Hagiographical Values
From the Greek word, hagios, meaning saint and grapho or graphein meaning writing, hagiography deals with the biography of a saint.
When we talk about hagiographical values, it is in reference to all the personal and social behaviours relating to morality, good deeds, ethics, spirituality or all the merits attached to the being of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba in his faith, in his commitment to God’s cause, in his hardships and the way he underwent them, in harmony with his teachings in the way of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), in short, all, that revived Islamic values.
Scientific and moral values
Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba was a man of God as well as a man of science in all aspects of Islamic sciences. He was equally a scholar and teacher who produced all the texts of his school which served as references.
The first followers that he trained and taught have written in all the fields of science; this is what makes it possible for a longstanding method of teaching. Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba produced a great number of books which teach wisdom, the merits and virtues of the ancients as well as the fundamental and instrumental sciences. His many panegyrics which praise and glorify the prophet (P.B.U.H.) weigh many tons.
As “Mujaddid” he has a reconstituted a great number of ancient bibliographies of the great Sunni Schools of Islam.
Literary Values
Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba was an exceptional man who produced a very large collection of books, which weigh many tons. He is one of the rare persons whose library’s richness no longer need to be demonstrated, but his originality lives on, especially in certain aspects like the depth of his knowledge of the classical Arabic language, the influence of the Quran on his literary works and the charisma of his writing.
In his literary mission and through the influence of the Quran, Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba captivated the attention of the circle of poets known as Ash-shu’ara. It is this literary mission which allows us to discover a part of the real approach to the documented Islamic heritage and also evidence of a revival of all the values which the venerated Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba had in the field of prose and all known poetic styles.
In the quest for their mentor’s satisfaction, the followers of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba have continued to produce dynamic forms of literature invarious areas like lyrical poetry, glorification and prayers on the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) etc. The development of the Mourid literary productions is as a result of the great impact and influence that Serigne Touba has on the literary expression in both Arabic and Wolof.
Artistic Values
Should Islamic art be assimilated with the know-how of one group of people from the Muslim community? Can the socio-cultural nature of one group of the Muslim community be deemed universal to all for it to be called Muslim art?
This line of questioning allows us to place Muslim art in its true hagiographical context away from any confusion. So, the truly artistic value of the Quran relies on its calligraphy and all the techniques and skills undertaken to perpetuate God’s message.
Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba was a creator with a vivid and rich inventiveness imagination of techniques and artistic in the cause of the Holy Quran. Those techniques did not omit the tools and instruments. He motivated a new generation of scribes whose dexterity earned them the title of “Masters of Calligraphy”.
Finally, for the advancement of the reading and calligraphy of the Quran, Serigne Touba gave greater value to the functions of the writers and readers of the Quran and therefore created a type of calligraphy which was attractive and legible. The care in its presentation and the respect for the diacritical signs, allows us to recognize a type of writing as the MouridSchool of calligraphy.
The Values of Work
Islam encourages hard work as much as prayer. Such a recommendation reiterated by the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) finds an area of practical application in Mouridism, thanks to the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. Examples can be seen in:
- The construction of rail tracks from Diourbel to Touba
- The construction of the Great Mosque of Diourbel
- The construction of the Great Mosque of Touba
- The conquest of new lands and the remarkable presence of Mourids in the fields of agriculture, especially in the cultivation of rice, groundnuts and the development of new crops and farming methods. The values of hard work in Mouridism is equally translated in the field of animal breeding, fishing and the preservation of seafood.
In the field of tertiary, home and international commerce, Mourids contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of their countries is very important.
In truth, Mouridism is a locomotive of development.
The Values of Solidarity
Mouridism is characterized by discipline and respect for authority. United as a block behind the Caliph, Mourids continue to develop big public projects, thanks to an active solidarity. Among these projects are hospitals and health centres, ambulances and medical materials, street lighting in different parts of Touba, the construction of markets and commercial centres as well as education buildings etc.
The big developmental projects with the ongoing works of the Caliph, alongside a programme of modernisation of the holy city under his supervision , the housing blocks built with their own funds and the free distribution of plots of land for housing use, are many of the humanitarian and social aspects which further reinforce the bond of solidarity between the followers. The various houses, dedicated to Serigne Touba, around the world, are places for meeting, for rediscovery and a cultural hub of the followers.
1895-2010, more than a century after Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba went into exile, the line of succession is getting longer, from father to grand-son. It firmly resists as it did with colonization. Its message is re-affirmed and the brotherhood has been shown as getting stronger. The community of Mourids has grown and developed a religious city, the city of Touba, religious capital of the Mourids and Senegal’s second city.
The Holy City of Touba
Founded in the year 1888, the city of Touba is a sacred environment which God chose for Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. Having left Touba in 1895, Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba did not return until 1927, the year of his passing. The holy city of Touba has started to confirm the predictions of its founder: It now covers 30,000 hectares from the humble beginning of just 400 hectares in Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba’s name. It is the 2nd biggest city in Senegal, hardly known, it has greatly contributed to its development. Its urban functions in the present age, have multiplied: a religious city, a pilgrimage city and a city of quasi- international scale. Despite the religious argument, Touba has developed into a metropolitan area which watches closely the security of its key sectors, which are water, electricity, telecommunication, roads, health and education. What is most remarkable is the respect for the primary function that the city was founded on, for the adoration of God, evident in the successive improvements to the Great Mosque and the multitudes of mosques and religious institutes throughout the city, such as the great library of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba and the Schools of Quranic and religious sciences. Touba a city where tobacco, alcohol, gambling, indecent music and indecency itself are all prohibited.
Touba is similar to its namesake in paradise; a tree which provides happiness and blessing