During his visit to the village of Boubacar Madina Baye in 2006, Shaykh Muhammad Al-Ma'mun Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.) gave the following speech in front of a large audience that included his son Muhammad Mansur (h.a.) and Abdullah Cham (h.a.), the president of "Ansarud-Din" (an organization founded by Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.) for his disciples). Boubacar Madina Baye is a village in Senegal located between Kaolack and the Mauritanian border and established by Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.), who named it Boubacar Madina Baye.
In the name of Allah, the Most Widely and Deeply Merciful. All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him (t.w.t.—may He be exalted) as He ought to be praised, by His words that combine all levels of divinity, a praise that combines all four manners of praise. We are grateful to our Prophet and Beloved Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who carried this torch and this white flag that is the pure religion, the blessed religion of Islam. We ask Allah to be pleased with our shaykhs, most notably our shaykh, master, and lord, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tijani (r.a.), and all of his successors, loved ones and companions, most notably the Owner of the Tijani Flood, the Shaykh of Islam Al-Hajj Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.).
Today I am in the utmost of bliss and happiness to have my feet placed in the city of Boubacar Madina Baye, the city of Shaykh of Islam al-Hajj Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.), a city replete with lights, replete with the best things, replete with blessings…a city that gathers those whom Allah has chosen, those who were desired by Allah even before they could desire Him. They gather here in this barren desert out of love for Allah (t.w.t.), making remembrance of Allah throughout the night and at the beginning and end of the day, worshipping their Lord, and reciting His book. It is one of the great wonders of our age that this city would be exactly as Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.) would have desired it: a city dedicated to the Flood, distant from the material world and close to Allah (t.w.t.). This is something we take great pride in, as does our beloved Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.), the blessed one to whom this city belongs.
And who is it whose covenant we hold to, and who in turn holds to our covenant in Allah and in love of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.), except Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.)? Shaykh Ould Khayri: good ("Khayr") is his name, and good has been amassed in him himself; what has occurred in this place doesn't surprise me, because I know Shaykh Ould Khayri's (h.a.) true origin, and I know the true origin of Boubacar. We used to study Qur'an with Muhammad ibn al-Rabbani (h.a.) and learn from him. That was in the times of the year when the rivers and other sources of water would dissipate, so we had to carry our belongings and our tents to the well of Boubacar. I even recall Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.) and his mother, and I recall him when he was young, with us in school: he always had good character, etiquette, and manners. No one knew from him anything except impeccable etiquette, manners, good character, and love for Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.). So all of this now comes as no surprise.
Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.) related to us that Shaykh Ould Khayri's (h.a.) grandfather was one of the ones who used to smell the fragrance of the Flood. He was one of the first of those who initially claimed the Flood would come at their hands, but he later retracted his statement and asserted that this Flood was for Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.). It's no wonder that his grandfather used to sense that Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.) was going to be the inheritor and successor of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.). We know from the story of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) that since Adam, to Shi'th, to Ibrahim, to the Prophet's (s.a.w.s.) father Abdullah, his light travelled from one to another, each of whom carried it in his loins. The angels used to follow around whomever had the light at any given time and seek blessings through him. So it's no wonder that Shaykh Ould Khayri's (h.a.) grandfather, with the light of Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.) in his loins, claimed the Flood before it appeared at the hands of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (r.a.).
As for me, a serious covenant joins me to Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.) because I, as my son Muhammad al-Mansur mentioned, renounced my station of being a son of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.) and sold it back to him. I wrote Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.) a letter and said to him, "I'm selling you my status as your son in exchange for being your pupil, slave, and servant." This I said to him twice in writing and orally until he accepted it, giving me special stipulations: that I would be a servant of this Flood and a servant of the children, students, and pupils of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.), never treating one of them differently from another. These were the terms, plus some additional conditions. I accepted them all, and even though I have sold my status as a son in exchange for being a pupil, I haven't regretted it, because I serve in the Shaykh's (r.a.) domain in every area of life and in every place—I am a worthless, destitute, weak slave with nothing to give me strength, energy, or wealth except that covenant I made with Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.). I will hold fast to it my whole life, and hope that my children will inherit it from me and continue to bequeath this chain, this torch for the Flood of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.), until the Day of Resurrection, when we meet him in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) in the highest of the luscious gardens of paradise.
Brothers, I'm so happy and overjoyed to come to this place. I'll use the words Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.) used regarding our Master Yusuf (a.s.—peace be upon him), when he schemed to take his brother Benyamin from his band of brothers. He ordered his soldiers to put the measuring cup in Benyamin's luggage and said, "Whosever luggage it is in which this measure or this weight is found, we will seize him and he will remain with us," and he said in the Qur'an, "May refuge be sought in Allah, that we would take anyone except him with whom we found our property." The Shaykh used to say in his commentary, "My property is love."
I know I have come to a place where this "property" of mine is to be found. I want you all to get for me some land or some place here where I can build a house and become one of the pupils. Secondly, if Allah wills, I commit myself to building the Qur'an school just as the girls and boys said—I heard what they said in the lines of poetry—so I am ready and committed, if Allah wills. Just give me the details and tell me how you want it and I, if Allah wills, will take on the responsibility of establishing a house of Allah in which the Qur'an is studied, as well as the Shaykh's (r.a.) books, here in the city of Boubacar Madina Baye. As for what you have said about Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.), that he told you to join me in the RP political party, this brings me great joy because I know that he is from the ranks of Allah's soldiers and that only truth occurs to his mind, and so the fact that he sent you all to me and to my party is an indication that my party will gain ground and will achieve its desired goals, if Allah wills. Relay my greetings to him, renew your love for him, and tell him that I consider him to be one of Shaykh Ibrahim's (r.a.) own sons and an inheritor of the Shaykh (r.a.).
And I know what I'm saying. Were it not for inheritance and the transferal of the reality we would not have arrived at Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.). Some of the whites used to say that he was just a black man, the son of Aishatu Janqa and a black man named Abdullah, but the secret moved on. If the secret were not something to be transferred, it would not have gone from Adam to Ibrahim to Musa to Isa (a.s.) to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) to Shaykh Tijani (r.a.), then from him being transferred until it came to us by way of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.)—so how about a beloved and loving son, an authorized student of his, and a descendant of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), even though he's not black? Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.), how could he not be a successor of Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.)?
I am not one of those who deny it. I know that Shaykh Ould Khayri (h.a.) has not made any claim about himself and not mentioned anything except with the best etiquette and love, but just as Shaykh Ibrahim (r.a.) said, "Those enraptured in Allah gave me that description, and were it not for their description being a reality they would not have described me so."
May Allah reward him with good on our behalf, extend his life for us, and send blessings upon him. For I am rejoicing today at being with you all and I hope that Allah will send his blessings down upon this blessed site and upon you all, one after the other. May He bless you in your sons, daughters, and wives, bless the schools, and bless the readings and supplications until we find that this village has become one of the greatest cities in Senegal, in which all your requests for goods, progress, and material instruments are blessed, if Allah wills. That will come to pass, if Allah wills. We shall rejoice and take pride in it one day, with Allah's (t.w.t.) permission. How could the people of Allah be prevented from receiving Allah's good? That is the grace of Allah that He gives to whomever He wills, and the grace is for no one except the people of good. We praise Allah (t.w.t.) that you are from the people of good, that you are from the people of blessing, and that you carry the torch of calling to Allah (t.w.t.) and to worshipping Allah sincerely. May Allah reward you the best of reward on our behalf. I hope this will not be the last time—indeed, I want to be one of the inhabitants of this village, as I just said.
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH-ADNAN KHUWAYDIM
MAY ALLAH GIVE US ALLAAH-AAMEEN BI HURMATHI NABIYYIL AMEEN SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM
