El Hadji Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké, or

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Bara Mbacké (c. 1925 – 30 June 2010) was the Grand Marabout of the

Mouride The Mouride brotherhood (, ''aṭ-Ṭarīqat al-Murīdiyyah'' or simply , ''al-Murīdiyyah'') is a large ''tariqa'' (Sufism, Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in the city of Touba, which is a holy city for t ...

movement in

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 ...

from 2007 until his death in 2010. The movement is prominent outside Senegal as well, in places such as New York, Paris and Rome. Bara Mbacké became Grand Marabout of the Mouride movement after the death of his uncle, Serigne Saliou Mbacké, on 28 December 2007. He died of natural causes at the age of 85. His death was mourned by millions of people, and Senegal declared an eight-day period of national mourning.

Biography

Sheikh Bara Mbacké was the grandson of the founder of the Mouride. He was the sixth

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of Mouridism. As the nephew of the fifth caliph Serigne Saliou Mbacké, he was the first caliph who was not a son of Sheikh

Amadou Bamba Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853–1927), also known to followers as the Servant of Muhammad, the Messenger () and Serigne Touba or "Sheikh of Touba", was a wali, Sufi saint and religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the Mouride Brotherh ...

, the founder of the Mouride movement. Bara Mbacké succeeded Serigne Saliou Mbacke as Shaykh who was credited for his transformation of the village of

Touba Touba (Hassaniya Arabic: , 'Felicity'; Wolof: Tuubaa) is a city in central Senegal, part of Diourbel Region and Mbacké district. With a population of 1,120,824 in 2023, it is the second most populated Senegalese city after Dakar. It is the h ...

into Senegal's second largest city,"Senegalese Islamic leader dies"
Aljazeera. December 30, 2007. and for the enormous growth in popular devotion and political power of the brotherhood both throughout West Africa and (through the diaspora) the world. It has been reported that Serigne Saliou Mbacke personally chose his successor, and that the grandsons of Amadou Bamba (including Serigne Saliou Mbacke's son, Serigne Cheikh Saliou Mbacké) have all pledged their loyalty to the new caliph, and that Bara Mbacké was visited by both President

Abdoulaye Wade Abdoulaye Wade (, ; born 29 May 1926) is a Senegalese politician who served as the third president of Senegal from 2000 to 2012. He is also the Secretary-General of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), having led the party since it was founded ...

and Senegalese opposition leaders within 48 hours of his uncle's death.ATTITUDE - Présentation de condoléances : Serigne Moustapha Saliou boude Wade
LeQuotidien: 31 Dec 2007. and
MANOEUVRES POLITIQUES A TOUBA : Ayant boudé le Président Wade, Serigne Moustapha Saliou reçoit Macky Sall
Nettali: 31 Dec 2007. Bara Mbacké was one of the sons of Mouhamadou Fallilou Mbacké, himself the second caliph and son of Sheikh Amadou Bamba. At 85 he was the oldest man to be appointed caliph of the Mouride. He was reported to have been trained by his father while caliph (1945–1968), and was said to speak a number of languages, including Arabic, French and English.

Death

Bara Mbacké had been ill for months before his death in

on 30 June 2010. Just before his death he had been hospitalised at a clinic in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Bara Mbacké's successor as ''Grand Marabout'' was his cousin, Cheikh Maty Leye Mbacke.

President of Senegal The president of Senegal () is the head of state of Senegal. In accordance with the 2001 Senegalese constitutional referendum, constitutional reform of 2001 and since a 2016 Senegalese constitutional referendum, referendum that took place on 20 ...

took a helicopter ride from Dakar to Touba to swear allegiance to the new leader. Senegalese Prime Minister Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye announced his death on state radio that morning. His said Bara Mbacké's death was a "very great loss for all the nation", and praised his "erudite wisdom". President Wade, a Mouride himself, joined the people of Senegal in mourning events. Other officials, including the prime minister, Senate president and several government ministers joined him. Senegal entered an eight-day period of national mourning. Hundreds of thousands to even millions of people mourned his death. Traffic in Dakar was noticeably lighter as people went to Touba to mourn. Hymns and readings from the

Koran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, as well as images of mourning crowds were aired on state television. He was buried at Touba's main

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bara Mbacke, Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Senegalese Sufi religious leaders 1920s births 2010 deaths 21st-century caliphs

Biography

Death

Further reading

References