Marabout

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In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sahara region, in West Africa, and historically in the Maghreb.

The marabout is often a scholar of the Quran, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms or as spiritual directors of Muslim religious communities, often as ''muršid'' ("guide") of Sufi orders. The term "marabout" is also used for the mausolea of such religious leaders (cf. ''maqām'', ''mazār'', in Palestine also ''walī/velī''). Provided by Wikipedia