Introduction

This sketch aims to be a comprehensive resource for information about Sëriñ Alliw Siise, and I also include here information about his ancestors and relatives and his natal village of Joosoŋ because for the moment there is no other place for such information. Sëriñ Alliw Siise was Baay Ñas’s closest disciple, and Baay Ñas designated him as his successor (khalīfah) in his will, letters, and poetry. It is not uncommon for an Islamic leader in Senegal to designate someone other than a son as a successor, but it is uncommon for this person actually to gain recognition as the successor. Many still dispute whether or not Alliw Siise actually became Baay’s successor.

Introduction

Màbba Jaxu Ba is the key figure in the history of Islam in southern Senegal during the latter half of the 19th century. Behind him, Muslims of various social and cultural groups united to fight the non-Islamic faction (which they called ceddo) and established a short-lived but revolutionary Islamic state that has cast a long shadow over all aspects of life in Saalum.

The islands and coastal areas of the Saalum River are inhabited primarily by “Ñoominka,” or Séeréer-speaking communities that survive on a combination of fishing and farming. Ñoominka were largely animist before the 20th century, although they have nearly all been Islamized by now and many have become Taalibe Baay. There are several major Taalibe Baay muqaddams in the area, and the movement is very strong in some villages, including Jam Ñaajo, Medina Sàngaako, Sóokóon, and Jirnda. This profile brings together data about Ñoominka Taalibe Baay communities gathered through interviews with Ñoominka conducted by Aadi Faal, Aamadu Njaay, and Joseph Hill.

Situation

Daaru Mbittéyeen is in Lagem, the part of Saalum directly south of Kaolack (Kawlax) and is not far from Kóosi Mbittéyeen, the village where Baay Ñas lived for many years until he announced the Fayḍah.

This is a composite of information from various sources on the life of Maam Allaaji Abdulaay Ñas (Ash-Shaykh al-Ḥājj ᶜAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad). It is intended as a general reference and a framework to plug various bits of information into as I come across them. As such, there are many holes in it that will be filled in as I continue, so it is not a complete or finished reference.