ʿAjamī (also Ajami or A{jami, hereafter Ajami) comes from the Arabic ʿajam, which originally deno... more ʿAjamī (also Ajami or A{jami, hereafter Ajami) comes from the Arabic ʿajam, which originally denoted obscure or incomprehensible speech, unclear or improper Arabic, or non-Arab or foreigner. The term evokes a whole family of literary traditions in various languages, spanning Africa but also including historical traditions of Islamic Spain (al-Andalus). Each language with an Ajami tradition has its own name for the practice, which may be derived from the same root (e.g., ki-ajamiya in Swahili, aljamiado in the Spanish of alAndalus) or may use indigenous names (e.g., wolofal in Wolof ). Today, Ajami generally refers to African languages written in a modified Arabic script.
The final chapter of my dissertation. This chapter focuses on what has been one of the least stud... more The final chapter of my dissertation. This chapter focuses on what has been one of the least studied, yet most important, subjects within Murīd belief, Ahmadu Bamba’s hagiography. In Murīd views, Bamba’s persecution is seen as something necessary in order for him to undertake his divinely preordained mission. Through the trials of his exile at sea, Bamba realized his role as Privileged Servant of the Prophet, entitling him to bestow blessings upon his followers and intercede on their behalf. Bamba’s pious servitude is the central element of his role, through which he overcame hardships and transformed them into blessings. The chapter also explores the meanings and uses of Bamba’s writings for his followers, not only as historical records or instructive guides, but as vessels for transmitting blessing. Finally, the chapter discusses differences in the interpretation of Bamba’s sainthood and intercession across various Murīd sources.
The fourth chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores major themes of Murīd pedagogy, whic... more The fourth chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores major themes of Murīd pedagogy, which reflect Bamba’s focus on offering practical solutions to the challenges faced by all members of society. Murīd pedagogy is holistic in nature, focused on the purification and spiritual elevation of its followers, in accordance with the term for a disciple of Bamba, murīd Allah, meaning one who aspires to God. The place of tarbiya or spiritual discipline within Murīd pedagogy reflects Bamba’s emphasis on action, which is understood to not only complement knowledge, but to yield it as well. This can be seen in the tarbiya school, where followers learn by doing good works. Murīd values also reflect both values of classical Sufism, and values of traditional Wolof pedagogy, including a strong work ethic, patience, forbearance, selflessness, discretion, and self-restraint. The chapter illustrates how Bamba, through his spoken teachings, and Wolofal poets such as Mbay Jaxate and Muusaa Ka, employed literary and pedagogical devices in order to express the movement’s values in a way that resonated with their audience. The chapter also establishes the importance of the hidden or esoteric in Murīd epistemology, demonstrating how it operates in Murīd pedagogy to purify and elevate the soul by mystical means. The chapter ends with a discussion of the role of spiritual guides, examining their place in Murīd pedagogy while highlighting that many of the external criticisms of guides are equally present in internal sources.
The third chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores how Murīd narratives frame Bamba’s ar... more The third chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores how Murīd narratives frame Bamba’s arrival and early years. Murīd conceptions of the precolonial period, and particularly the nineteenth century, emphasize turbulence and insecurity, the arbitrary abuse of power by political elites, and the complacency of Islamic scholars. Within Murīd sources, the unstable and confusing conditions of the nineteenth century paralleled a moral crisis in the region. Not knowing where to turn, people abandoned themselves to violence or libertinage, rose up in violent jihads, sought fortune in the emerging cash crop economy, or chose to side with the foreign occupier. As the chapter emphasizes, Murīd views of the period confirm Bamba’s arrival to address its challenges as preordained. The chapter also demonstrates that Bamba’s Islamic education followed a typical trajectory for scholarly families in the region.
The second chapter of my dissertation. This chapter presents an overview of the oral and written ... more The second chapter of my dissertation. This chapter presents an overview of the oral and written sources related to the Murīdiyya order. It maps out the intellectual and cultural domains in which these sources are created and transmitted, delineating Wolofal poetry, Wolofal prose, oral traditions, audio recordings, field interviews, Arabic hagiographies, Bamba’s qaṣāʾid, and Europhone secondary literature. The chapter also presents the problems and limitations associated with each of these types of sources, including problems of bias and verifiability.
The first chapter of my dissertation. Chapter one of this dissertation contains a thorough overvi... more The first chapter of my dissertation. Chapter one of this dissertation contains a thorough overview of Ajami traditions throughout Islamized Africa. This is intended to lay the groundwork for the analysis of Wolofal sources presented in the remaining chapters, but also to address a gap in the literature regarding the overall extent of scholarship on Ajami traditions and shared issues involved in the approach to Ajami texts. By critically examining scholarly work on Ajami traditions, the chapter demonstrates that in each case, Ajami texts represent the formation and transmission of localized Islamic discourses, informed by local knowledge systems as well as Arabo-Islamic knowledge systems. The employment of Islamic discourses as vehicles for social criticism and reform, and the importance of mystical and esoteric knowledge, are two overarching themes present across traditions. The analysis brings to light the interdisciplinary nature of the study of Ajami texts. Understanding the interplay between various knowledge traditions, and contexts of production and transmission, requires linguistic, cultural and historical knowledge from both local and Arabo-Islamic realms.
ʿAjamī (also Ajami or A{jami, hereafter Ajami) comes from the Arabic ʿajam, which originally deno... more ʿAjamī (also Ajami or A{jami, hereafter Ajami) comes from the Arabic ʿajam, which originally denoted obscure or incomprehensible speech, unclear or improper Arabic, or non-Arab or foreigner. The term evokes a whole family of literary traditions in various languages, spanning Africa but also including historical traditions of Islamic Spain (al-Andalus). Each language with an Ajami tradition has its own name for the practice, which may be derived from the same root (e.g., ki-ajamiya in Swahili, aljamiado in the Spanish of alAndalus) or may use indigenous names (e.g., wolofal in Wolof ). Today, Ajami generally refers to African languages written in a modified Arabic script.
The final chapter of my dissertation. This chapter focuses on what has been one of the least stud... more The final chapter of my dissertation. This chapter focuses on what has been one of the least studied, yet most important, subjects within Murīd belief, Ahmadu Bamba’s hagiography. In Murīd views, Bamba’s persecution is seen as something necessary in order for him to undertake his divinely preordained mission. Through the trials of his exile at sea, Bamba realized his role as Privileged Servant of the Prophet, entitling him to bestow blessings upon his followers and intercede on their behalf. Bamba’s pious servitude is the central element of his role, through which he overcame hardships and transformed them into blessings. The chapter also explores the meanings and uses of Bamba’s writings for his followers, not only as historical records or instructive guides, but as vessels for transmitting blessing. Finally, the chapter discusses differences in the interpretation of Bamba’s sainthood and intercession across various Murīd sources.
The fourth chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores major themes of Murīd pedagogy, whic... more The fourth chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores major themes of Murīd pedagogy, which reflect Bamba’s focus on offering practical solutions to the challenges faced by all members of society. Murīd pedagogy is holistic in nature, focused on the purification and spiritual elevation of its followers, in accordance with the term for a disciple of Bamba, murīd Allah, meaning one who aspires to God. The place of tarbiya or spiritual discipline within Murīd pedagogy reflects Bamba’s emphasis on action, which is understood to not only complement knowledge, but to yield it as well. This can be seen in the tarbiya school, where followers learn by doing good works. Murīd values also reflect both values of classical Sufism, and values of traditional Wolof pedagogy, including a strong work ethic, patience, forbearance, selflessness, discretion, and self-restraint. The chapter illustrates how Bamba, through his spoken teachings, and Wolofal poets such as Mbay Jaxate and Muusaa Ka, employed literary and pedagogical devices in order to express the movement’s values in a way that resonated with their audience. The chapter also establishes the importance of the hidden or esoteric in Murīd epistemology, demonstrating how it operates in Murīd pedagogy to purify and elevate the soul by mystical means. The chapter ends with a discussion of the role of spiritual guides, examining their place in Murīd pedagogy while highlighting that many of the external criticisms of guides are equally present in internal sources.
The third chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores how Murīd narratives frame Bamba’s ar... more The third chapter of my dissertation. This chapter explores how Murīd narratives frame Bamba’s arrival and early years. Murīd conceptions of the precolonial period, and particularly the nineteenth century, emphasize turbulence and insecurity, the arbitrary abuse of power by political elites, and the complacency of Islamic scholars. Within Murīd sources, the unstable and confusing conditions of the nineteenth century paralleled a moral crisis in the region. Not knowing where to turn, people abandoned themselves to violence or libertinage, rose up in violent jihads, sought fortune in the emerging cash crop economy, or chose to side with the foreign occupier. As the chapter emphasizes, Murīd views of the period confirm Bamba’s arrival to address its challenges as preordained. The chapter also demonstrates that Bamba’s Islamic education followed a typical trajectory for scholarly families in the region.
The second chapter of my dissertation. This chapter presents an overview of the oral and written ... more The second chapter of my dissertation. This chapter presents an overview of the oral and written sources related to the Murīdiyya order. It maps out the intellectual and cultural domains in which these sources are created and transmitted, delineating Wolofal poetry, Wolofal prose, oral traditions, audio recordings, field interviews, Arabic hagiographies, Bamba’s qaṣāʾid, and Europhone secondary literature. The chapter also presents the problems and limitations associated with each of these types of sources, including problems of bias and verifiability.
The first chapter of my dissertation. Chapter one of this dissertation contains a thorough overvi... more The first chapter of my dissertation. Chapter one of this dissertation contains a thorough overview of Ajami traditions throughout Islamized Africa. This is intended to lay the groundwork for the analysis of Wolofal sources presented in the remaining chapters, but also to address a gap in the literature regarding the overall extent of scholarship on Ajami traditions and shared issues involved in the approach to Ajami texts. By critically examining scholarly work on Ajami traditions, the chapter demonstrates that in each case, Ajami texts represent the formation and transmission of localized Islamic discourses, informed by local knowledge systems as well as Arabo-Islamic knowledge systems. The employment of Islamic discourses as vehicles for social criticism and reform, and the importance of mystical and esoteric knowledge, are two overarching themes present across traditions. The analysis brings to light the interdisciplinary nature of the study of Ajami texts. Understanding the interplay between various knowledge traditions, and contexts of production and transmission, requires linguistic, cultural and historical knowledge from both local and Arabo-Islamic realms.
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language with an Ajami tradition has its own name for the practice, which may be derived from the same root (e.g., ki-ajamiya in Swahili, aljamiado in the Spanish of alAndalus) or may use indigenous names
(e.g., wolofal in Wolof ). Today, Ajami generally refers to African languages written in a modified Arabic script.
language with an Ajami tradition has its own name for the practice, which may be derived from the same root (e.g., ki-ajamiya in Swahili, aljamiado in the Spanish of alAndalus) or may use indigenous names
(e.g., wolofal in Wolof ). Today, Ajami generally refers to African languages written in a modified Arabic script.