ABSTRACT
The following study stems from an analysis of the literary works of al-I:Hijj 'Umar b. Sa'ld aI-flit! al-Hiri al-Kadiwil (c. 17942-1864), the great Torodo mystic and mujahid of the Western Sudan, and his leading muqaddam, the Shaykn Mukhtar b. Wadi' at Allah (Yark! Talfi, died, c.1864), 3 something of a luminary in his own right. The study opens with a precis of Shaykh 'Umar's jihad and proceeds to a discussion of his writings and those of Shaykh Mukhtar b. Wadi' at Allahespecially concerning the historical circumstances which gave rise to them. In a final section, an attempt is made to pinpoint those religious authorities who helped shape al-l:Iajj 'Umar's religious thought. A bibliography brings the essay to a close, and offers specific examples of the ways in which the Shaykh made use of doctrinal sources.
