Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 169
151 monopoly on religious teaching and order (system of murshids and murids ). Let alone the poor Africans, if you happen to visit France you will find many full-bodied, bearded men wearing African dress and a traditional cap, swiftly fiddling with the beads of rosary. They have come there in pursuit of their amulet- related business. Many beautiful, multi-storeyed buildings in the Gambia vouch for the success of their business. Surprisingly many well-educated French people get entrapped by their deception. Most of such murshids and murids belong to this tribe. However, Allah, the Almighty works in mysterious ways. In keeping with یخــرج الــی مــن المیــت He lit the hearts of many fortunate and angelic souls with such light of faith and insight that enlightened many dead souls with guidance. Barefoot Fanatic I particularly noticed that he was walking around barefoot. I was greatly surprised and asked Daud Hanif Sahib about him and I was told that he did not use shoes. Consequently, the skin of his feet had hardened so much that stones and thorns did not hamper his resolve. I thought that it was possibly because of poverty but I later found out that, by the Grace of Allah, he was in the forefront of the jama’at in financial sacrifice. Religious Knowledge As already mentioned, his family belonged to a learned tribe in the country. Therefore, Alieu Bayo was well versed with the knowledge of Quran and Hadith. In addition to reading Arabic, he was proficient in speaking and writing in Arabic.