El-Hadji Malick Sy (, 1853–1922) was a

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese religious leader and teacher in the Tijaniyya

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Malikite and Ash'arite brotherhood.

Life

Born in Gaya, northern Senegal, to a Fulani family, El-Hadji Malick Sy traveled to

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

, then to Saint-Louis, Senegal in 1884 as a religious student. He traveled to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, then returned to teach at Louga and before establishing a ''zāwiya'' (religious center) at Tivaouane he settled permanently in 1898 in Tivaouane in 1902 following guidance received from his father in law Mor Massamba Diery Dieng father of his wife Sokhna Yacine Dieng and at the invitation of local leader Djibril Guèye, which became a center for Islamic education and culture under his leadership. In Senegal's Wolof country, especially the northern regions of Kajoor and Jolof, the Tijānī Order was spread primarily by El-Hajj Malick Sy.

Legacy

After his death on 27 June 1922, Malick Sy was succeeded by his son Seydi Ababacar Sy as the ''khalife général des Tidjanes'' from 1922 to 1957. The family line has continued to hold the title, with El-Hadji Abdou Aziz Sy from 1957 to 1997, to the current khalife, Serigne Mabye Sy Mansour after his cousin El Hadji Abdul Aziz Sy Al Ibn who himself succeeded his brother Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane sy “Al Makhtoum”. The Gàmmu ( Mawlid in Arabic, the celebration of the birth of Muḥammad) of Tivaouane gathers many followers each year. There is an Avenue Malik Sy in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

Literature

Malick is also the author of many poems and books about Islam, Muhammad, and At-Tijani: *taïssir *''Ifham al Munkiru Jaani'' ("Silencing of deniers"): a defense of the Tijaniyya and some points to case law (translated into French by Rawane Mbaye) *''Khilaçu ez-Zahab'': a comprehensive rhyming biography on Muhammad, his companions and relatives, regularly recited during religious celebrations in Senegal, particularly during the Mawlid (book translated into French by Rawane Mbaye) *''Sharh Khilaçu ez-Zahab''خلاص الذهب في سيرة خير العرب: comment on this biography by the author himself. *''Zajr Ul Qulub'': a poem dealing pious exhortations and ascetic various topics. *''Adab Ul Masjid'': a poem dealing with the conveniences that exist when the faithful went to the mosque and made her worship. *''Al Hidayat Ul Wildan'': a treatise on Islamic theology (based on Ash'arite school). *''Faakihatul Tullab'': A Primer on the Tijaniyya, its teachings and practices (translated into French by Rawane Mbaye) *''Diwan'': a collection of poetry on Mohamed, Ahmad Tijani Umar Ibn Sa'id Al Tall Futi and containing other Islamic knowledge as inheritance, rhetoric and advice to Muslims in general and faithful tijanes particularly. *''Khutbatul Jumu'a'': a sermon for Friday prayers *''Khutbatul 'I'd'': a sermon Day (tabaski and / or Korité) *''Kifayat ar-Raghibîn'' ("Who are the good believers"): a series of jurisprudential texts and spiritual characters dealing with various subjects (also translated into French by Rawane Mbaye)

Bibliography

* From Tijaniyya, and translation from Malick Sy French Wikipedia. * (fr) Cheikh Tidiane Fall, El Hadji Malick Sy à Tivaouane de 1902 à 1922, Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1986, 92 p. (Mémoire de Maîtrise)
Short Biography

the Mame Mawdo Malick Sy Foundation

El Hadj Malick Sy : Soufi et Grand accoucheur du «musulman de midi»
in le quotidien, 10 April 2006.

External links

Tariqa Tijaniyya Malick Sy

African Legends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sy, El-Hadji Malick 1855 births 1922 deaths Islam in Senegal Senegalese Sunni Muslims Senegalese Sufi religious leaders Fula people Tijaniyyah order People from Saint-Louis region Marabouts