Shaykh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...

Shekna Ahmeda Hamahullah ben Muhammad ben Seydina Umar (born 1882) was a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

religious leader, born in

French Soudan French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

(modern

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

) and died in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

after being arrested and sent into exile in 1933 by the colonial government of

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

. While not the founder, he was the spiritual leader of a militant reform movement of the powerful

Tijaniyyah The Tijāniyyah ( ar, الطريقة التجانية, Al-Ṭarīqah al-Tijāniyyah, The Tijānī Path) is a Sufi tariqa (order, path), originating in the Maghreb but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, ...

sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

ṭarīqah (order, path, brotherhood), which has popularly taken his name, as

Hamallayya Hamallayya or Hamallism is a Sufi ṭarīqah (order, path) originating in West Africa as an outgrowth from and reaction against the Tijaniyyah brotherhood. It was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by a mystic Muhammad ben Amadu (d. 19 ...

Hamallism Hamallayya or Hamallism is a Sufi ṭarīqah (order, path) originating in West Africa as an outgrowth from and reaction against the Tijaniyyah brotherhood. It was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by a mystic Muhammad ben Amadu (d. 1 ...

Disciple

Hamahullah was the first disciple of a Tijaniyyah reformer and mystic Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Lakhdar Al Tounsi (d. 1909 in Nioro), who along with doctrinal and ritual changes, stressed opposition to hierarchy and downplayed the importance of formal education. Led by Hamahullah, the movement spread in the 1920s in what was then

, modern

. It first took root amongst

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

traders living in Nioro, but soon spread to servile caste Muslims in

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

and Mali.

Exile

Hamahullah bin Muhammad bin Umar was exiled by French authorities from his home in

Nioro du Sahel Nioro du Sahel, often referred to as simply Nioro, is a town and urban commune in the Kayes Region of western Mali, 241 km from the city of Kayes. It is located 275 miles (by road) north-west of the Malian capital Bamako. As of 1998, the co ...

(

) to

in 1933 following clashes between his followers and local leaders, then to

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

and finally France, but the movement survived his death in exile. The movement was eventually made illegal in

, but has continued, especially among the rural poor. Hamahullah's most prominent disciples included Tierno Bokar Salif Tall in Mali and

Yacouba Sylla Yacouba Sylla (born 29 November 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Belgian First Division B side Virton. Born in France, he represented France as a youth international before switching to Mali at senior l ...

in Mauretania,Sean Hanretta. Gender and Agency in the History of a West African Sufi Community: The Followers of Yacouba Sylla. Comparative Studies in Society and History (2008), 50:478-508 with the movement continuing as a small but prosperous religious faction across contemporary West Africa.

References

*Samuel Decalo. Historical Dictionary of Niger (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press, Boston & Folkestone, (1997) p. 158 *Christopher Harrison. France and Islam in West Africa, 1860-1960. Cambridge University Press, (2003) passim, but especially pp. 137–183. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamahullah bin Muhammad bin Umar People of French West Africa Islam in Mali Islam in Mauritania Malian Sufis 1943 deaths 1886 births