be put on the boat for exile on September 20, 1895. No
one before him that the French exiled from Senegal to Gabon ever came back to Senegal. They all
died in Gabon because they could not live in the conditions of the forest of Gabon. At this time,
dangerous and deadly animals inhabited the forest of Gabon. During this period, when he was
with the French before the exile, he wrote two poems. One of them is Asirou Maalabrar.
(Excerpts)

Asirou Maalabrar

I Walk with the Virtuous

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. I am accompanied by the Virtuous on my journey.

2. The enemy thinks I am their prisoner.
3. My walk is with the Elected, led by the Prophet.
4. On my journey, Allah is my only goal.
5. The power for my journey is the attraction for the Generous One for whom, the
granting of all my wishes is easy.
6. I showed gratitude by my writings, my heart and my body, because He was generous and
thankful.
7. My victory, support and protection, when I was with the enemy, came from the
Magnanimous Giver of All.
8. My guide during my journey and trials was my master, whom I serve, who saved his servitor
every time.
9. The Donator gave me the best reward for the service of the elected, Who was my
protection.
10. My satisfaction is to be the slave of the Lord and the servant of the best of creation, who
protected me against my enemies and every evil.
11. The days and the months testify that I am the slave of Allah.
12. My honor, in this life and the next, is my laudation to Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) in prose
and poetry.
13. When I went to exile, my city became empty, and my family dispersed, but I still
continued to compose glorifications of and prayers to the best of Prophets.

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In the second poem, Serigne Touba gave praise to Allah by calling on the names of the 313
companions of Badr and mentioning the qualities of each companion. The name of this poem is
Asma Ahl Badr (The Names of Ahl Badr).
On the boat on the way to Gabon, he continued to write poems and the crew members would
constantly disturb him. At the time of prayer, the commander of the boat told Serigne Touba that
he could not pray on the boat. Serigne Touba went to the side of the boat and put his prayer rug
on the ocean and began to pray on the ocean. The crewmembers ran to the side of the boat to see
what was happening. When they saw him praying on the water, they were amazed. The
commander of the boat got scared when he saw this. He thought that Serigne Touba would escape
and that he would be in trouble with the court for losing a prisoner. When Serigne Touba returned
to the boat, the commander thanked him and told him that he would not allow anyone to disturb
him again.
When Serigne Touba arrived in Gabon, the French explained to him the condition of his exile.
They told him they would give him fifty francs a month with which to live. He told them he did
not want the money. When they put the money in his hand, he threw it on the ground. The
Frenchman in control of the money noticed that Serigne Touba was different from the previous
prisoners. He gave the order to take the money to the hut where he lived instead of calling him to
take his allowance. Every month, the man in control of the money noticed the soldiers fighting to
take the money to Serigne Touba. He ordered someone to spy on the deliveryman. It was at this
time that he found out that Serigne Touba always told the delivery person to keep the money.
The French army moved Serigne Touba from place to place many times. At each place, some of
the people said he was a holy man and some of the people were against him. They said he was a
holy man because they saw him praying and writing all of the time, and he would not eat the food
of the people.
The French army tried to kill Serigne Touba several times by several different methods. They
could not kill him. One time, they dug a large hole and started a huge fire in the hole. They put
Serigne Touba in the hole with the huge fire. When the fire stopped burning, they found him
shivering as if he was cold. On another occasion, they wanted to execute him with a firing squad.
When the soldiers lined up to shoot Serigne Touba, they saw the angels of Badr in the sky facing
them with drawn swords. When they saw this they all became scared and refused to fire at him.
After this, they moved him to the isolated island of Mayomba and left him there for five years.

Poetry on the Island

During his stay on the island of Mayomba, Serigne Touba wrote thousands of poems. Some of
them were extremely long, and some were short. These poems were in praise of Allah. They
contain the secret of the true reality of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.). The name of three of
these poems are Jesbul Qulub (Attraction of the Heart), Muhybu Nafi (Gifts of the Eternally
Gracious) and Uhbuptu (I Love the Lord).
Jesbul Qulub is a poem that contains almost 200 verses. This poem talks about the Holy Quran,
the life, birth, and miracles of the Prophet. This poem gives an exact description of the Prophet
Mohammad (P.B.U.H.). It describes the battles of the Prophet, the first four caliphs of Islam, the
companions of the Prophet, his ascension and meeting with the other Prophets on the different
levels of heaven. This poem explains what the believers can obtain from the Holy Quran. It was

11

written in the form of a rubiyat that contains rhythm and measure similar to beautiful music.
Serigne Toubas rhythm and measure is original. It cannot be found in previous Arabic poetry.

Visit of the Saints

During his exile on the island of Mayomba, Serigne Touba said that Allah gave him what He
gave no other saint before. Serigne Touba said that all of the saints before him came to the island
to congratulate him. Three of the most notable saints that came to visit him are Cheikh Abdul
Qadir Jilani, Cheikh Abu Hasan Shadhili and Cheikh Ahmad Tidjani. These three Cheikhs asked
Serigne Touba to preserve the secret of their tariqats. Imam Malik came to visit him and asked
him to preserve his Madhhab (School of Thought).
The last one to come and visit Serigne Touba was Uwaysi Al-Qarani. In the chronological order
of awlia Uwaysi Al-Qarani is the first. He never thought that their would ever be another human
being that would love the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) more than him. Uwaysi Al-Qarani
lived during the time of the prophet but never saw the prophet. When he heard that the prophet
had lost a tooth fighting in the battle of Uhud, he was so hurt that he broke out all of his teeth.

A Short Return
Serigne Touba was sent to exile in Gabon in September of 1895. He returned to Senegal from
Gabon in December of 1902. He was in exile in Gabon for eight years and two months. Upon his
return to Senegal, Mourides from all parts of Senegal came to see him. Ulama and scholars from
many countries sent greetings to him. His reputation was growing in West Africa. Many people
came to him to become his disciples.
The French started to be more suspicious of him because of the crowds of people coming
to him. The other Islamic leaders began to make false accusations to the French authorities about
Serigne Touba again, because many of their disciples were leaving them to become Mourides.
The French authorities started to spy on him a second time. They saw a lot of people from all
over the country bringing Serigne Touba material goods, food and money. The French thought
that he was preparing to fight them. After seven months they decided to exile him to Mauritania.
The French knew that in Mauritania, there were many Cheikhs with a high level of knowledge.
They decided to exile Serigne Touba to Mauritania under the pretense that the Cheikhs in
Mauritania would have more knowledge than Serigne Touba and would diminish his reputation.
The French knew that in the history of Islam, no African Cheikh had reached the level of
knowledge of previous Arab Cheikhs. The only African Cheikh known in the Arab world, at this
time was El Hadj Omar Tall. He was also known for his Jihad against the French colonialist and
pagan tribes. He was known for some of his books on tasawuuf and Islamic knowledge. He was
the representative of the Tidjani tariqat in Africa at this time.

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Exile to Mauritania
The French requested Sidia Baba to guarantee the stay of Serigne Touba in Mauritania. Sidia
Baba was one of the highest saints of Mauritania. He was also the head of one of the principal
branches of the Qadaria tariqat there. There were two branches of the Qadaria tariqat in
Mauritania at this time. The branch Sidia Baba was the head came from the Sisila of Mukhtar AlKunti (deceased 1815), who was the Qutub of his time. The other branch is from Muhammad El
Fadhel Ibn Maamin (deceased 1868). He was a descendant of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)
through the lineage of Seydina Hassen Ibn Ali Abu Talib. This branch is known as Fadhiliya.
The head of the Shadhilia tariqat in Mauritania at this time was Ibn Maatali. He was a descendant
of the Prophet. The head of the Tidjani tariqat in Mauritania at this time was Sidi Ahmed Ibn
Budd. He is a descendant of the son-in-law of the Prophet, Ali Ibn Abu Talib. There are two
groups of descendants from Ali. One group are descendants of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.)
through his daughter Fatima Ezzahra (The Rose). The other descendants of Ali are from another
women he married after the death of Fatima.
Because there were so many saints, arif and ulama in Mauritania, at this time, no one could
pretend to be a saint in Mauritania. Anyone who tried to pretend to be a saint in Mauritania would
be challenged by the several authentic saints, arif and ulama that were there. The first people to
receive Serigne Touba in Mauritania were the tribe of the Banu Dayman. This tribe was famous
for having a high level of Islamic knowledge. The majority of this tribe recognized Serigne Touba
as the highest Wali of all times and became his disciples. After this, the other tribes and their
saints and ulama started to challenge him. Some of them came to see him and others sent letters
with questions. Some of them asked Serigne Touba to show them some evidence (Karamat) of
Allahs gifts to him.
Serigne Touba satisfied all that challenged him. He showed them some gifts (Karamat) that he
never showed the people in Senegal. He did not show the people in Senegal these gifts because
they would have been confused and thought that he was not human. He showed the saints of
Mauritania these gifts to prove his level. He knew that they could understand them and not be
confused.
All of the saints, arif, ulama and cheikhs of different tariqats recognized Serigne Touba as the
highest Wali of all times. They started to write poems about him that contained esoteric
knowledge about him. They all admitted that they could not describe his actual level because he
was beyond their level of comprehension and could not be compared to anyone before him.
This was the first time in the history of Islam that a black man from Africa received this type of
recognition from Arab scholars and cheikhs. Serigne Touba stayed in Mauritania for four years.
During his stay, he wrote several poems and metaphysical books that can only be understood by
the initiated.

13

Delegation from Medina

In 1907, Serigne Touba was given permission by the French to return to Senegal. The French let
him stay in Diorabel. They would not let him go to Touba. Touba is about 45 miles from
Diorabel. They kept him and his visitors under surveillance at all time. The reputation of Serigne
Touba spread outside the borders of Senegal and Mauritania to the entire Islamic world. He
received delegations from Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Central Asia and other
countries. The most famous delegation came to see him from the Holy City of Medina. This
delegation included seven Abdal led by Cheikh Muhammad Ali Jawwad from the Khalwati
tariqat. This delegation came in 1922. They gave Serigne Touba letters that had the signatures of
many cheikhs of different tariqats and awlia of the esoteric spiritual government.
During this time, there was a war in different provisions in Arabia, especially in Hijas where
Shariff Husain was fighting the Saud family. Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud started the Wahabi movement
to conquer all of Arabia. At this time, even making Hajj was not safe. Some pilgrims were
attacked, robbed and even killed while making Hajj. This was done by the tribes who were at war.
This delegation from the Holy City of Medina recognized Serigne Touba as the Qutub Gawth
(Pole of this time). They asked him to pray to Allah for them to stop the war in the Holy Land of
Mecca and Medina. Cheikh Omar Kurdi composed a poem that included all of the requests of the
delegation. In this poem he also described the high level of Serigne Touba. In the poem he stated:
The light of sainthood is evident, only those who have an Illuminated intellect can see it. Look at
it so clearly on the face of the one who illuminated all of Africa. He is Cheikh Ahmad, Cheikh of
Haqiqat, Tariqat and Guidance, who leads mankind by the truth and faith. Oh servitor of the
Prophet, your secret and power is incomprehensible and immeasurable. Your grace has reached
the Holy City of Medina. The atmosphere of the Holy City was perfumed by your gifts. It comes to
thank your high and illustrious person through our delegation. Look at us with your holy regard
to purify our internal state. Be generous with the people of Medina and support them during this
period of trials, to please and satisfy the Holy Prophet.
Serigne Touba was very generous to the delegation. He gave them the best of food and gifts for
the people of Medina. He wrote two special poems to be recited in Medina. This delegation asked
him about the Wahabi movement. They wanted to know if it was a part of Islam. He compared it
to a tree that is dry on the inside and does not have the potential to produce fruit.
A delegation of this dimension coming from the Holy City of Medina to a small city in West
Africa was unheard of during this time period. At this time, it would take at least a month or more
to travel from Medina to Senegal because there were no planes or cars in which to travel.

14

News Travels
The news of the delegation from Medina spread throughout the Islamic world. The news of this
delegation caused many other awlia from different countries to come to see Serigne Touba or
send him letters of support and recognition. At this time, the French changed their attitude about
Serigne Touba. They started to like and respect him. They still kept him under surveillance, but
they would not accept any false reports about him. They knew he was only concerned with Allah
and His Prophet.
The French recognized Serigne Touba for his honor and nobility. They wanted to give him a
legion of honor medal and letters of recognition. He told them that he would accept their letters,
but he could not accept the medal because it was a symbol of another religion.
Serigne Touba built a very beautiful mosque in Diorabel. It took from 1926-1927 to build the
mosque. After this, he introduced his request to build a huge mosque in Touba. The French were
scared of the request because they did not have any control or influence on Touba. At this time,
Touba was a forest that was only inhabited by Mourides. Touba was far from urbanization and
control of the French. The French decided not to give him an affirmative answer.

The Inner Chambers

Serigne Touba began to give his final instructions and plans for the future to his Cheikhs. After
this, he gave a commentary on some suras of the Holy Quran and some spiritual teachings to his
disciples. When he finished this, Serigne Touba went into the inner chamber of his house and
locked all of the doors behind him. He did not come out again. This was in 1927.
After two days, the disciples called his oldest son, Muhammad Mustapha Mbacke to come to
Diorabel from another city. He broke all of the doors open until he found Serigne Touba lying
down on his back with his last poem on his chest. The name of this poem is The Intimate
Confidence. This poem contains a lot of esoteric secrets.
It was at this time that they realized that there was no life in the body of Serigne Touba. They decided to
secretly bring his body to Touba during the night. Only some of his sons and cheikhs were present. They
buried him in Touba. His cousin, Mbacke Bousso led the funeral prayer. The council of Mouridism,
composed of the first cheikhs of Serigne Touba, elected his eldest son Cheikh Muhammad Moustapha
Mbacke to be the first Khalifah of Serigne Touba.

Khalifas and Descendants

Cheikh Muhammad Moustapha Mbacke continued to petition the French until he was given
authorization to build the Grand Mosque in Touba. He used his money to build a railroad from
Diorabel to Touba to transport materials there to build the mosque. The Mourides (men, women
and children) carried the stones for the mosque to the building site from six miles away.
The disciples of Cheikh Ibra Fall, who are known as Baye Fall, performed many unbelievable
acts during the construction of the Grand Mosque. Some of them worked for twenty-four hour
periods without eating or sleeping. They would repeat the phrase, there is none worthy of
worship but Allah, for the entire twenty-four hour period that they worked. Cheikh Ibra Fall was

15

one of the closest cheikhs to Serigne Touba. He was an exceptional man. The tallest minaret of
the Grand Mosque in Touba is named Lamp Fall because of him. His way of worshipping
Allah was through Zhikr and work for Serigne Touba in sincerity and purity.
The second Khalifah was Cheikh Muhammad Fadhel; he is known as Serigne Fallou. He
completed the building of the Grand Mosque in Touba. He made Hajj on behalf of his father,
Serigne Touba before he became Khalifah. Before Serigne Touba left his physical body, he only
had two projects that he wanted to complete. One was to build the Grand Mosque in Touba. The
other was to perform Hajj. Serigne Touba could not perform Hajj because he was in exile or
under surveillance for most of his life. He asked his son, Serigne Fallou, and his cousin Mbacke
Bousso, to perform Hajj for him.
Serigne Fallou had the power of Kun. Everything he asked Allah for would manifest. He cured a
lot of sick people. He gave protection to all people who asked him for it.
The third Khalifah was Serigne Abdul Ahad. He was a very strong and strict man. He established
strict discipline in Touba and among the Mourides. He built the library and the Islamic University
of Touba. He helped urbanize the city of Touba with roads and streetlights.
The fourth Khalifah was Serigne Abdul Khadir. He was the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Touba
for 21 years. He is known as the Imam of the Imams. He was Khalifah for only 11 months.
The fifth and present day Khalifah is Cheikh Salih. He is known as Serigne Saliou Mbacke.
Serigne Saliou Mbacke started establishing Quranic schools and Darah Tarbiya (Schools of
Spiritual education) in 1938. He has about 30 Darahs. Each one has 313 students, plus teachers
and health personnel. Serigne Saliou Mbacke provides food, clothing, shelter and health care to
all the disciples in the Darahs.
The other sons of Serigne Touba recognize Serigne Saliou Mbacke as having the highest
knowledge of all the descendants of Serigne Touba. Today in Senegal, all of the Muslims, and
even the Christians, recognizes Serigne Saliou Mbacke as the holiest man in the country. The
Arabs of Mauritania recognize him as the highest Cheikh of our time period, like his father,
Serigne Touba. Other that Serigne Saliou Mbacke, Serigne Touba has two other living
descendants: Serigne Mourtada Mbacke and Sonkna Maymouna Mbacke. Serigne Mourtada
Mbacke travels throughout Africa, Europe and America to visit the Mouride communities. He
helps spread the blessing of Serigne Touba to each community by offering them spiritual
assistance. In Senegal, Serigne Mourtada Mbacke has built several Quranic schools and he also
has built schools for the teaching of Islam.
Sonkna Maymouna Mbacke is known as Sonkna May. She is a holy woman with a very high
spiritual level. She is known for her purity, piety and generosity. Crowds of people go to see her
everyday to ask for prayers and blessings.
Unfortunately during the time it took to first publish this book Sonkna May made her transition to
the spiritual world. We pray that Sonkna May and all of the children of Serigne Touba enter into
paradise without judgement, by the blessings of the best of all creation.

16

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

Khadimou Rasoul

Teachings

17

Wisdom of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

All desires, thoughts and notions can be divided into three groups, those that are focused on
Allah, the next life or this world. When they are focused on Allah, the seeker can obtain the
divine secret. When they are focused on the next life, the seeker can obtain the divine light.
When they are focused on the material world, the seeker will only obtain darkness and pain.
There are seven types of people you can sit with: the saint, the wise, the rich, the poor, the
ignorant, women, and children. If you sit with the saint, you will obtain renunciation of the world.
If you sit with the wise, you will obtain knowledge and wisdom. If you sit with the rich, you will
become greedy for money. If you sit with the poor, you will learn to appreciate and give thanks
to Allah more. If you sit with the ignorant, you will become distracted and disobedient to the will
of Allah. If you sit with the women, you will bring yourself temptations and be debased. If you
sit with the children, you will laugh, joke and become childlike.
Oh Mourides, if you want for all believers what you want for yourself, you will enter heaven
without judgement. Be generous with your guests, even if he is a hypocrite. Pray for your parents
after each obligatory prayer. Never have jealousy towards another believer. Whoever has
jealousy will never become a master. I someone is rude with you, you should forgive him and not
be vengeful towards him. You should never pray for something negative to happen to him.
Oh Mourides, treat all who are higher than you with respect and honor. Be merciful and kind to
all who do not have your level of spirituality. Treat all who are on the same level as you like you
would treat yourself.

Two Parts of Worship

The worship of Allah is in two parts. The first is to obey the recommendations of Islam (Shariat).
The second is to stay away from sin and disobedience. The second part is known as Taqwa (Fear
and Consciousness of Allah). The second part is better and more honorable than the first. The
commencement of the way of the worshipper is to do all of the recommendations of Islam, to
perform extra fasts during the day and extra prayers during the night. The beginning of the way
is marked by extra acts of voluntary worship.
The end of the way is marked by an attraction to the second part of worship, the determination of
the worshipper to purify his heart of the attraction to anything other than Allah, and to preserve
their stomach from all that is not permissible by the laws of Islam. It is also marked by a
determination to preserve the tongue from futility, from speaking badly about others and to
preserve the eyes from all that is doubtful and of no concern to the worshipper.

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The Basics of Mouridism

Dont follow your own will; submit to the Will of Allah. Whoever does not want anything other
than Allah, Allah will be in communion with him and only give him good. Seek for a true Cheikh
to educate you and bring you to the Lord by his advice. Whoever is linked to a true Cheikh is
connected to Allah. Whoever is linked to a false Cheikh is disconnected from Allah. Do
everything that your Cheikh tells you if you want to gain benefits. Dont be tempted by what he
prohibits from you. Always try to have the agreement and satisfaction of your Cheikh. Your
Cheikh only wants to help you have communion with Allah and protect you from Satan. Escape
from whomever leads you to other than Allah. Be close to whomever guides you to Allah. If you
leave or disobey the Cheikh, it will be easy for Satan to seduce you. If you expect to reach Allah,
you should be a true believer, Muslim, and perform good deeds.

Uses of the Holy Quran

1. If you want to get all that you want from Allah and his creatures, you should read Sura
Furquan (The Criterion) nine times after each obligatory prayer.
2. If you want to be forgiven of all your sins and be as pure as the day you were born, you
should read Sura Dukhan (The Smoke) before going to sleep.
3. If you want to have your sustenance everyday, you should read Sura Waqia (The Great Even)
before sleeping.
4. If you want to be saved from the trials of the grave, you should read Sura Mulk (The
Dominion) before sleeping.

Four Types of Guides

There are four types of guides in life. The first type guides you on how to be materially
successful. The second type guides you in the worship of Allah. The third type guides you in the
acquisition of knowledge. The fourth type guides you to Allah. The first will only guide you to
temptation. The second will guide you to fatigue. The third will give you direction. The fourth
will help you to achieve eternal peace.*
*Books are sufficient for knowledge. The Cheikh is necessary to have a spiritual opening (Fatah).

19

The Three Type of Cheikhs

(Talim, Tarbiah and Tarqiah)

A Cheikh of Talim is made reference to in the Holy Quran by the verse, But it was an evident
sign in the chest of the one who was given knowledge. A Cheikh of Tarbiah is made reference
to in the Holy Quran by the verse, and follow the way of the one who reaches Me. A Cheikh of
Tarqiah is made reference to in the Holy Quran by the verse, on him reach the Wasilah.

Cheikh of Talim
The Cheikh of Talim should have these qualities. The first is true knowledge based on the Quran
and Sunnah, supported by logic, comprehension and correct argumentation. He must be able to
express his knowledge clearly and affirmatively without extrapolation. The terms he uses must
be precise because they allude to the authenticity of his teaching. He must have a high level of
consciousness, so that he can protect himself from those who might give him trouble. He must
have piety, purity and fear of Allah. The proof of this will be his equanimity to the truth even if it
comes from others. If he does not know something, he will admit that he does not know. He will
never do, say or think anything that would make others suspicious of him.

Cheikh of Tarbiah
A Cheikh of Tarbiah has these qualities. He must have knowledge of the soul and its different
states manifested and unmanifested. He knows the different methods to bring the soul to
perfection. He knows the different types of imperfection by knowledge and experience and how
to remove them. He must have knowledge of the multiple states of being and its changes. He
must know the laws of Shariat and doctrines of the Holy Quran through spiritual experience,
contemplation, confirmation and communion. He must have knowledge of material beings and
spiritual beings so that he can communicate with each of the two according to its mode of
communication and have full control over it. He maintains everything in its order, without
following desire or opportunity, for maintenance of harmony. He must have truthfulness and fear
of Allah in his rule over beings. He is never satisfied with himself. He is above all attraction to
the world. His true faith keeps him focused on Allah. It makes him have good manners and
conduct towards others. He learned his good behaviors from an authentic Cheikh. Abu Ali
Thafi, a famous sufi, has said, If someone obtains all knowledge and accompanies all kinds of
people, we cannot use him for our example until he learns good behavior from an authentic
Cheikh or a righteous Imam.

Cheikh of Tarqiah
A Cheikh of Tarqiah has all these qualities plus the following three qualities:
1. To see him will increase your determination to know Allah (Himma) and will increase
your fear of Allah.
2. Being his disciple will energize your internal light to help you reach the level of
perfection.
3. His words and parables will raise your inner state.

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The Pillars of Mouridism

1. Iman by Tawheed (Faith in the Oneness of Allah).
2. Islam by Fikh (Submission to the recommendations of Islam).
3. Ihsan by Tassawuuf (Perfection by Initiation)

The Way of the Seeker

1. Takhalli by Tawba (Remove imperfection by repentance).
2. Tahalli by Shukr (To conform to the Will of Allah by giving thanks to Allah).
3. Tajalli by Contemplation of Allah (Allahs manifestation, epiphany to the seeker through a
contemplative vision).

Cheikh and Disciple

If the disciple wants to benefit from his Cheikh, he should know that his Cheikh is his connection
to Allah. The disciple should obey all of the orders of his Cheikh and avoid all he prohibits. He
should have conviction that the Cheikh will not give him an order or prohibit something that does
not conform to the Will of Allah. Whoever has this faith in his Cheikh can obtain the benefit of
this life and the next.
All Cheikhs who give orders or prohibitions from their own interests that are not in accordance to
the Will of Allah or the teachings of the Prophet are deceptive and will misguide the people. To
avoid lying is better than the recitation of the Holy Quran. To give true advice to people is better
than fighting against the disbelievers. To remember and think about the time of your death is
better than praying extra prayers at night. To protect yourself from shame on the day of
judgement, you should persevere in the truth, give true sincere advice and always remember you
Lord.

Prophets, Saints and Servants

All Prophets from Adam to Jesus (Peace Be Upon Them), were messengers for the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), who paved the way for his coming. All Awlia and Qutubs that came after
the Prophet came for the conclusion of his mission and the preservation of his message. Only
Allah knows the number of Angels and Awlia. Only Allah knows the number of his soldiers.
When the Arif (Knower) leads someone he separates him from Satan and unites him with his
Lord.
When the servant is focused on Allah and conforms to the commandments of Allah and avoids
what Allah has prohibited, he will be in communion with Allah. When he asks Allah for
something, he will say, Oh my servant, take it. When he tells Allah he is scared of something,
Allah will say, Dont be scared, you are safe. If what he asked for is agreeable to Allah, He
will give it to him like he asks. If what he asks for is not agreeable to Allah, He will give him

21

better than what he asked for. Allah will remove what he is scared of from him, or He will
remove the part that he is scared of from that which he is scared. For example, Allah did not
remove the fire from the Prophet Abraham (PBUH); he removed the heat from the fire so that it
would not burn him.

Two Parts of Knowledge

Knowledge is in two parts: Hukm (Decree of Allah) and Hikma (Wisdom)
Hukm includes five parts:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Wajib (Obligation)
Mandoub (Recommendation)
Moubah (Permissible)
Makrouh (Dislike)
Haram (Forbidden)

Allah has said, whoever is given Hikmah (Wisdom) is given a lot of good.

Jalal, Jamal and Kamal

1.

Whoever seeks Allah and still commits sin, Allah will show him His
Majesty (Jalal).

2.

Whoever seeks Allah by worship and devotion, Allah will show him
His Beauty (Jamal).

3.

Whoever seeks Allah with his totality, Allah will show him His
Perfection (Kamal).

Jalal / The Majesty

Whoever is attracted to Allah by His Majesty will only have fear of Allah. He will never taste the
sweetness of worshipping Allah before he becomes exhausted from worship and feels he can go
no further.

Jamal / The Beauty

Whoever is attracted to Allah by His Beauty will never experience hardships. Allah will only
manifest good and beneficial things to him.

Kamal / The Perfection

Whoever is attracted to Allah by His Perfection will only see Allah. He will be perplexed in the
divine epiphany. His form will disappear until he becomes the Truth.

22

Advice of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

1. If you want to gain the most benefit from your action, focus on your intention before the
action.
2. Whoever wants to satisfy his Lord should never follow someone in disobedience.
3. Whoever wants to have no shame in this world and the next should not persist to commit sins.
4. Whoever wants to be close to Allah should meditate on his signs.
5. Whoever does not want his heart to die should avoid sitting with sinners.
6. Whoever wants to maintain the life of his heart should not leave the knowledgeable servant
who works for Allah.
7. Whoever wants to be far from sin should stay in a state of repentance.
8. Whoever does not want to be disgraced by Allah should remain constantly in the
remembrance of Allah.
9. Whoever wants to be Allahs companion should persevere in the recitation of the Holy
Quran.
10. Whoever wants to remove his imperfection should continually send prayers upon the Prophet
(PBUH).
11. Whoever wants Satan to never approach him should send prayers upon the Prophet (PBUH).
12. Whoever wants to get the reward of those who fast should guard his tongue against all
futility.

23

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba

Khadimou Rasoul

Poetry

24

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. By the name of the Lord, who sent the Holy Quran. My beginning is from Him, and I
expect my achievement in Him.
2. Glory to the Generous Lord who gave me everything. He orders me to maintain strict
adherence to the Holy Quran.
3. Whoever is for Allah, Allah will always be with him. Whoever asked Allah, by the
Prophet, will be exhausted.
4. Oh Lord, give prayers and salutations, without counting, to the Prophet, his Family and
Companions.
5. I performed my repentance to Allah. He forgave me for everything and veiled my
imperfection by the Elected One.
6. For Him is my request, and from Him is my answer. In this life and the next, I do not
expect anything from other than Him.
7. Give me all of my wishes without pain, Oh Generous One. Protect me from all trials by
the grace of the Prophet.
8. I ask You, Oh Merciful One, to be a slave and servitor all of my life, who embraces all
divine gifts.
9. Give me knowledge and good behavior, allow me to always keep my word and take away my
sickness.
10. Give me satisfaction and bring to me all that I want, without trials. Preserve me from
trials.
11. Avoid evil from me, bring me good and protect me from disgrace, distress and fear.
12. Make my right hand and my heart provide generosity and abundance like the ocean.
Preserve me from stinginess.
13. Make all that You give me, help me to achieve all that You choose for me.
14. Clean myself of all impurities, keep away from me all that can distract me.
15. You are the Merciful One, from who I seek good news and my hope on the day of judgement.
16. By the grace of our Master, the Prophet, give me the privilege to be exempt from
Judgement.
17. By my laudation, to the Prophet, I expect a thousand fold more than what Hiram gave to
Zuheir*.

25

18. Today, I glorify You, Oh Lord, who has no associate. Perfect me like the elected.
19. Oh Lord, send an uncountable amount of prayers and salutations upon Mohammad
(P.B.U.H.), the best of creation.
20. And to his family, be pleased with his companions.
Make him satisfied with me forever.

* Hiram was a famous King in Arabia before Islam. He stopped a tribal war by his wisdom.
Zuheir was one of the most famous poets of Arabia, and he composed laudation to Hiram for his
wisdom. Hiram sent him marvelous gifts for his poetry.

26

The Beneficent, the Merciful

In the name of ALLAH the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. The Lord surprised me by the illumination of the intellect, by the grace of the best of those
who seek refuge with Him.
2. My praise is to the generous Lord who has no associate. Today my chest is full of radiant
light.
3. Prayers of Allah be upon Muhammad forever, and upon His companions. My totality is
focused on Him.
4. I call on Allah, whose gifts are all embracing, to absolve all creatures.
5. I conversed with Allah in my intimacy for several years. He honored me by his
magnanimity and preserved me from futility.
6. Oh Merciful One, grant Your mercy to all creatures. Avoid evil from all those who read the
Holy Quran.
7. Forgive all the sins of the community of the Chosen One. Give Your mercy to all beings
that you created.
8. Oh Owner of the Universe, You are above all retaliation. Grant Your mercy to all beings.
You are the Guide and Sustainer of all.
9. Erase the attraction to sin from my Heart, by the grace of those who seek refuge in You.

27

I Love The Lord

In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful

1.

I love the Lord of the Universe with Muhammed and Gabriel.

2.

The remembrance of Allah has penetrated my total being and my intimacy.

3. I conversed with Allah in my innermost being by the dialect of love.

4. He gave me marvelous gifts and protected me from jealousy.
5. By my faith in the oneness of Allah, Tawheed was established in my heart.
6. Allah never left me alone in my exile or while I was at home.
7. My beloved Prophet has given me in my exile, that which makes me independent of my
enemies.
8. No challenger can fight me, the grace of Allah is so evident to me.
9. Satan never challenges the soldiers of the powerful Lord.
10. Never has a contradictor or someone with sickness in their heart challenged me.
11. Allah has given me all that I have asked for.
12. The gifts of Allah cannot be argued against.
13. What Allah has given me is pure and eternal.
14. It is the best spiritual food and the best provisions.
15. The gifts of Allah pushed Satan far away

from me.

16. Allah will help by me who He wants, today and tomorrow.

17. Allah sends me all good news by the best of human beings.
18. Allah has covered me with His mercy.
19. I have never devoted myself to anything useless.
20. The omniscient Lord teaches me what knowledge He wants me to know.
21. He put the things that can cause death far away from me.
22. He pushes away from me divine trials.
23. He preserves my sanctity.

28

24. My praises and my greetings to Allah the Guide and the Appreciative One who protects me
from evil and all that is rejected.
25. I offer my life to Allah.
26. He makes me live without disobedience and keeps me away from futility.
27. He pushes away from me all bad things.
28. He manifests, through my writings, the light of divine knowledge.
29. He makes my being acceptable and a good choice for those who are seeking Allah, but
remain perplexed.

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Allah Has Given The Prophet Victory

In the name of the Allah, Beneficent, the Merciful

1. Allah has given me a spiritual opening that has never been reached before and never will be
reached again by the grace of the one who has made Allah satisfied with my life forever.
2. The best Revealer chose me by the grace of the best messengers, and the best of
companions for the service of the best of mankind.
3. My religion is the love of Allah.
4. The love of Allah has defeated my enemies.
5. Allah has given me all of my wishes without pain or hurt.
6. He has put darkness and all causes of unrighteousness away from me.
7. He guides me by righteousness to paradise and eternal contemplation of Allah.
8. My being was purified by my eternal service of the one who preserved me from all harmful
things.
9. Unhappiness and imperfections have been pushed out of me by the Lord who teaches
me the knowledge of the invisible.
10. My being is preserved from all difficulties.
11. Allah destroyed all that can cause me troubles.
12. He has been wonderful to me.
13. He brings me more and more closer to Him with His agreement and generosity.
14. I dedicate to Him my thanks, and He makes me conform to His will
15. The Lord has tied me closely to Him.
16. I address my prayers to the generous Lord by writings, whose light will never diminish.
17. The Prophet asked Allah to give me the best rewards.
18. Allah, the Lord of the Universe, prays upon the Faithful Guide, Mohammad (P.B.U.H.),
for the benefit of the soul and heart of all humanity.

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Allah, The Giver of Life

In the name of the Allah, Beneficent, the Merciful

1. Allah is the Everlasting, Eternal giver of life.

2. Glory to Him. He is the Helper and the Preserver.
3. We are well protected by Him against all evil and horrible things.
4. Grab a hold of the Blessed Ahmad, the best of all creations in the beginning and the end.
5. Whoever recites this poem during the time of disease and epidemics, Allah will protect
him from all danger.

Allah Is More Generous

In the name of the Allah, Beneficent, the Merciful

1. Allah is more generous that any generous one. Whoever focuses on Him will receive honor.
2. Submit your entire being to Him in faith, and remain conscious (Ihsan) of the Beneficent.
3. Worship Him with thankfulness, without being ungrateful. And you will be saved from hell
on the Day of Judgment.

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Gifts of the Merciful

(Lines 1-12)

In the name of the Allah, Beneficent, the Merciful

1. By the name of Allah, my love increases without a limit and without an end.
2. Glory to the Lord, the best educator, who repaired my heart by the guidance.
3. My gratefulness to Him is without hypocrisy. He is my protector. I expect my reward only
from Him.
4. I come close to Him without separation, through my poems and trials.
5. I am satisfied with You. To You, I offer my praises. In You, I seek refuge and my
renewal.
6. Oh You who heals me, Oh You who protects me from those who are cruel towards me, and
You who eradicates my sickness.
7. Cover me with your protection, perfect my disposition, and increase my reward without
conditions.
8. Oh You who answers me, and exhausts me, give me your agreement to this invocation.
9. Oh Master of Jamal, Oh Master of Jalal, Oh Best of Protectors, purify my love.
10. Oh Master of Oneness, Oh Master of Being, Be generous to me without limit.
11. Perfect my quest, avoid all distraction from me, satisfy my request, enhance my form.
12. Grant me the recitation of the Holy Quran with gratefulness, and give me the inner
knowledge of my recital.

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Excerpts from

When You Are Given Salutations,

Return One Better
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. The elected one gave me all good things. I have been protected from harm for all
eternity.
2. This is the grace of Allah. He gives it to whom He wants. He told me to tell people to seek
refuge in me.
3. The Prophet gave me all blessings, by the Will of Allah. He protects me from mixing with
those who associate partners with Allah.
4. The Prophet of Allah has protected me and my family forever. He protects all who are
linked to me, and gives them salutations.
5. The Prophet, peace and prayers be upon him, removed all that could disturb me and told me
to never stop my laudations.
6. The eternal One gave me unlimited inspiration. Be and it is has given me all my wishes.
Never has Satan, the cursed, approached me.
7. The Mourides who are guided by Allah to me will receive the best reward. I have
obtained gifts never seen before by anyone, by the grace of the Prophet.
8. The Mouride who never becomes weary in my way can obtain the best of graces. The
Mouride who is linked to me will obtain more than he ever expects from Allah, my
Protector.
9. Woe unto you who turn your back to me, after the will of Allah has allowed you to know me.
10. Allah, the Donator, gave me by the grace of the Elected One, the blessings of the Holy
Quran and all knowledge. He put the graces in my teachings.
11. Allah leads the Seeker to the secret of There is no god but Allah, by my writings. I
learned what was preserved from being written in books, so never hesitate to be in my
service.
12. Allah gave me the syntheses of knowledge. He is the Generous, Wise, Omniscient One.
He conversed with me in my intimacy and purified my internal being.
13. He has given me the power to teach, so that I can guide to Him the illiterate and the wise.
14. The Powerful One, who does what He wants, gave me all this and more. He gave me the
knowledge of the preserved tablet and the divine pen, as gifts from Him and the Elected
Prophet.
15. The most pure salutations be upon my Wasila, the Elected One who dispelled the darkness.

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The First Spring

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. We offer, for the remover of our pain, wonderful laudations that put rhythm and
measure to shame.
2. We are safe from all sickness; we get all of our blessings by glorification of the One who
gives the rewards and more.
3. My belief protected me from stopping to give laudations to the messenger of all
creation, who is better than anyone.
4. My worship has surpassed all worship. I seek refuge in Allah through the Holy Quran, from
the accursed Satan.
5. I ask the Lord of Creation to protect me eternally from the worst of creation.
6. In the Merciful and His beloved, I seek gratification.
7. I dedicate my salutations and service to the best of creation by beautiful words that purify my
abiding and my life.
8. When we recite the verses of the Holy Quran, the best of creatures gives us the best rewards
from our Lord.
9. The guardian protects us by the best revelations, and the best of messengers from Satan,
temptations and hatred.
10. My love is for the Lord of the worlds, who purified our existence in our life, by the best
of creatures.
11. The elected Prophet got from Allah what is impossible for anyone else to get, whoever
underestimates this is insane.
12. The chosen one brought us a Holy Book that explains all of Allahs orders.
13. My totality and my body send prayers and salutations to the light of Mohammad (P.B.U.H.).
14. I have assurance of paradise and happiness.

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Matlabul Fawzani

Request of the Victory

In the name of the Allah, Beneficent, the Merciful

1. Oh my Lord, make my city, Touba, a place of happiness forever.

2. By the grace of the best of worshippers, prayers be upon him, his family and his
companions forever.
3. Protect me against the evil of all creatures, protect them from my retaliation, Oh Lord,
Amen.
4. Make my city a place of knowledge, and make its people live according to the Sunnah
and in peace.
5. Make my city a place of guidance, and push the tricks of Satan and his helpers far away
from me.
6. Push away from me all who do not seek for you.
7. Protect my city from the hypocrites, and give its inhabitants spring water.
8. Increase the goods of this country, so that they be sufficient for it against famine and
poverty.
9. Make from the inhabitants of Touba groups that always perform prayers.
10. Save us from the evil of this time and from all trials.
11. Protect us against the evil of Christians and Jews and from the mischief of Satan and those
who have gone astray.
12. Oh Lord, perfect the community of the best of Prophets and release them from all
imperfections.
13. Have pity on them, give them blessings, heal them, save them.
14. Be gentle with them and forgive them.
15. Oh lord, make my city a holy place and make me a devout and pious traveler to you.
16. I invoke you to make my city a place of piety, knowledge, faith and a place for
ascension.
17. A garden for the Mouride traveler and protection against those who have gone astray.
18. Make my city a place of forgiveness, integrity, knowledge and satisfaction.
19. Oh Allah, make my city the best place on the earth for you and the blessed Prophet.

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20. My soul, my faith, my family, my children and my city, I deposit in your care forever.
21. My life in this world and the next is for You.
22. Avoid from me all that You do not like.
23. Avoid the punishment of hell from all who are linked to me from this generation and the
next, also my physical and spiritual family.
24. Oh Eternal One, be my protection and my refuge forever.
25. Take me under your control and never entrust me to another.
26. Have mercy for all Muslims for eternity, give prayers and Salutations to the Prophet
Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), my Wasila (medium/guide) to you.

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