West African Sufi: The Religious Heritage and Spiritual Quest of Cerno Bokar Saalif Taal [Hardcover]

Louis Brenner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 1983

"Anndude anndaa yo woni anndal manngal. [The greatest knowledge is to know one does not know.]" These words were spoken by Cerno Bokar, a contemplative Muslim mystic and teacher from what is now the Republic of Mali. Cerno Bokar was a devout Muslim who devoted his life to acquiring a deeper understanding of Islam, and to searching for what he considered to be the universal truths that reside at the core of all religions, a search that was marked by ceaseless and persistent questioning. But toward the end of his life the personal religious commitment of this humble and tolerant man was challenged, and he became the victim of destructive political tensions then raging in colonial French West Africa. He spent the final months of his life under virtual house arrest, banned from the local mosque, his school closed, and his Sufi disciples dispersed, a systematic oppression that hastened his death in 1940. West African Sufi documents the evolution of this tragic crisis, but more important, it evokes Cerno Bokar's personal engagement with Islam and Islamic mysticism in his own words and describes in rich detail the religious and cultural milieu that shaped this engagement.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Louis Brenner's study presents not only an admirable portrait of Cerno Bokar, mystic and teacher, and one of the outstanding figures in the historical and doctrinal development of West African Sufism, but also a penetrating insight into the religious and intellectual experience of the movement." -F. Abiola Irele, Harvard University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

LOUIS BRENNER is Emeritus Professor of the History of Religion in Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His other publications include Controlling Knowledge: Religion, Power and Schooling in a West African Society (2000), Muslim Identity and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (1993), and Reflexions sur le savoir islamique en Afrique de l'ouest (1985). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (December 28, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520050088
• ISBN-13: 978-0520050082
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,250,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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