The cult of the dead in Mauritania: between traditions and religious commandments

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article addresses Mauritanian society’s attitude towards death in general and the dead in particular. Although religion has a degree of influence on death and handling of the dead, the practices that Mauritanians have traditionally adopted with respect to these two issues reflect the multi-ethnic and cultural norms of this population. The article focuses on those traditions and prevalent rituals of Mauritanian society, examined within their ethnic diversity and spatial distribution, while in doing so assessing these practices from sharīʿa1 [Islamic Law]’s perspective. Using an anthropological and historical approach, this article identifies various components of Mauritanian society and discusses how they appeal to religious precepts to overcome some of those popular uses as they pertain to the deceased. This research article reveals that regardless of the injunctions of Islam on the matter, some traditional beliefs are everlasting because they are firmly anchored and widespread in the society, thus making their elimination quasi-impossible in the short term.