1- Baye Fall with a portrait of Baye Fall's main spiritual leader, Ibrahima Fall. 2- Dreadlocks, scarves or hats, patchwork bubus, prayer beads, talismans and bare feet, the characteristic appearance of Baye Fall. 3- A Baye Fall with a portrait of Ibrahima Fall, another one of Cheikh Abdou Karim Mbacke, his personal spiritual guide, and talismans. 4- At a daara in the bush near Touba, Baye Fall replace the roof of one of their guide’s wives’ hut. 5- A Baye Ball is singing religious songs in honor of his spiritual guide who is visiting the Murid’s Grand Khalife.
"A Baye Fall is a noble, a servant of God" - that’s what they want to be first known about them. They also define themselves as the working arm of the Murids, Senegal’s biggest Muslim brotherhood. Immediately recognizable, they walk bare-feet, as a sign of humility. Their dreadlocks, often hidden by hats, or their patchwork bubus recall their reject of material possessions. The prayer beads, talismans and pictures hung at their necks, wrists, waists and ankles symbolize their worship and submissiveness to Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, who founded Muridism at the end of 19th century, his faithful follower and servant Mame Cheikh Ibrahima Fall, and to their religious descendants, to whom Baye Fall's spiritual guides generally belong.
Baye Fall follow Ibrahima Fall’s example in their humble life of work. In his mind, work allowed one to surpass himself through physical effort, which he considered as a priority, even over prayer and fast. In Senegal, most Baye Fall are employed in their cheikh’s fields or building sites. At sunset they meet at the daara, where they live, to talk about Koran, murid myths or their cheikh’s lessons, generally while sharing a Touba coffee, their sacred drink. For those talibes (islamic students), as they call themselves, Islam is all about tolerance - "Only God can judge", openness, forgiveness and peace.