Le Jihad de l'âme : Ahmadou Bamba et la fondation de la Mouridiyya au Sénégal, 1853-1913

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke Mouridiyya founder, is a central figure in the history of Islam in Senegal. While this important Sufi has been a lot of research, and although there are abundant hagiographic literature Ahmadou Bamba, we still had no critical analysis of his life. The Jihad of the soul is a detailed analysis of the foundation and development of the order through a biographical study of its founder.

"The work of Cheikh Anta Babou is the COMPLTE historical and biographical work on Mouridiyya by its sustained exploration, its routine operations, and cross-comparative reading of internal and external archives ... Emergent this richly documented study intelligently argued portraits that reflect the many facets of the Murid brotherhood and its founder. " Mamadou Diouf, Institute of African Studies at Columbia University

"Cheikh Babou pierced the thick hagiographic narrative surrounding the life of Ahmadou Bamba to give us a meticulous biography of this key figure in the history of Senegal. Doing so, he renewed the issue around the Mouridiyya, or rather revolutionized the understanding of this religious movement and its founder. " David Robinson, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan State

"At a time when the term Jihad has entered our political lexicon, resulting in multiple meanings, Cheikh Anta Babou provides deeply researched analysis on the role of" Jihad of the soul "in the spiritual, intellectual and political one major Sufi movements in West Africa, Mouridiyya Senegal. Babou scrutinizes Mourids perspectives on their history and religious practices. It is based on Wolof, Arabic and oral sources have rarely been exploited by historians. " Richard Roberts, Professor, Centre for African Studies, Stanford University

Cheikh Anta Babou is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches the history of West Africa, the role of religion and Islam. His research and publications focus on Islamic brotherhood, the Salafi movement and the Murid diaspora in Africa, Europe and America.