The book first traces the genesis and evolution of Sufism in order to explain the circumstances that permitted the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods. Next, brotherhoods that are currently active in Senegal, are described as to the means and manner of their diffusion, the lives of their founding figures, their basic teachings, their internal organization, the links they maintain with each other, and the role they play in the country's cultural, economic, social and political life. Sufism, an expression of the faith focused on spirituality, was the principal format of Islam in Senegal in the 19th and 20th centuries. The major Sufi leaders there were Ibrahim Niasse of the Tijaniyya brotherhood (tariqa), and Muhammad (or Ahmad) Bamba, who established the Murid tariqa, joined by thousands of Senegalese, many of whom later migrated to Europe or America; and major Murid communities still exist in Milan and New York. The book examines both of these major Sufi tariqas in Senegal, as well as the Qadiriyya, and the semi-Sufi Laayeene movement, from their initiation to the late 20th century, showing their influence on Senegalese societies, and on the country's political life, both in the French colonial era and after independence. Until quite recently the average Senegalese citizen was incapable of conceiving Islam outside of a Sufi affiliation. However, the leaders (the shaykhs) who, succeeded the founders, have been more concerned with the management of inherited material interests than in the spiritual education and guidance of the masses of followers. Nowadays, Senegal's shaykhs are more similar to traditional West African chiefs than to the dedicated Islamic educators their ancestors were, and most of their followers are content with this situation as they benefit materially from it. The study of the state of Islam in Senegal, and the religious factors that influence it, can help those concerned with this matter to reflect upon the future of Islam in that country in light of its past.

Translated by: Eric Ross
Introduction by: John Hunwick