Tierno Bokar
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Tierno Bokar (1875–1939) was an African mystic, Sufi sage, and a Muslim spiritual teacher of the early twentieth century famous for his message of religious tolerance and universal love.
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[edit] Life
Tierno (which means ‘master’ in Peul) Bokar was born in Segou in 1875 and moved to the village of Bandiagara in 1893. There he opened a zaouia and became a follower of Cherif Hammallah in Nioro du Sahel.
A disagreement began in his clan over the proper number of repetitions for a Sufi prayer, (11 times as opposed to 12), disagreements which rose dramatically in scale. Intense infighting among rival clans and religious factions as well as the French colonial authority eventually lead to massacres and the exile of Hamallah. Bokar was ostracized by his clan and family and forbidden to teach or pray publicly. Tierno Bokar’s school was destroyed and he and his two wives and children were placed under house arrest.
[edit] Religious Tolerance
Throughout the increasingly violent fighting, Bokar preached a message of religious tolerance and universal love.
| “ | I pray God that at the moment I die I have more enemies to whom I’ve done nothing than friends.” | ” |
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—Tierno Bokar[1] |
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| “ | The only struggle that really concerns me is the one that is aimed at our own weaknesses. This struggle, alas,
has nothing to do with the war that so many of Adam’s sons wage in the name of a God they claim to love deeply… |
” |
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—Tierno Bokar[2] |
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[edit] Fame
- A book written by a pupil of his, Amadou Hampate Ba, titled Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar: Le sage de Bandiagara (translated into English under “A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar”) introduced him to the non-African world.
- Bokar’s life story was later made into a play directed by Peter Brook entitled Tierno Bokar.
- The poet Maabal described Bokar with the following poem:
| “ | A constant smile which calls you A forehead shining like a mirror |
” |
[edit] See also
Amadou Hampate Ba
A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar
