User talk:Mouhamed at-Tijani

Better known by his familiar name to all, Mame Khalifa Niass or Muhammad al-Khalifa Nas was born on Friday, July 29, the second day of Ramadan in the year 1879 of the Gregorian calendar corresponding to the year 1298 of the hegira in Selik in the Nioro du rip (Saloum - Senegal). His mother, Aminata Thiam was the daughter of Sheikh Ibrahima Thiam Serigne Kelelle maternal uncle of el Hadj Abdoulaye; nicknamed Oumoul Massakine because of the constant help she gave to the poor, was a woman of kindness, gentleness and piety. The day of his baptism is of crucial importance, because during this day his father reports that he met Prophet Muhamad (pbuh) awake and in broad daylight, our attention is also drawn here by the fact that the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) introduced his blessed tongue into the mouth of Mame Khalifa while he was holding it in his arms, the saliva of the Prophet (pbuh) has recognized miraculous virtues ... This meeting, which is not accidental, will be recounted later in one of his poems. Our character grew up under the shadow of his benevolent father, who sent him at the age of 7 to learn the Koran with the master Hassane Cissé Coumba Darmane of the village of Djossong between Passy and Sokone, very early on he was noticed by his intelligence, his great faculty to memorize the texts to the point that he wrote on the wooden board which he used as slate, his first poem barely arrived at sura Moulki (the kingdom):

"He took me in his silky arms, gently, affectionately, until all my doubts and fears were dispelled in my heart ..."

The master was not long in discovering it, he was amazed and out of fear, sent him back to his father. Back at his compound, his father called him to reveal to him what really happened on the day of his baptism: his interview with the Prophet, something he was not unaware of because it was nostalgia for this meeting. which prompted him to write this poem ... He remained close to his father who completed his education thus already at 18, he mastered the science of exegesis, that of traditions, orthoepy, theology, mysticism, philosophy, law, grammar, logic, rhetoric, philology, prosody, arithmetic, geometry, pharmacopoeia, medicine and all capped with a perfect handling of the Arabic language, a real gift himself used to say:

"I cannot say if my mother tongue is Wolof or Arabic ..."

Mouhamad Niass took the wird Tidjani from his father's hands. Father who gave him total confidence, he was his confidant, Sheikh, friend, he watched him and asked him constantly to manage his affairs. As a young man, he had tried his hand at trading, especially importing cola and horses from Mali in whole wagons. These goods, which he had placed with his disciples, quickly made him prosper, but only reading interested him, especially rare works, most of which were original manuscripts. He devoted himself entirely to the quest for said books. In 1901, the village of Taïba Niassène was destroyed by the French and his father's property confiscated following the wrongful accusation against the latter of inciting the populations to revolt. El hadj Abdoulaye and his family took refuge, as well as a large number of disciples in Gambia, first in Keur Samba Yacine, then in Sam where they stayed until 1910. Date on which the father and son accompanied by El hadj Mouhamad Zeynabou, another son of El hadj Abdoulaye began their trip to Fez to make the ziyara at the tomb of Seydi Ahmad Tidjani RA, they left by boat from Foundiougne (in the current region of Fatick) to to the city of Tangier from where their journey began, on foot, on horseback and by train to the final destination. It was in Fez that he composed memorable elegies in honor of his master al Tidjani, he also met important personalities of the mother zawiya such as Sidi Ahmad Skiridj Iyashi. During her father's stay in Fez, Mame Khalifa decided to continue making the Pilgrimage to Mecca at the same time, he embarked in a boat leaving for the city of Marseille in France, from there he took a train, the 'Orient Express to Istanbul in Turkey where he transits by another train the Hedjaz Railways which will take him to the city of Medina where he could start his Haaj. At the end of the pilgrimage he finds his father in Fez to make the return trip together. It was after returning to Senegal in 1911 that El hadj Abdoulaye established his family in the town of Kaolack, capital of the Sine-Saloum circle; being already exhausted with age to the point that he could not return to The Gambia where he had left his family, it was Mame Khalifa who was in charge of bringing them back. El hadj Abdoulaye Niass established his Zawiya and his university in his new city Leona, and his influence began to increase considerably;read everywhere to receive an Ijaza or quite simply to take the Wird Tidjani, this is how many contacts were made, in particular with the Fouta by Tafssir Bala Seck and Tafssir Moustafa Thiam and many other personalities from the surrounding regions. In 1918 at the end of the First World War, the colonists try to strengthen the links that bind them to the colonized because the latter helped them during the war so they organize a ceremony of thanks in all the cantons, letters addressed to the populations are written in Arabic and French intended to be read in public, during the ceremony near Leona, an interpreter is chosen but neither the translation nor the reading are suitable for the Commander of the Circle, then one of his advisers, a named Samba Tall from Saint-Louis, offers him a son of el hadj Abdoulaye who masters very well Arabic for the translation and reading of the letter to the natives, so Mouhamad Khalifa was distinguished for the first time by the Commander of the Circle who was dazzled by his perfect mastery of the Arabic language, palpable through his translation. Shortly after, the Commander issued a decree to appoint him Head of Canton of Djouroup, something that El hadj Abdoulaye refused, saying that his son would only be appointed by Seydi Ahmad Tidjani (RA), and even later the function of assessor. customary and Muslim court will be granted to him by Commander Brocard and once again the offer is declined. Mouhamad Khalifa is personally involved in teaching his brothers. His father took care to recommend him to all his disciples and enthroned him as Caliph in the presence of all, sons, disciples and Muqadam, a moment that Mame Khalifa immortalized in one of these poems. The year 1922 witnessed the disappearance of one of the greatest Tidjani figures of Black Africa, on July 9, The Sun of the Guided, El hadj Abdoulaye Niass died out. A few years after taking over from his father, more precisely in 1927, Khalifa Mouhamad Niass returned to Fez where he obtained an Ijaza Itlaq deemed difficult to obtain because not being given to whoever wanted, that of the supreme caliph Sidi Mahmoud ibn Mouhamad al Bachir Tidjani (RA).

His caliphate was very hierarchical and all his brothers were included:

- he personally took care of the University and taught lessons with the help of some of his brothers such as Cheikh Omar among others - El hadji Muhammad Zeynabou was in charge of external relations - El hadj Babacar al kabir was the imam of the mosque - Cheikh Ibrahima (bay) was in charge of Daara and the fields of Kossy - Mouhamad Shafihou managed the concession Mame Khalifa made it her mission to maintain the orthodoxy in which their father had inked them, that is to say: Work, a taste for Knowledge and Piety.