Morocco and Mali deepen spiritual ties through Tijaniyya gathering in Bamako

The profound religious and spiritual ties between Morocco and Mali serve as a significant catalyst for enhancing relations between the two nations. This spiritual connection is currently accompanying the wave of cooperation and dialogue unfolding between Rabat and Bamako.

It is within this framework that Cheikh Sidi Mohamed El Kébir Tidjani, the general khalifa of Morocco’s Tijaniyya order, is visiting Mali. On Saturday, August 22, he presided over the National Wazifa for peace, cohesion, and stability in Mali alongside Mahamadou Koné, Mali’s minister of religious affairs, worship and customs. The event was organized by the National Federal Council of Followers of the Tariqa Tidjaniya in Mali, according to a statement from the Moroccan embassy.

Held at Bamako’s Grand Mosque, the ceremony brought together numerous worshippers and representatives from the Moroccan embassy in Mali. The Wazifa, a pivotal element of the Tijani tradition, is a major event focused on collective prayer, recitation, and spiritual meditation across several West African countries.

Cheikh Sidi Mohamed El Kébir Tidjani also attended the launch of the entrance examination for the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines, and Morchidates in Rabat. This event was hosted at the Islamic Cultural Center in Bamako under the leadership of Mali’s minister of religious affairs, worship and customs.

A delegation from the Mohammed VI Institute, led by its secretary-general, participated alongside the chargé d’affaires of the Moroccan embassy in Bamako.

Since September 2022, Bamako has been home to the new headquarters of the National Federal Council of Followers of the Tariqa Tidjaniya, further cementing the Malian capital’s role as a key center for the brotherhood in West Africa.

This visit follows closely after Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s trip to Bamako on July 24, during which he met with President Assimi Goïta on the sidelines of a new session of the Morocco-Mali High Joint Commission in the Malian capital.

On April 10, the Malian government officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.