Places of Islam, such as Mecca and Medin'a. There, they
fulfil the prescribed religious obligation of pilgrimage
3.3 •and further their spiritual knowledge. When they return
from their journeys in the Muslim world, some of the shaikhs
go back to the pastoral lif~. They go back not to practice
pastoralism but to teach the sacred tradition of Islam to
the nomadic population. Often a shaikh gathers pupils
who are unable to enroll in the permanent religious centres
and forms an Itinerant Seminary (xer) which moves from one
pastoral settlement to another.l The xer is provided for and
maintained by the nomadic communities. When they briefly
settle among a nomadic community, such a community assumes
responsibility for the xer, offers it protection and feeds
its shaikh and his pupils. In turn, the shaikh attends to
the religious activities of his hosts while his pupils stay
within their locality. He gives sermons to the nomads, leads
the prescribed prayers, solemnizes marriages, and advises
on matters of divorce and blesses the nomads and their
livestock. While he performs these religious duties, his
pupils waich him very closely and learn by his example. In
addition, the fraternal relationship between the members of
the xer represents, in the eyes of the pastoral nomads,
a perfect example of the ideal Muslim Community (DARUfL-
ISLAM). Spiritual virtues, such as poverty (AL-FAQR),
sincerity (AL-IKHLA$) and generosity (AL-KARAM), which are
reckoned to be essential ingredients for spiritual develop-