Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse
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Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse | |
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| Born | 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Occupation | Spiritual leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order |
| Years active | August 15, 2008 to present |
Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse (born 1955) is the spiritual leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order. The Tijaniyya is the largest Sufi order in Western Africa and its leader is responsible for nearly 300 million Sufi adherents.[1]
Cisse is the second son of Ali Cisse and Fatima Zahra Niasse, daughter of Ibrahim Niass, a major leader of the Tijānī Sufi order.[2] He studied under his father, Ali, and grandfather Ibrahim in Senegal, focusing mostly on Arabic literature and poetry.[2] Thereafter, he went to Egypt, where he lived with his elder brother, the Sufi scholar Hassan Cissé, who was in his final year of advanced study. In 1974, he graduated first in his class at Al-Azhar Preparatory School, receiving a diploma in Arabic.[2] In 1977, he received a B.A. in Arabic Language from Al-Azhar University[2] and in 1981, he earned an M.A. in Theology, later serving on the faculty of Al-Azhar University in the Department of Hadith.[2]
