In the path of Allah : the passion of al-Hajj 'Umar : an essay into the nature of charisma in Islam

277 Pages·1989·15.787 MB·English

by  John Ralph Willis

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IN THE PATH OF ALLAH

IN THE
PATH OF ALLAH
THE PASSION OF
AL-HAJJ 'UMAR
An Essay into the Nature
of Charisma in Islam
JOHN RALPH WILLIS
Professor in the Department
of Near Eastern Studies
Princeton University
FRANK CASS
First published 1989 in Great Britain by
FRANK CASS & CO. LTD.
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and in the United States of America by
FRANK CASS
270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016
Transferred to Digital Printing 2005
Copyright © 1989 John Ralph Willis
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Willis, John Ralph
In the path of Allah.
1. Islam. Tal, Umar, 17947-1864.
I. Title
297\092'4
ISBN 0-7146-3252-X
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Willis, John Ralph.
In the path of Allah : the passion of al-Hajj 'Umar : an essay
into the nature of charisma in Islam / John Ralph Willis.
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7146-3252-X
1. Tal, Umar, 17947-1864. 2. Muslims—Senegal—Biography.
3. Tijanlyah members—Senegal—Biography. 4. Charisma (Personality
trait)—Case studies. I. Title.
BP80.H23W55 1989
297\4,0924—-dcl9 88-21907
[B] CIP
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy
ing, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Frank
Cass and Company Limited.
Cover illustration: border from Depont and Coppolani,
Les Confreries religieuses musulmanes, Algiers 1897;
portrait probably fictional.
TO RUTH
WHO SHOWED THE WAY

CONTENTS
Map of the Western Sudan endpapers
Acknowledgements ix
Preface xi
I The 'Umarian Jama4a 1
II Jihad fi Sabil Allah 29
III The Turudiyya and the "Seal" of Jihad 57
IV Pilgrimage in the Path of Allah 78
V Hijra in the Path of Allah 105
VI The Jihad 127
VII The Mystic Shaykh 145
VIII Dissension in the Niger Bend 166
IX The Collapse of Hamdullahi 192
Glossary 228
Bibliography 234
Index 247