His Eminence Prof. Rawane Mbaye

7 May، 2020

Professor Rouhane Mbaye was born in Dakar, Republic of Senegal, in 1934. He received his early education in Arabic grammar, morphology, and language in traditional Qur’anic schools (kuttab). He later pursued his secondary education in philosophy and literature in Dakar and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern and Contemporary History. He earned a Master’s Degree and a Third-Cycle Doctorate (Doctorat de Troisième Cycle) from Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. He subsequently obtained a State Doctorate in Literature from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

His Eminence was appointed as a Designated Member of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), representing the Republic of Senegal on 19 November 1984.

His Eminence has held numerous academic and administrative positions, including serving as President of the Center for Islamic Studies, Research and Training, Director General of the Islamic Institute of Dakar, Inspector General of National Education, and Advisor to the Prime Minister. He also served as Professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University and later Chair Professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar. In addition, he chaired the Jury Committee of the National School of Administration and Judiciary (ENAM) of Senegal for both admission and graduation examinations.

He was appointed as a Member of the Senegalese Association for Judicial Studies and Research, an Expert with the Human Rights Commission, a Consultant to UNESCO, an Expert with ISESCO, and Chairman of the International Scientific Committee for the Preparation of UNESCO’s Encyclopedia on Islamic Culture.

Professor Mbaye also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Memphis in the United States, where he taught Pre-Islamic Arabic Literature, Classical Arabic Grammar, Usul al-Fiqh (Islamic Legal Theory), Translation Theory and Practice, Medieval Islamic Civilization, History of Islam, Islam in Africa, Sufism, and History of Thought.

Professor Mbaye authored and translated numerous books and scholarly studies published in various academic journals and publications.

Books and Publications

Books

Translation of Jawahir al-Ma‘ani (on the Tijaniyya Order) by Sayyid Ali Harazim ibn al-Arabi Barradah, from Arabic into French, Beirut: Dar Al-Buraq, 2011.
Guide to Funeral Preparation (Arabic and French), Center for Islamic Studies, Research and Training, Dakar, 2010.
Translation of Khulasat al-Dhahab fi Sirat Khayr al-‘Arab by Sheikh Al-Hajj Malik Sy, Rabat: Bani Snassen Press, First Edition, 2007.
The Ideas and Works of Shaykh Al-Hajj Malik Sy, Beirut: Dar Al-Buraq, 2003 (three volumes).
Translation of Fakihat al-Tullab on the Tijaniyya Order by Sheikh Al-Hajj Malik Sy, from Arabic into French, Rabat: Bani Snassen Press, Second Edition, October 2002.
Permanent Prayer Timetables for Dakar and Its Suburbs (Arabic and French), Bani Snassen Press, Second Edition, October 2002.
The Mosque: From Yesterday to Today, Dakar.
The Hudud System in Islam, Geneva, 1998 (paper presented to a United Nations seminar on Islamic interpretations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
Family Planning in the Light of Islamic Teachings, Dakar, 1993.
Translation of Kifayat al-Raghibin by Al-Hajj Malik Sy on the teachings of Islamic Shariah, Dakar, 1993 (from Arabic into French).
Translation of Ifham al-Munkir al-Jani, Dakar, 1993 (from Arabic into French).
Statistics of Local Languages in Senegal Written in Arabic Script, Dakar, 1986.
Pilgrim’s Guide (Arabic, French, and Wolof), Dakar, 1982.
The Life Journey of Al-Sayyid Al-Hajj Malik Sy.
On the Necessity of Unifying the Dates of Islamic Festivals, Dakar, 1987.

Research Papers

The Rights of Foreigners in the Islamic State (Geneva), a paper presented at the symposium on Human Rights in Islam, Geneva, 2002.
Tijani Spirituality through “Fakihat al-Tullab” of Al-Hajj Malik Sy (1999).
Towards a New Methodology for Calling to Islam, presented at the Makkah Symposium, 1999 (in Arabic).
A Critical Analysis of Islamic Sources for African History through the Works of Sheikh Musa Kamara, UNESCO Symposium, Rabat, 1987.
A Study on the Use of the Arabic Alphabet in Formal and Informal Education in Senegal, UNESCO, Dakar, 1985.
A Study on Qur’anic Schools and Arabic-Based Educational Institutions to Improve School Enrollment Rates, UNESCO, Dakar, 1983.
The Almoravids, a contribution to the General History of Africa, UNESCO, Paris.
The Past and Present of Islam in Senegal, research paper in Arabic, Riyadh, 1983.
Perspectives on the Dawn of the Fifteenth Islamic Century, UNESCO, Paris, 1980.
Islam and the Other, roundtable discussion on Islam and World Transformations, Paris, 1979.