Qadiri Community of Buh Kunta

By Maria Grosz-Ngate and Toba Diagne Haїdara

Letter from administrator Godel

Date: January 6, 1911
Tivaouane cercle administrator Godel informs the Lieutenant Governor of Senegal that, in accordance with the Governor's instructions, he has had a parcel of land demarcated that might be granted to Buh Kunta. The letter is accompanied by a sketch outlining the projected property [p. 3]. Administrator Godel promises to follow up with proposals for the placement of a well.

Letter from Deputy Francois Carpot

Date: November 16, 1911
In this letter, Deputy to the French Assembly Francois Carpot asks the Governor of Senegal to intervene on behalf of Buh Kunta's efforts to acquire some parcels of land. He notes that Governor General Ponty had already given his agreement but that Buh Kunta had been unable to take possession due to the opposition of administrator Godel.

Estate of Buh Kunta

Date: March 27, 1915
This set of documents from a file titled "Inheritance of Bou Kounta 1914-1915" lists the estate of Buh Kunta inventoried and valued after his death in 1914. It includes properties in Saint-Louis, Rufisque, Dakar, Tivaouane, and Ndiassane; animals (including oxen and cows, donkeys, camels, horses, goats); cash; and rental income.  One document specifies the division of the inheritance; another one indicates that Buh Kunta's three eldest sons - Bekaye Kunta, Abdurahmane Kunta & Sidy Lamin Kunta - agree to pay the workers assisting with the settlement 3% of what is left of the estate.

Binetou Diarra, Dahira Invitation

Date: July 3, 1990
Document from El Haj Shaykh Buh Kunta (Cheikh Bou Kounta), Khalif General of the Quadiriyya order in Ndiassane, to Mrs. Bintu Jarra (Binetou Diarra) in Pikine, a suburb of Dakar, inviting all Qadiri disciples, relatives and Muslims, to participate in the activities of Mrs. Diarra's daaira (dahira). With blessings to all.

Pious visit of Thiariack: The work of the Prophet exalted

Date: March 8, 1991
Thiariack, a small village located in the department of Kaolack, held a ziaara to give thanks to Allah and to glorify the Prophet Mohamed and the "Saint of Baghdad" (Abdoul Khader Jeylani, founder of the Qadiriyya). The Khalif of Ndiassane, surrounded by his sons and followers, and government officials took part in this religious ritual that appears to be growing in importance. In the exchange of greetings, well wishes, and blessings, the Khalif and the minister who represented President Abdou Diouf both evoked the desire for peace in the Persion Gulf.

Religion: 79th Pious Visit in Ndiassane, Saturday

Date: February 7, 1993
Brief article reporting on the upcoming pious visit to Khalif  Shaykh Mame Buh Kunta of Ndiassane and the rituals scheduled to take place on this occasion. The pilgrimage is intended to mark the importance of the month preceding Ramadan as well as to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the death of Buh Kunta, the founder of Ndiassane. Thousands of pilgrims from as far as Mali are expected.

Mawlud in the regions [of Senegal]: Plea for a return to God

Date: September 1, 1994
The article reports on the celebration of Mawulud, the "baptism" of the Prophet Mohamed, in Ndiassane the previous Friday. It notes that Ndiassane was too small for the thousands of faithful who had come from all over Senegal, from Mauritania, Mali, and elsewhere. Ahmed Bashir Kunta, the spokesman for the Khalif, recognized this in his welcome of the governmental delegation that had also come. He asked the head of the delegation to transmit the family's appreciation of the government's support to President Abdou Diouf and confirmed the Khalif's support of the President. In his address, the spokesperson of the delegation noted among other things that the secular and the religious authorities need to strive for a durable peace in Senegal. However, peace should not only be a concern for religious leaders but for all Senegalese, who also should pray to God. Khalif Buh Muhamed prayed in person for the President and for the [Tijaniyya] Khalif El Hadji Abdoul Aziz Sy and the [Murid] Khalif Serigne Saliou Mbacke. He thanked in the particular the regional governor for his logistical support of the "baptism" celebration.
Spokesman Bashir Kunta pointed out that Khalif Shaykh Buh Muhamed dedicates his life to the expansion of the Qadiriyya and that Qadiriyya groups are springing up in Europe, the United States, in Africa and the Maghreb, thus expanding the circle of the community. In the course of the night, Mr Bashir Kunta lectured to the audience assembled under the tent about the life and work of the Prophet Mohamed, the life trajectory of founder Buh Kunta, the activities of the current Khalif as well as about topics that ranged from divorce to the environment, human rights, and the protection of children.

Warc 258

Date: February 1998
Certificate of Merit provided to Shaykh Mussa Jaxate (Moussa Diakhate) by the Cheikhna Cheikh Saad Buh Foundation during the International Qadiriyya Conference held in Dakar from February 14-16, 1998.

Qadiriyya of Ndiassane, Kunta Spiritual Genealogy

Date: 2006
Kunta spiritual genealogy and religious heritage. Top half of document shows the founder, Shaykh Buh Kunta, followed by the sons who succeeded him and their years in the khalifate. El Haj Mame Buh Mamadu Kunta, who became khalif on April 29, 2006, was the first of the grandsons to become khalif. The bottom half represents the spiritual chain that links the reigning khalif to the Kunta scholarly lineages of the Sahara desert down to the illustrious scholar and jurist Sidi Ahmed al-Bekkaï Kunta (d. 1514) and the earliest Kunta ancestor and, through him, to the family of the Prophet Mohamed. The second page is an Arabic version of the same document.

Ndiassane annual pilgrimage: The government reaches out to all religious communities

Date: April 19, 2006
The article focuses on the message conveyed by the government on the occasion of the annual pilgrimage celebrations in Ndiassane. Minister of the Interior Ousmane Ngom, who headed the delegation of national and regional officials, transmitted greetings and well-wishes from the head of state to the Khalif, and then addressed himself to all religious leaders, Muslim as well as Christian. He noted that they are educators, opinion leaders, and important intermediaries in the Senegalese social fabric and are well placed to remind Senegalese of their cultural and religious values. Thus, they are being asked to support the President of the Republic in his quest to make Senegal an emerging country by urging "our compatriots" to change their behavior in the right direction.

Mourning in the Islamic community: The Khalif of Ndiassane passes away at the age of 92

Date: May 2, 2006
The article reports the passing of Mame Buh Mamadu Kunta, the 5th khalif of Ndiassane. It notes that in addition to the followers who streamed to Ndiassane as soon as the death became public, religious and secular dignitaries, including the head of state (President Wade), came to offer their condolences.

Obituary: Shaykh Buh Muhamed Kunta called home to God

Date: May 2, 2006
The article reports the passing of the Khalif Shaykh Buh Muhamed Kunta during the night from Saturday, April 29, to Sunday, April 30, after a long illness. The burial took place at 5am of the same day. 92 years of age, the late khalif acceded to the khalifate in 1987. The author notes that the oldest of the Khalifs General was appreciated for his wisdom, opennes, and discretion.
The article also reminds the reader of the long history of Islam in Senegal, its co-existence with Christianity as well as with animism. Ndiassane is a branch of the Qadiriyya, the oldest of the different Sufi orders represented in Senegal.
The author concludes by presenting the condolences of Babacar Toure, President of the Communications Group Sud and its staff, and by the new Khalif, his relatives and followers, a long life and good health.

The most senior member of the Khalifs General: Shaykh Buh Muhamed Kunta called home to God

Date: May 3, 2006
This article reports the passing of Shaykh Buh Muhammed Kunta and his burial at 5am on April 30, 2006. It notes that the late khalif was the 5th khalif of the Kunta family and the last of the sons of founder Shaykh Buh Kunta to occupy the khalifate. Faithful from all parts of the country streamed to Ndiassane to pay their last respects. A sad event for the entire country, his departure also brought many Islamic leaders to Ndiassane, including Serigne Abdul Aziz Sy Jr. and Serigne Maudo Abdul Aziz as representatives of the Khalif General of the Tijaniyya, and Serigne Saliu Ture, the representative of the spiritual leader of the Murids in Thies. In funeral orations and condolences, the deceased was remembered as a distinguished scholar of Islamic thought.
Shaykh Buh's designated successor, El Haj Mame Buh Mamadu, will be the first of the founder's grandsons to become khalif.


"Ndiassane rediscovers the 'miracle' of its spring"

Date: January 17, 2014
Online article of January 17, 2014, with a photo of Khalif El Haj Mame Buh Mamadu Kunta. Reports that Mr. Ahmet Kunta, spokesperson and son of the Qadiri Khalif General of Ndiassane, revealed that a spring which first erupted in 1883 is again providing potable water after several years of drought. In an interview with APS, Mr. Kunta spoke about the response of the local population to the reappearance of the spring; the historical significance of the spring and its importance as a water supply; and the possibility of creating a borehole. The spring reappeared as the Kunta family is preparing for the annual pilgrimage, scheduled for the following Monday (January 20).