Tierno Bokar ( ff, Cerno Bokar), full name Tierno Bokar Saalif Tall (1875 – 1939), was a
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. Mal ...
an
mystic,
Sufi sage, and a
Muslim spiritual teacher
This is an index of religious honorifics from various religions.
Buddhism
Christianity
Eastern Orthodox
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Protestantism
Catholicism
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism ...
of the early twentieth century famous for his message of
religious tolerance
Religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, mistaken, or harmful". ...
and universal love.
Life
Tierno
[An honorific title meaning "master" ( ff, cerno).] Bokar was born in
Segou, Mali, in 1875. Bokar was the son of Salif (a
Tukolor prince) and Aissata. His grandfather, Seydou Hann, was respected as a great Sufi mystic. As a child, Bokar was educated in the
Tijani Order. By the age of 15, Tierno had memorized most of the
Koran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
,
Islamic rituals and laws, and the lives of many
saints. In 1890, Bokar's father left his family in Segou in order to continue to fight against the French as Segou fell into French hands without resistance. Bokar moved with his mother to the village of
Bandiagara in 1893. At the age of 18, he studied under Amadou Tafsir Ba, who introduced him to the secrets of the thought of the Tijani founder, Shaykh
Ahmad al-Tijani
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
. After his education was complete Ba requested that Bokar take over his school, but Bokar refused to be anything more than Ba's assistant until Ba died. At the age of 26 he married Nene Amadou Thiam. When he was 33 his teacher passed, and he became the leader of his own school.
Daily Schedule
Tierno Bokar led his school for 29 years, and during its heyday taught almost 200 students. He kept a simple schedule so repetitive that at any time of the day it could be known where he was. He woke up every morning at 3 am and prayed until dawn. At dawn he would go from hut to hut calling the people to
first prayer. Tierno Bokar did not lead the prayer, but would mingle afterwards with those who had attended. After the prayer he would spend some time in meditation, then head home (the school was centered in his home) where he would have breakfast with his students. The students would then be separated by their levels of learning in the courtyard and the lessons would begin. The morning would be dedicated to the Koran first, after which the law and commentaries would be studied until the second meal and
second prayer of the day. After the second prayer teaching would continue until the mid-afternoon prayer (
third prayer), after which the students were dismissed to handle their own business. Tierno recited his rosary until the sunset prayer (
fourth prayer) at the mosque, where he would remain until the nightfall prayer (
fifth prayer). After that he would visit his friends and family for enjoyment and social interaction until it was time for sleep.
Persecution and Death
In 1937, Tierno Bokar visited and became a follower of
Cherif Hammallah 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 ...
.
A disagreement over the proper number of repetitions for a
Sufi prayer (
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 ...
prescribed 11 times as opposed to 12) rose dramatically in scale. The difference in repetitions held little to no religious significance but due to historical factors was associated with rival clans. Intense infighting among rival clans and religious factions in
French Sudan, as well as involvement of the French colonial authority eventually led to massacres and the exile of Hammallah. Tierno Bokar followed 11 repetitions in his prayer for religious reasons but many members of his clan viewed it as a deep betrayal due to the prayer being associated with a rival clan. In Bandiagara, Bokar was ostracized by his clan and family and forbidden to teach or pray publicly. Bokar's school was destroyed and he and his two wives and children were placed under house arrest.
Bokar died in Bandiagara in 1939, where he is buried in the cemetery "at his mother’s feet, under a small tree".
Religious Teaching
The Soul
Tierno Bokar describes the Primordial Pact between the soul and God. Bokar taught that each person was created in the image of Adam and was given a soul. The soul is the most precious gift that God bestows. It is the soul that separates humans from animals. It is the soul that allows us to mentally make connections and understand religion and the world. It is also the soul that allows us to understand The Book (
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
), the Tradition (
Sunnah) and the Consensus (
Ijma
''Ijmāʿ'' ( ar, إجماع , " consensus") is an Arabic term referring to the consensus or agreement of the Islamic community on a point of Islamic law. Sunni Muslims regard ''ijmā as one of the secondary sources of Sharia law, after the Qur' ...
). Those who dedicated their soul to the religion is promised an increase and a reward in the Hereafter (
Paradise
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...
). Those who dedicate their soul to the material world will bring great harm towards themselves in the Hereafter (
Jahannam
In Islam, the place of punishment for unbelievers and other evildoers in the afterlife, or hell, is an "integral part of Islamic theology", Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.401 and has "occupied an important place in the Muslim imagi ...
).
Bokar taught that no matter how rigorous the trials around Paradise, the torments of hell is worse. No matter how pleasurable the things around Hell, Paradise is better. Therefore, undergoing a momentary trial for eternal bliss is better than enjoying momentary bliss and suffering perpetual torment.
Religious tolerance
Bokar believed that there was on only one true Religion with unchangeable principles but varying expressions corresponding to the time and place that the Religion is revealed. Bokar stated that this Religion is the religion taught by the great prophets but most people only understand the outward forms of the religion thus leading separate "religions" to conflict with each other. Bokar cited several Quranic verses (Quran 2:136, Quran 2:62, Quran 30:30) to explain this concept.
Tierno Bokar advocated for civil inter-religious dialogue (Quran 16:125, Quran 29:46) and admonished religious bigotry or chauvinism of any kind. Tierno Bokar stated that "Certain truths only seem to be beyond our acceptance because, quite simply, our knowledge has not had access to them". He also advised his students to "Avoid confrontations, when something in some religion or belief shocks you, instead seek to understand it. Perhaps God will come to your aid and will enlighten you about what seems strange to you."
Throughout the increasingly violent fighting, Bokar preached a message of religious tolerance and universal love.
Fame
*A book written by a pupil of his,
Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Amadou Hampâté Bâ ( ff, 𞤀𞤸𞤥𞤢𞤣𞤵 𞤖𞤢𞤥𞤨𞤢𞥄𞤼𞤫 𞤄𞤢𞥄, Ahmadu Hampaate Baa, 1900/1901 – 15 May 1991) was a Malian writer, historian and ethnologist. He was an influential figure in twentieth-cent ...
, entitled ''Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar: Le sage de Bandiagara'' (translated into English as ''
A Spirit of Tolerance
''A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar'' is the only English translation of Amadou Hampate Ba’s book ''Vie en enseignement de Tierno Bokar, le sage de Bandiagara'' (''The Life and Education of Tierno Bokar, the Sage of Bandi ...
: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar'') introduced Bokar to the non-African world. The book was originally published in 1957, under the title ''Tierno Bokar: Le Sage de Bandiagara'', with co-author Marcel Cardaire.
*Bokar's life story was later made into a play directed by
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...
entitled ''Tierno Bokar''.
*Brook made the story of prayer repetitions into another play, entitled ''11 & 12'', which ran at the
Barbican Centre (London) in early 2010.
*The poet
Maabal described Bokar with the following poem:
See also
*
Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Amadou Hampâté Bâ ( ff, 𞤀𞤸𞤥𞤢𞤣𞤵 𞤖𞤢𞤥𞤨𞤢𞥄𞤼𞤫 𞤄𞤢𞥄, Ahmadu Hampaate Baa, 1900/1901 – 15 May 1991) was a Malian writer, historian and ethnologist. He was an influential figure in twentieth-cent ...
*''
A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar''
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bokar, Tierno
People of French West Africa
Malian Sufis
1875 births
1939 deaths
People from Ségou