[One of the Pillars of the Senegalese Ummah and the Tijani Ṭarīqa in France]
Written by: Ustadh Mustafa Briggs
As-salām ʿalaikum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh,
Our dear brother Omar Sine, who is in this group (Tijaniyya Worldwide), has just lost his beloved father, Shaykh Daouda Sine—one of the pillars of the Senegalese Ummah and the Tijani Ṭarīqa in France.
Shaykh Daouda was born in the village of Sedo Sebe in Fouta. From a young age, he was placed under the care of Alhaji Madado Diattara, who was the Khalīfa of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse in the region. Baye Diattara, as he was affectionately known, was born two years before Shaykh Ibrahim and had memorized the Qurʾān and mastered the Islamic sciences early in life.
His journey of spiritual growth led him to Alhaji Abdallah Niasse, father of Shaykh Ibrahim, from whom he benefitted immensely. It was Alhaji Abdallah who introduced him to Shaykh Ibrahim, as they were of similar age. After Alhaji Abdallah’s passing, Baye Diattara became one of the closest students and muqaddams of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse, who later sent him back to Fouta. In a letter, Shaykh Ibrahim affirmed his status with the powerful statement:
وله ما لنا
“For him is what is for us.”
It was under the care of Baye Diattara that Shaykh Daouda Sine was raised and served as his devoted disciple (khādim) throughout his youth and young adulthood. Recognizing his sincerity and service, Baye Diattara gave his own daughter in marriage to him.
Later, Shaykh Daouda sought permission to immigrate to France, where he worked tirelessly to support both his family and the cause of Islam and the Ṭarīqa. While in France, he sent a letter to Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse, accompanied by a hadiya (gift), requesting duʿāʾ for various matters—including the blessing of sons, as he only had daughters at that time.
Shaykh Ibrahim, upon receiving the letter, mentioned that he would respond after his trip to London. However, it was during that very journey that Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse returned to his Lord. This left Shaykh Daouda in deep concern, wondering whether Shaykh Ibrahim had read his letter. In response to his worry, he was blessed with a dream of Shaykh Ibrahim, who assured him that he had indeed read the letter and guaranteed him everything he had asked for. From that moment until today, he was blessed with ten sons.
Throughout his life in France, Shaykh Daouda remained a devoted Muslim and a committed disciple of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse. He frequently traveled to Makkah, Madinah, and Fes for ziyārah and hosted many of the great scholars and awliyāʾ of the Ṭarīqa who visited France.
At the blessed age of over ninety years, he returned to his Lord, fulfilling the hadith in Musnad Aḥmad, which states:
"When a Muslim reaches seventy, Allah loves him and the inhabitants of the heavens love him. When he reaches eighty, Allah accepts his good deeds and overlooks his sins. When he reaches ninety, Allah forgives his past and future sins, he is named ‘the prisoner of Allah on earth’ and is granted intercession for his family."
(Musnad Aḥmad, vol. 2 pg. 89, Hadith: 5626 and vol. 3 pg. 218, Hadith: 13279)
Furthermore, as a practitioner of the wird of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani, he benefits from the guarantees of intercession and divine mercy that Shaykh Ahmad Tijani promised his followers.
We ask Allah ﷻ to grant Shaykh Daouda Sine the highest stations in Jannat al-Firdaws, to illuminate his grave with divine light, to expand his resting place, and to grant him the company of the righteous, the martyrs, and the prophets. May Allah bless his family with patience and reward them abundantly for their loss.
اللهم اغفر له، وارحمه، وعافه، واعف عنه، وأكرم نزله، ووسع مدخله، واغسله بالماء والثلج والبرد، ونقه من الذنوب والخطايا كما ينقى الثوب الأبيض من الدنس. اللهم أبدله داراً خيراً من داره، وأهلاً خيراً من أهله، وأدخله الجنة، وأعذه من عذاب القبر ومن عذاب النار.
“O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, grant him security, provide him an honorable place, make his entrance wide, wash him with water, snow, and ice, and cleanse him of sins as a white cloth is cleansed of dirt. O Allah, replace his home with a better home, his family with a better family, admit him into Jannah, and protect him from the punishment of the grave and the torment of the Fire.”
Āmīn.
Written by: Ustadh Mustafa Briggs
