Minanul Baaxil Xadiim buñu Wolofal: Ñaareelu Xaaj

Abstract

The materials are the second volume of the Murid internal biography of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba translated into Wolof using Ajami. The orginal biography was written by Serigne Bassirou Mbacke (1895-1966), a disciple and a son of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. Recognizing that many Murid disciples are literate in Wolofal (Wolof Ajami script) but are illiterate in Arabic, Serigne Moustapha-Bassirou (1928-2007) led a team of Murid scholars to translate his father's Arabic biography of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba into Wolof using the widely known Wolof Ajami script. Based upon the interviewer with several Murid scholars, the original source in Arabic was completed around 1927 and the Wolofal versions were made between 1966 and 1993. There are oral renderings of the materials in cassettes made by Omar Kane Balla Ayssa and a translation in French made by Khadim Mbacke of IFAN, Dakar. Throughout the biography, the classical Arabic texts of the original work is generally given followed by translations and commentaries in Wolof. The Arabic and Ajami versions of this biography are considered to be the most extensive, most detailed, most reliable, and most cited biography of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba among Murids. The biography traces the life of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba from his childhood, and describes his physical, moral, and spiritual characteristics, his courage, education, knowledge, and his spiritual achievements and ranks, among others.

The original source in Arabic was completed around 1927, and the Wolofal versions were made between 1966 and 1993.

Digitized on 6 January 2012.

All pages are readable. Due to the quality of the photocopy some pages are dark and may be hard to read. A few pages are missing.