Mustafa Briggs on spiritual seclusion in The Gambia
The small coastal town of Gunjur lies just an hour away from The Gambian capital Banjul. After a few minutes spent driving down a narrow and crooked dirt road, winding between trees and small houses, we found ourselves in a clearing on which stood the impressive Kenye- Kenye Jaamengo, or Sacred Sand Dunes mosque. With soothing light pink walls and majestic green domes, the large mosque overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
The Gambia, also known as the ‘Smiling Coast’ is mainland Africa’s smallest country, and although it is very popular with Western tourists who are looking for inexpensive beach holidays, it has a rich spiritual legacy that is largely overlooked and unexplored by both foreigners and natives alike.
Islam in The Gambia
Islam first entered The Gambia through Sufi scholars and saints via neighbouring Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea and Mali. It has always been a melting pot of different tribes and ethnicities, who, though separated by language and culture, have always been united by the highly spiritual and holistic Islam that is the common heritage of most of West Africa.
The effects of globalisation and colonialism, particularly with the prevalence of the English language (it is the official language of the country), mean that young Gambians today would probably choose YouTube personalities such as Zakir Naik or Mufti Menk over Shaykh Ahmad Bamba or Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (in contrast to neighbouring Senegal where most of the population is affiliated to the Mouride or Tijani Sufi orders). In spite of this, West African Islamic spiritual heritage is still a living tradition in the Gambia.
Shaykh Umar Futi Taal
The Sacred Sand Dunes mosque, at which I had just arrived for Jummah, is a testament to the visit of the famous saint and Islamic scholar Shaykh Umar Futi Taal to The Gambia.
Shaykh Umar founded the short-lived Toucouleur Empire, which encompassed much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali. Born around 1794 in Halwar in the Imamate of Futa Toro (present-day Senegal), among his travels he is best known for his pilgrimage to Makkah, during which he met his spiritual guide Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghali, a direct diciple of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani. The latter appointed Shaykh Umar as the Khalifa or ‘Representative’ of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in Black Africa. He also spent time in the Sokoto Caliphate in present day Nigeria, where Muhammad Bello the son and successor of Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio, gave him his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Shaykh Umar’s time in The Gambia, though largely undocumented, has become immortalised through the construction of the Sacred Sand Dunes mosque. It is built on the site of a large rock, where Shaykh Umar Taal spent time in khalwa, or spiritual retreat, in order to prepare himself for the founding of his future empire, and the final stage of his incredible life journey.
Shaykh Umar was not the only one to have looked to The Gambia for seclusion; when we look at the scholars of neighbouring Senegal, many would visit for spiritual retreats and recuperation. When Al-Hajj Abdallah Niasse, the famous mujahid and muffasir of the Quran, and father of the internationally renowned Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse, was being troubled by his enemies in Senegal (French colonialists and their native Senegalese allies and sympathisers), he moved to The Gambia and settled in the small village of Keur Samba, staying there for 11 years, whilst travelling throughout the country teaching and growing his network of disciples and students. Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse himself, who reached such heights in Islamic scholarship that he was named Shaykh al-Islam by al-Ahzar university in Egypt and made the vice president of the Muslim World League in Makkah, in later life, memorized the Quran and studied all of his foundational Islamic Studies with his father in The Gambia.
Shaykh Ahmad Bamba also spent time in the country, where he would visit his ‘uncle’ Shaykh Mass Kah (Mass Kah’s mother Sokhna Gaye Kane, and Shaykh Ahmad Bamba’s paternal grandmother Anta Saly Kane, were sisters), who left Senegal to settle in The Gambia. There, he founded the border towns of Amdallai and Karang, before finally settling in Medina Serigne Mass, which translates as “the Medina of Shaykh Mass.” He is the grandfather of the current Chief Imam of The Gambia, Cherno Alieu Mass Kah.
The Gambia has historically been, and still is, a safe haven and home for those searching for peace and prosperity, either for short term spiritual retreats or to make permanent homes. Native Gambians live alongside Lebanese restaurant owners, shop in Pakistani owned supermarkets, welcome European and American tourists and Carribean repatriates to the country, and work alongside Senegalese, Guinean, Sierra Leonean and Nigerian immigrants, who have chosen to settle, and describe their national motto as ‘The Gambia no problem.’
This phenomenon is not new; if we look at the ethinic demographics of the nation and study the history of The Gambia’s major ethnic groups, we can see that the majority Mandinkas came to the area in the 14th century during the height of the Mali Empire as it expanded its power to the coast. They shared the territory with Jolas who came from neighbouring Casamance, which is in modern day Senegal. Then came the Fulanis from Fouta Djallon in Guinea, the Tukulor from Futa Toro, and the Wolof from Saloum, Kadior, Baol, Sine, Waalo and Jollof, all of which are now in Francophone Senegal. They dominated trade in the British Capital of Barthurts (now known as Banjul), alongside the Aku, a branch of the Krio or Liberated African community of returnee slaves from the Americas, who settled in Nigeria and Sierra Leone before their final home in The Gambia.
Sacred Sand Dunes Mosque
We drove down towards the front entrance of the mosque, and were greeted by a retinue of soldiers, bodyguards and army personnel, some of whom, I noticed, were ECOWAS forces from neighbouring Senegal. We were informed that President Adama Barrow had decided to pray Jummah and perform ziyara (sacred visitation) to the blessed site.
After the Friday prayers were concluded, we were greeted by Babacar Faye, one of the elders who is in charge of guiding people around the mosque and distributing the charity offered by worshippers among the local population. He was sitting on a humble plastic mat surrounded by bags of sugar and salt, and packets of candles that people had given to be handed out to the less fortunate, an offering to Allah in hope that He might hear and answer their prayers. As Babacar explained, “nobody can eat food without salt or drink tea without sugar,” while the candles provide light when there are any problems with electricity.
Babacar explained the history of the blessed site, and why people flock here in droves. “When Shaykh Omar was in Fouta, he would always see a light shining forth from the south, and he knew that this light was a sign pointing him to something that would help him in his mission. One day he decided to follow the light and travelled south until he nearly reached Banjul, and then the light disappeared. He then continued on his path to Makkah, where he made his pilgramage and completed his spiritual training under Muhammad al-Ghali. When he went on Hajj, the Jinn who was a wali (saint or friend of Allah) and lived here in Gunjur as the guardian of the rock, also went on Hajj and met Shaykh Omar Futi there.”
“When they met in Makkah he informed him that the light he was seeing was the light shining from this place (where the mosque now stands).” He was told that upon his return to Black Africa, he would need to complete a khalwa at the site in order to prepare himself completely for the mission he had ahead. He was instructed to travel to Bakau, north of Gunjur, and follow the coast until the wali reappeared and led him to the site of the mosque to “complete his spiritual station and fortify him for his great Jihad.“ Shaykh Umar returned to Senegambia, and followed the wali’s instructions until he arrived at the site of the rock. The wali reappeared and instructed him on how to perform his khalwa. “And so he spent 41 days at the location, in between the rock and the baobab tree, until the period was complete and he achieved all of his spiritual aspirations. He then made dua that anyone who comes to this place will also receive baraka and have their prayers answered.“
The baobab tree still stands in a courtyard within the mosque.
A man, who had come to visit the site from neighboring Guinea, and who had been listening to Babacar relay this story to us, interjected at this point to add more. “This site was made famous by Shaykh Umar” he excitedly exclaimed, “but it did not begin with him. This site is one of the seven central points in the world that keep it together spiritually. As for the rock, if you read the Quran you will know the story of Prophet Musa when he asked to see Allah. He was on top of the mountain called ‘Tur Sinai’ and Allah told him that he will manifest to the mountain and if the mountain stays in its place then Musa will see Him. When Allah manifested onto the mountain, pieces of the mountain shattered off and flew to different places in the world, and this rock is one of those pieces that flew from Egypt and landed here! This is why people have been coming here for hundreds of years. Before Shaykh Umar, the people that lived here and visited (the site) knew it had spiritual power- but Shaykh Umar is the one who let us know the true power of this place.“
Of course, no one can say for sure how authentic these stories are, but one thing is for certain, the mosque is one of the most beautiful in Africa. Its simple but majestic architecture stands on a breathtaking beachfront overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean. The the rock and the tree had always stood in an open space, until the former president of The Gambia built the grand mosque on the site, and for many years, used it himself for seclusion and prayer. Now, under the new political regime, the mosque and sacred rock are still as popular as ever; the site is continually crowded with locals and visitors alike, from as far afield as Nigeria. They come to seek Shaykh Umar’s baraka in the hope that their prayers will be answered.
There is a deep sense of peace and spirituality here, perhaps a remnant from the visit of Shaykh Umar himself, or as a result of the prayers and blessings of the hundreds of people who still frequent this beautiful and hidden site today. For anyone wanting to experience West African Islamic spirituality – a living tradition- it is a must-visit.
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