Serigne Saliou Mbacké (Wolof: Sëriñ Saaliwu Mbàkke; 22 September1915 – December 28, 2007) was a saint (

Wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

) and Grand Marabout (leader) 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 1990 until his death in 2007.

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 ...

Salih Mbacké was the fifth

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 ...

(leader) of Mouridism and the last surviving son of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride movement.

Life

As Sheikh, he 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. Mbacké was a pious leader and served as the lead example for the millions of followers ( talibés) of the Mouride Islamic movement and made many improvements to the more than 400 Islamic schools founded by himself as well as his siblings, most notably Serigne Mourtalla Mbacke. He also made many improvements to the holy city of Touba, such as covering Grand Mosque of Touba with Italian marble. Agriculture and religious education were his main occupations. The Daaras (religious schools) that he founded, where the students work in the field, are found all over Senegal. With the majority being found in Khelcom in the center of the country near Kaolack. He died at the age of 92 on December 28, 2007, and was buried in Touba the next day; a three-day mourning period was declared in Senegal, his home country. He was succeeded by his nephew, Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké, the son of Cheikh Fallou Macke.

References

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External links

Obituary in ''The Times'', 2 January 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbacke, Saliou, Serigne Mouride caliphs Islam in Senegal 1915 births People of French West Africa 2007 deaths