A Murid Expression of Gratitude (Càntug Murid)
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| Title | A Murid Expression of Gratitude (Càntug Murid) |
| Author or Owner | Serigne Diadia Diop |
| Subject | Tribute to Serigne Abdu Lahat Mbakke, History, Biography |
| Content | The document is a poem that celebrates Serigne Abdu Lahat Mbakke (or Abdul Ahad Mbacké), son of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba, the founder of the Muridiya Sufi order, for his contribution to the expansion and development of the Muridiyya and the development of infrastructures in Touba. It retraces and highlights his devotion to improving the lives of people in Touba through public works and by enforcing the Muslim moral behavior exemplified by Bamba. It also shows how Abdu Lahat resembled his father in both behavior and words. The document argues that Abdu Lahat was an extraordinary man who accomplished feats others could not have. It indicates that Bamba instilled many of these traits in his son, giving him the fortitude and expertise necessary to lead the Muridiya. Among these feats are the construction of the first water tower in Touba, founding of a Quranic school, building of the library, improvements to the mosque and the Well of Mercy, and construction of roads and markets in and around Touba. The author draws out several interesting metaphors in the poem. These include a series of culinary metaphors, such as watering down the milk, or a pot of boiling water, agricultural metaphors, and the frequent comparison of the Shaykhs to wrestling champions. This document sheds light on the relationship between Abdu Lahat and Bamba, Abdu’s life and works, and the historical development of the city of Touba. |
| Genre | Poem |
| Language | Wolof |
| Script | Wolof Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | Unbound manuscript. Due to the poor conservation of the document, some pages and note pages are hard to read. |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Touba, Senegal |
| Source Reference | Fallou Ngom, Càntug Murid, British Library, EAP334/7/1: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP334-7-1 BU African Ajami library: https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/2396 |
| Access condition and copyright | These materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu). |
| Contributors | Fallou Ngom, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Gana Ndiaye, Martin Aucoin, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Eric Schmidt, Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Gana Ndiaye, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Martin Aucoin, and other contributors. 2022. “A Murid Expression of Gratitude.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/wolof/wolof-manuscripts/cantug-murid/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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Multimedia