Thousands of followers of a Sufi Muslim brotherhood celebrate a sacred date in Senegal

Prayers and melodic chants reverberated across Dakar’s Yoff neighborhood as thousands of Sufi Muslim followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorated the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884.

Dressed in pristine white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, worshippers filled the streets leading to Yoff’s beachside mosque on Friday. The gathering, known as “L’Appel," ("The Call"), marked the 145th anniversary of Seydina Limamou Laye’s controversial declaration as the prophet.

The Layene brotherhood, while smaller than Senegal’s other Sufi orders such as the Mouride or Tijan, has gained attention for its distinctive beliefs, including the claim that their founder was a reincarnation of the Prophet Muhammad.

“I’ve never seen any Sufi order where the idea of reincarnation is so central as it is with the Layene,” said Cheikh Babou, a history professor at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in Sufism in West Africa. “It’s not like anything else in Senegal or elsewhere in the Muslim world.”

As part of the celebrations, worshippers made a pilgrimage to the sacred grotto where Seydina Limamou Laye first retreated for meditation and — according to believers — received divine inspiration. The site remains a powerful symbol of his spiritual awakening and a place of connection between the Layene community and their founder.

His message emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad had returned in his form as a Black man to restore justice and correct societal wrongs, including those caused by slavery. This message of racial equality and spiritual unity continues to resonate with followers today.

“It is a pride for both Black and white people because Seydina Limamou Laye is not the prophet of Black people; he is a universal prophet,” said Moussa Lahi, a Layene who attended this year’s events. “So, there are white people, Black people, yellow people – everyone. He brought equality among the races.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood gather at a sacred grotto where they believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood gather at a sacred grotto where they believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood gather at a sacred grotto where they believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood gather at a sacred grotto where they believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Waves from the Atlantic ocean break on a scared grotto where followers of the Layene brotherhood believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood commemorate the first public appearance of their founder Seydina Limamou Laye in 1884 at Yoff's beachside mosque in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 21 points and had a critical 3-pointer with 1:15 left to help No. 6 Duke beat No. 24 SMU 82-75 on Saturday.

Evans slipped to the left side for the 3-pointer off a feed from freshman star Cam Boozer to make it 76-70, a repeat of the play that sent Duke past Florida when he hit a late 3 here in December.

Patrick Ngongba II tied his career high in scoring with 17 points for Duke (15-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Boozer had 18 points — including muscling up his own interior basket to give Duke a 73-68 lead shortly before Evans' big shot.

Duke shot 49% and won its 25th straight home game.

Jaden Toombs had 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting to lead the Mustangs (12-4, 1-2), who started the week by entering the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since the end of the 2016-17 season before losing at Clemson on Wednesday.

The Mustangs had to play this one without leading scorer Boopie Moller, a 20.6-point scorer who was a game-time decision because of illness.

But SMU scored the game's first 11 points and gave Duke fits all day, shooting 56.6% and thrice getting within one possession in the final 4 1/2 minutes. The Mustangs' biggest problem was turnovers; they had 21 that led to 21 points for the Blue Devils.

At halftime, Duke marked the 25th anniversary of the program's 2001 NCAA championship, with former NBA players Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy and Jay Williams joining retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski at midcourt during the presentation. Boozer's twin sons, Cam and Cayden, both play for Duke.

SMU: The Mustangs host Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Duke: The Blue Devils make their first cross-country ACC trip when they visit California on Wednesday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Duke's Dame Sarr (7) is fouled by SMU's Jaden Toombs, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)