Abdou Karim Thiam Manuscripts

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/2144/28982

The collection consists of six sets of manuscripts. The first is a poem recounting the feats of Muḥammad and celebrates his role in the expansion of Islam. The poem is written in Arabic with interlinear and marginal glosses in Arabic and Soninke Ajami. The second manuscript consists of prayers in Arabic; recipes for happiness and wealth; esoteric diagrams with Arabic text inside, and explanations of their purpose along with instructions on how to use them written in Mandinka Ajami. There are also protective incantations (called saalaalo in Mandinka) that blend Arabic litanies with Mandinka phrases in order to have effects on real life events as well as records of local customers who sought the divination services of Imam Nimbaly Thiam. The third manuscript is an address book. The fourth manuscript teaches divination techniques. The fifth set belongs to the genre called Saalaaloo (incantations) in Mandinka, which is commonly used for protection from evil eyes, evil tongues, and evil spirits, among others. The sixth manuscript includes two poems praising Prophet Muḥammad in Arabic, with interlinear and marginal glosses in Arabic and Soninke Ajami.

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Misilmeyaa Keeñaa: Guide for Muslims
Muḥammad, Abdullah; Thiam, Imam Nimbaly; Camara, Bakary (scribe)
The manuscript includes two poems praising Prophet Muḥammad in Arabic, with interlinear and marginal glosses in Arabic and Soninke Ajami. The poems recount the different phases of Muḥammad’s life, how he overcame the challenges he faced, and his achievements, which are meant to celebrate his virtues so that Muslims can be proud of him, follow his teachings, and emulate his conduct. Some of the pages include small decorative illustrations in black and red ink. The red ink color is used to emphasize important letters and names, including names of prophets. Cardboard is used as the bookcover. The manuscript was digitized in the home of the owner (Abdou Karim Thiam) in the neighborhood of Kandialang in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
Saalaaloo: Incantation
(1985) Thiam, Imam Nimbaly
The manuscript belongs to the genre called Saalaaloo (incantation) in Mandinka. These incantatory texts are common in Mandinka communities as they are common in other West African Muslim societies. They are meant to be recited. They are used for protection from evil eyes, evil tongues, and evil spirits, among others. Like many of the texts in this collection, the text is bilingual. While mostly written in Mandinka Ajami, it includes common Islamic doxologies and litanies in Arabic believed to be potent. The Mandinka language used in the text is also esoteric and is believed to be potent. The Mandinka language used in the text is phonologically and lexically different from the variety commonly used in natural communication.
Juubeeraŋo: Divination
Thiam, Imam Nimbaly
The manuscript deals with divination techniques. The techniques are used by Mandinka marabouts (local religiousl leaders and healers) in order to diagnose the supernatural or natural causes of people’s challenges or ailments, to prescribe appropriate remedies, or to predict their future. The document is written in Mandinka Ajami. The author goes step by step through several processes that one needs to know in order to be able to perform divination successfully, including what exact Arabic prayer or litany to use at what specific time. With this text, the author shares his knowledge of divination with his fellow spiritual leaders and healers, his disciples, and the local knowledge seekers who are literate in Mandinka Ajami. Sharing divination knowledge, healing recipes, and other forms of knowledge are common among West African Muslims. The manuscript was digitized in the home of the owner (Abdou Karim Thiam) in the neighborhood of Kandialang in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
Taamaŋserolu Kitaaboo: Address Book in Mandinka Ajami
Thiam, Imam Nimbaly
The manuscript is an address book. It contains people’s names and their phone numbers. Some of the people mentioned are from Guinea-Bissau. The phone numbers are generally spelled out in Mandinka Ajami. However, in some cases it is the French reading of the numbers that is written in Mandinka Ajami. For example, 25-24-43 are spelled out in Mandinka Ajami as they would normally be read in French. Other phone numbers are directly translated in Mandinka using the Mandinka numbering system. Occasionally, some phone numbers are written with Western numerals. The manuscript was digitized in the home of the owner (Abdou Karim Thiam) in the neighborhood of Kandialang in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
Naafulu Soto, Duwaaraŋo, Saalaaloolu, aniŋ Juubeeraŋo: Recipes for fortune, prayers, incantations, and divination records
Thiam, Imam Nimbaly
This collection encompasses several genres of texts including: prayers in Arabic; recipes for happiness and wealth; esoteric diagrams with Arabic text inside of them, and explanations of their purpose along with instructions on how to use them written in Mandinka Ajami. The goals of these esoteric diagrams include addressing people’s preoccupations (such as love and relationship issues). There are also protective incantations (called saalaalo in Mandinka) which blend Arabic litanies with Mandinka phrases in order to have tangible effects on real life events. Some esoteric figures are written in red and black followed by an explanation of their purpose in vocalized Mandinka Ajami. The collection also contains records of local customers who sought the divination services of Imam Nimbaly Thiam between 1969 to 2015. The divination services he offered (Arabic: istikhāra) are used to help people know about their future and protect them from evil, among other things. The records he kept in non-vocalized Mandinka Ajami show that his customers were diverse and that they came from people of all walks of life, religions, and ethnicities. His customers included Muslims, Christians, and followers of traditional religions from the ethnic groups that inhabit the Casamance region of Senegal. The records also include some of his financial transactions. The reference to Dollars and Pesos (the former currency of Guinea Bissau) in the records reflects the international dimension of his divination services. Most of the vocalized texts in the manuscript are written in Mandinka Ajami.
Dāliyyat al-Yūsī and Mulḥat al-I‘rāb
Thiam, Imam Nimbaly
This collection includes Dāliyyat al-Yūsī, a panegyric poem rhyming with the letter dāl authored by the Moroccan Shadhilī leader al-Yūsī (d. 1691 ), and Mulḥat al-I‘rāb, a poem dealing with Arabic grammar by Abū Muḥammad al-Qāsim ibn ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Ḥarīrī also known as Al-Ḥarīrī of Basra (1054-1122). Milḥat al-I‘rāb is a popular short Arabic grammar book. The manuscripts are written in Arabic with interlinear and marginal glosses in Arabic and Soninke Ajami. The manuscript was digitized in the home of the owner (Abdou Karim Thiam) in the neighborhood of Kandialang in Ziguinchor, Senegal.

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