Màggal of the Muridiyya Sufi Order of Senegal
Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba (1853-1927), Founder of the Muridiyya Sufi Order
Shaykh Ibrahima Fall (1857-1930)
The Most Devoted Disciple of Bamba also known as the Apostle of Hard work
Today is when the Muridiyya converge to celebrate their leader and founder, Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba. It was the day of his arrest in 1895 and banishment to Gabon. It was neither his birthday nor the day he died. Before 1946, it was celebrated in Diourbel, but since then now in Tuuba. The estimated number of those who gathered today is 3 million people. According to mythology, Bamba made a promise to the Prophet to suffer, and that suffering began on this day. His journey to spiritual perfection also began. Feast, pray, for you will surpass your peers for observing the day:
"Whoever celebrates the Màggal earns divine rewards comparable to those of the people who fought in the early days of Islam and the rewards of those who perform Ḥajj and ʿUmra (the two most important Islamic pilgrimages in Mecca)."[i]
For additional information on this great day, see Fallou Ngom, Muslims Beyond the Arab World: The Odyssey of Ajami and the Muridiyya, chapter 4 (Oxford University Press, May 2016).
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