Theme of the 146th anniversary: Call for Islamic solidarity
On the occasion of the 146th anniversary of the Appeal of Seydina Limamou Laye, the Layène community focused on a very topical theme: “Islamic solidarity in the face of current challenges”. In a world shaken by economic, social and moral crises, the teachings of the Holy Master resonate as an essential reminder to mutual aid, social justice and living together.
In a world shaken by economic crises, identity withdrawals and the progressive erosion of social bonds, the question of solidarity is urgently needed. Everywhere, societies seem weakened by individualism, precariousness and the loss of collective benchmarks. Faced with these multifaceted challenges, Islam recalls a fundamental principle: mutual aid as the basis of living together and a condition of social justice.
It is in this context that the Layène community is celebrating the 146th anniversary of the Appeal of Seydina Limamou Laye, around the theme: “Islamic solidarity in the face of current challenges”. A choice which resonates as a powerful reminder of the spiritual and social heritage bequeathed by the Mahdi, whose teaching placed equality between men, the refusal of injustice and the primacy of the collective at the heart of community life.
In Yoff, Cambérène and in other Layène homes, this ideal of solidarity continues to be expressed on a daily basis, despite the changes in the contemporary world. Religious leaders, members of the scientific commission, teachers and community stakeholders agree that the teachings of Seydina Limamou Laye still constitute today a credible response to social fractures, poverty and the abuses which undermine States and societies.
Grandson of Baye Laye and mayor of Yoff, Seydina Issa Laye Sambe underlines the centrality of solidarity in the fight against poverty. According to him, if this principle were truly applied on a global scale, many social scourges could be contained. “If solidarity truly existed in the world, it could have solved the problem of poverty,” he says.
In Senegal, the local elected official mentions certain social policies put in place by the State, such as universal health coverage or the equal opportunities card. Useful initiatives, but insufficient, he believes, given the scale of inequalities. For Seydina Issa Laye Sambe, the lasting solution lies in a sincere return to the teachings of Seydina Limamou Laye, based on social justice, equity and human dignity.
Teachings of Seydina Limamou Laye
It also recalls a fundamental principle advocated by the Mahdi: the absolute rejection of illicit property. “Today, the functioning of our States is weighed down by embezzlement and corruption. What is taken illicitly could have financed education and health, two sectors essential to human development,” he laments. Man, he says, needs both knowledge and care to fully flourish.
Same analysis by Oustaze Assane Seck, religious presenter at Tfm, who places the question of solidarity in a global context marked by multifaceted crises. Economic crises, tensions around energy resources, armed conflicts. So many factors that weaken societies and push populations towards survival practices that are sometimes contrary to moral values.
“Poverty is at the origin of many abuses. And I deeply believe that solidarity can resolve the issue of poverty,” he maintains. For him, withdrawal and lack of solidarity fuel the wars and divisions that cross the world.
Communications officer for the Scientific Commission of the Appeal, Assane Niang insists on the more vital nature of Islamic solidarity than ever. “In Senegal, as elsewhere, many people struggle to provide for their needs alone. This reality, marked by social, economic and human losses, makes it essential to strengthen solidarity mechanisms,” he explains.
He observes a worrying rise in individualism, particularly in Western societies, where the quest for personal development is often to the detriment of the collective. A trajectory which, according to him, today shows its limits. The current crisis is global and spares no company.
External influences, digital revolution, omnipresent screens. Factors which are gradually eroding traditional practices of solidarity. In this regard, Assane Niang recalls a warning from Chérif Ousseynou Laye: “Aggression will go to the heart of your lives.” A warning that has long been underestimated, but which takes on its full meaning today.
However, notes Mr. Niang, models of living solidarity remain, particularly in localities like Yoff, Cambérène or Malika. Communities where generations grow together, where daily mutual assistance remains a concrete reality.
Family concessions, organized around huts or huts, embody this interdependence where each family counts on the other. “It is this model that certain influences have sought to weaken, by introducing values foreign to our cultural and spiritual base,” he analyzes.
Plea for mutual aid
For his part, Élimane Niang, Arabic teacher and member of the Association of Imams and Ulemas of Yoff, recalls that solidarity begins first at the closest scale. “It begins in the family, between neighbors, in mutual respect, the sharing of knowledge and even in the preservation of the environment,” he says.
The education of children occupies a central place in this approach: transmitting to them the precepts of Islam, a taste for work, a sense of prayer and knowledge of religious prohibitions. Helping the poor, he insists, must be done discreetly, without exposing them to public humiliation.
For Élimane Niang, Islamic solidarity also constitutes a bulwark against ethnic divisions. “No ethnic group is superior to another. We are all equal before Allah (SWT). The Prophet always banned these classifications,” he recalls, calling for a society based on mutual aid, love of neighbor and conviviality.
Member of the scientific commission of the Appeal, Cheikh Makhtar Guèye believes that solidarity is at the very heart of Seydina Limamou Laye’s message. “In his sermons, everything refers to solidarity. He made it a universal principle,” he explains.
The Mahdi distinguished two fault lines: the biological family and the social family, that of living together. In the Layène tradition, surnames are erased in favor of a common identity: Laye. Rich or poor, everyone has the same status.
“It’s an egalitarian society, and that’s solidarity,” he sums up. Through this theme, the 146th anniversary of Seydina Limamou Laye’s Appeal thus appears as a reminder of contemporary challenges.
The answer lies in the return to the fundamental values of solidarity, equality and justice, bequeathed by Seydina Limamou Laye to all humanity.
Babacar Guèye DIOP
