Born in Gaya, northern Senegal, to a
Fulani family, El-Hadji Malick Sy traveled to
Mauritania, then to
Saint-Louis, Senegal in 1884 as a religious student. He traveled to
Mecca, then returned to teach at
Louga and before establishing a
zāwiya (religious center) at
Tivaouane he settled permanently in 1898 in Tivaouane in 1902 following guidance received from his father in law
Mor Massamba Diery Dieng father of his wife Sokhna Yacine Dieng and at the invitation of local leader
Djibril Guèye, which became a center for Islamic education and culture under his leadership. In Senegal's Wolof country, especially the northern regions of
Kajoor and
Jolof, the Tijānī Order was spread primarily by El-Hajj Malick Sy. ==Legacy==