Introduction / History

The Mbara people live in southern Chad, specifically in the Mayo-Kebbi region. They have lived there for centuries.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Mbara people are farmers and livestock herders. They also fish. They tell stories through music and dance. They transmit knowledge of their history and ways through stories.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Mbara people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, common people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

There is a Christian minority among them that can take Christ to their Muslim neighbors.

What Are Their Needs?

The Mbara people face a number of challenges. There is political instability, and the desertification of their homeland. Conflicts between neighboring tribes is always a danger.

Prayer Points

Pray for many from this unreached people group to understand both God’s judgment and his majestic glory.

Pray for loving workers to go to the Mbara people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.

Scripture Prayers for the Mbara in Chad.