Sufism and Religious Brotherhoods in Senegal

<p>This book is a study of the state of Islam in Senegal and of the religious factors that influence it. Islam in Senegal is characterized by the strong intrenchment of a certain number of Sufi brotherhoods. In effect the majority of Senegal’s 7.6 million Muslims consider adherence to a brotherhood a<em> tariqa</em> to be a religious obligation in keeping with the well-known Sufi maxim “He who does not have a <em>shaykh</em> will have Satan for a guide.”</p><p>Mbacké traces the genesis and evolution of Sufism in order to explain the circumstances that permitted the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods. He describes the brotherhoods that are currently active in Senegal and depicts the means and manner of their diffusion the lives of their founding figures their basic teachings their internal organization the links they maintain with each other and the role they play in the country’s cultural economic social and political life. The book uses its study of the present condition of Senegal’s Sufi brotherhoods to speculate on their future evolution.</p>