Ahmadou Bamba

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké was born in 1853 in the village of Mbacké in the kingdom of Baol, in what is now Senegal, into a family of Muslim scholars of the Qadiriyya tradition. He was raised in learning, and as French colonial power consolidated its control of Senegal, he became known for his scholarship and piety.

Around 1883 he founded the Mouridiyya, or Mouride brotherhood, whose name comes from the Arabic word for one who seeks, and in 1887 he founded the holy city of Touba, meaning felicity, as its capital. The movement grew rapidly, emphasising spiritual discipline, learning and the dignity of work.

French colonial authorities feared his influence and the prospect of a rebellion. In 1895 he was summoned, arrested and tried, and although the colonial council's own report reportedly found no evidence that he had preached holy war, he was exiled to Gabon, where he stayed until 1902. After a return that multiplied his followers, he was exiled again to Mauritania from 1903 to 1907, and then placed under house arrest in Diourbel.

Bamba never took up arms. He led a spiritual and pacifist struggle against French colonialism at a time when successful armed resistance was impossible, trying to restore a purer practice of Islam insulated from colonial culture and politics. His exile fuelled stories of his endurance and drew thousands more to the order. After 1910 the French came to trust the Mourides more, and he was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1919, though he is described as collaborating reluctantly.

Bamba died on 19 July 1927 in Diourbel and was buried at Touba, where the Mourides later built the Great Mosque, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Every year the Grand Magal of Touba, begun in 1928, draws pilgrims to commemorate his exile to Gabon, and the Mouride community now has a worldwide diaspora. He is known to his followers as Serigne Touba and Khadimou Rassoul, the servant of the Messenger.