Between Biography and Hagiography: Reconstructing the Intellectual and Spiritual Life of Shaykh Muḥammad Ghibrīma al-Dāghirī (1902–1975)

Abstract

This study examines the intellectual and spiritual life of Shaykh Muḥammad Ghibrīma al-Dāghirī (1902–1975), a prominent Tijānī scholar and spiritual leader in West Africa. It looks at his education, scholarly networks, initiation into the Tijānīyya, relationship with Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse, and his contributions as a teacher, writer, preacher, and spiritual guide. The study also considers the boundary between historical biography and hagiographical representation in accounts of his life.