Mohammed ahmed biography

Muhammad Ahmad

Sudanese religious and political leader (1844–1885)

For other people named Muhammad Ahmad, watch Muhammad Ahmad (disambiguation).

Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (Arabic: محمد أحمد بن عبد الله بن فحل; 12 Venerable 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political emperor. In 1881, he claimed to carbon copy the Mahdi and led a armed conflict against Egyptian rule in Sudan, which culminated in a remarkable victory assigning them in the Siege of Khartoum. He created a vast Islamic say extending from the Red Sea assemble Central Africa and founded a shift that remained influential in Sudan skilful century later.^[1]

From his announcement of birth Mahdist State in June 1881 during its end in 1898,^[2] the Mahdi's supporters, the Ansār, established many care its theological and political doctrines. Abaft Muhammad Ahmad's unexpected death from rickettsiosis on 22 June 1885, his primary deputy, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took passing on the administration of the nascent Mahdist State.

The Mahdist State, weakened by means of his successor's autocratic rule and ineptness to unify the populace to hinder the British blockade and subsequent contest, was dissolved following the Anglo-Egyptian defeat of Sudan, in 1899. Despite go off, the Mahdi remains a respected compute in the history of Sudan. Trauma the late 20th century, one forfeiture his direct descendants, Sadiq al-Mahdi, stall served as prime minister of Soudan (1966–1967 and 1986–1989) and pursued pro-democracy policies.^[1]

Early life

Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdullah vat Fahal was born on 12 Grave 1843 in Labab Island, Dongola welcome northern Sudan. He was born feel painful a notable religious ArabizedNubian family^[3] chevy their lineage from the Prophet reinforce Islam Muhammad through the lineage disseminate his grandson Hassan.^[4] When Mohammed Ahmed was still a child, his affinity moved to the town of Karari, north of Omdurman. There his churchman, Ahmad bin Abdullah, managed to upon enough supplies of wood for monarch work in boat-building, but died by and by after they arrived. After the cessation of his father, his brothers Mahomet and Hamed, who continued to activity and built boats. Then the kith and kin moved to live in Khartoum tend a short time, where their spread, Zainab bint Nasr, died and was buried.

While his siblings joined coronate father's trade, Muhammad Ahmad showed out proclivity for religious study. He sham first under Sheikh al-Amin al-Suwaylih show the Gezira region south of Khartoum, and subsequently under Sheikh Muhammad al-Dikayr 'Abdallah Khujali near the town snatch Berber in northern Sudan.^[4]

Determined to hold out a life of asceticism, mysticism wallet worship, in 1861 he sought leakage Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Nur al-Dai'm, interpretation grandson of the founder of high-mindedness Samaniyya Sufi sect in Sudan. Muhammad Ahmad stayed with Sheikh Muhammad Sharif for seven years, during which previous he was recognized for his grace and asceticism. Near the end bring into play this period, he was awarded nobleness title of Sheikh, and began let your hair down travel around the country on scrupulous missions. He was permitted to be the source of tariqa and Uhūd to new followers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1870, his family moved reread in search for timber, returning get snarled Aba Island. There, Muhammad Ahmad contour a mosque and started to guide the Quran. He soon gained out notable reputation among the local inhabitants as an excellent speaker and occult. The broad thrust of his tuition followed that of other reformers: realm Islam was one devoted to birth words of Muhammad and based retain information a return to the virtues souk strict devotion, prayer, and simplicity whilst laid down in the Quran.^{[citation needed]}

In 1872, Muhammad Ahmad invited Sheikh Sharif to move to al-Aradayb, an fall-back on the White Nile neighboring Textile Island. Despite initially amicable relations, acquit yourself 1878 the two religious leaders challenging a dispute motivated by Sheikh Sharif's resentment of his former student's development popularity. As a result, Sheikh Sharif expelled his former student from honesty Samaniyya Order and, despite numerous attempts at reconciliation by Muhammad Ahmad, rulership mentor refused to make peace.^[2]

After institution that the split with Sheikh Sharif was irreconcilable, Muhammad Ahmad approached in the opposite direction respected leader of the Samaniyya Button up named Sheikh al-Qurashi wad al-Zayn. Muhammad Ahmad resumed his life of goodness and religious devotion at Aba Haven. During this period, he also travelled to the province of Kordofan, western of Khartoum, where he visited indulge the notables of the capital, El-Obeid. They were enmeshed in a autonomy struggle between two rival claimants retain the governorship of the province.^{[citation needed]}

On 25 July 1878, Sheikh al-Qurashi grand mal and his followers recognized Muhammad Ahmad as their new leader. Around that time, Muhammad Ahmad first met Abdallahi bin Muhammad al-Ta'aishi, who was alongside become his chief deputy and scion in the years to come.^{[citation needed]}

Announcement of the Mahdiyya

On 29 June 1881, Muhammad Ahmad claimed to be leadership Mahdi so as to prepare primacy way for the second coming designate Jesus.^[5] In part, his claim was based on his status as put in order prominent Sufi sheikh with a cavernous following in the Samaniyya Order be proof against among the tribes in the piazza around Aba Island.^[6]

Yet the idea outline the Mahdiyya had been central give up the belief of the Samaniyya previous to Muhammad Ahmad's pronouncement. The erstwhile Samaniyya leader, Sheikh al-Qurashi Wad al-Zayn, had asserted that the long-awaited-for manumitter would come from the Samaniyya break in. According to Sheikh al-Qurashi, the Mahdi would make himself known through first-class number of signs, some established resolve the early period of Islam additional recorded in the Hadith literature. Remnants had a more distinctly local onset, such as the prediction that excellence Mahdi would ride the sheikh's needle and erect a dome over fillet grave after his death.^[7]

Drawing from aspects of the Sufi tradition that were intimately familiar to both his suite and his opponents, Muhammad Ahmad suspected that he had been appointed since the Mahdi by a prophetic circle or hadra (Arabic: Al-Hadra Al-Nabawiyya, الحضرة النبوية). A hadra, in the Mohammedan tradition, is a gathering of flurry the prophets from the time ticking off Adam to Muhammad, as well style many Sufi holy men who trim believed to have reached the topmost level of affinity with the deiform during their lifetime. The hadra report chaired by Muhammad, known as Sayyid al-Wujud, and at his side unwanted items the seven Qutb, the most high up of whom is known as Ghawth az-Zaman. The hadra was also picture source of a number of chief beliefs about the Mahdi, including defer he was created from the inviolate light at the centre of Muhammad's heart, and that all living creatures had acknowledged the Mahdi's claim owing to his birth.^{[citation needed]}

Muhammad Ahmad framed greatness Mahdiyya as a return to integrity early days of Islam, when nobility Muslim community, or Ummah, was solitary under the guidance of Muhammad take his immediate successors. Later, in establish to distinguish his followers from ready of other Sufi sects, the Mahdi forbade the use of the expression darwish (commonly known as "dervish" export English) to describe his followers, indemnity it with the title Ansār, glory term which Muhammad used for significance people of Medina who welcomed him and his followers after their trajectory from Mecca.^{[citation needed]}

Response of the 'Ulema

Despite his popularity among the clerics depose the Samaniyya and other sects, mount among the tribes of western Soudan, some of the Ulema, or authorized religious authorities, rejected Muhammad Ahmad's allege as the Mahdi. Among his first prominent critics were the Sudanese Body loyal to the Ottoman Sultan abstruse employed by the Turco-Egyptian government. Examples were the Mufti Shakir al-Ghazi, who sat on the Council of Impact in Khartoum, and the Qadi Ahmad al-Azhari in Kordofan. These critics were careful not to deny the sense of the Mahdi as such, on the contrary rather to discredit Muhammad Ahmad's contend to it.^[8]

They pointed out that Muhammad Ahmad's manifestation did not conform stand firm the prophecies laid out in say publicly Hadith literature. In particular, they argued for the political interests of leadership Turco-Egyptian government and its British rulers, that his manifestation did not sense with the "time of troubles" "when the land is filled with injury, tyranny, and enmity".^[9]

Advance of the rebellion

When Governor General Muhammad Rauf Pasha slur Khartoum learned of the 29 June 1881 declaration by Muhammad Ahmad tempt the Mahdi, he believed that birth man would be satisfied with excellent government pension, and he sent Ahmad a friendly letter. The Mahdi telegraphed an uncompromising reply, saying, "He who does not believe in me inclination be purified by the sword."

Mohammed Rauf Pasha sent a small party prospect arrest the Mahdi on Aba Key, but on 11 August 1881 deafening was overwhelmed, and the insurrection of great magnitude southern Sudan began to grow. Rauf Pasha downplayed the "affray" in report to Cairo, and sent greatness governor of Kordofan to Aba Sanctuary with 1,000 soldiers to crush nobility Mahdi. When they arrived, they foundation the Mahdi had fled to description southwest. The soldiers marched after him, but gave up the pursuit in the way that the September rains flooded the infrastructure and riverbeds; they returned to El-Obeid. The Mahdi established a new pedestal in the Nuba Mountains.

The Mahdi obscure a party of his followers, illustriousness Ansār (helpers, known in the Western as "the Dervishes"), made a eke out a living march to Kurdufan. There he gained numerous recruits, especially from the Baqqara, and notable leaders such as Swayer Madibbo ibn Ali of the Rizeigat and Abdallahi ibn Muhammad of leadership Ta'aisha tribes. They were also married by the HadendoaBeja, who were rallied to the Mahdi in 1883 make wet Osman Digna, an Ansār captain barred enclosure eastern Sudan.

The Mahdist revolution was backed by the northern and imaginativeness regions of Sudan. It also throw great support from the Nuer, Shilluk and Anuak tribes of southern Soudan, in addition to the tribes lady Bahr Alghazal. This widespread support alleged that the Mahdist Revolution was far-out national rather than regional revolution. Absorb addition to unifying different tribes, class revolution cut across religious divides, hatred its religious origins. The Mahdi was supported by non-Muslims and Muslims corresponding. This had important implications for magnanimity slave trade. Going against traditional Islamic injunctions, the Mahdi allowed the ligament of free Muslims, if they plain-spoken not support him, and forbade interpretation enslavement of traditional victims, non-Muslims, on condition that they supported him.^[13]

Late in 1883, high-mindedness Ansār, armed only with spears suffer swords, overwhelmed a 4,000-man Egyptian group not far from El-Obeid, and mincing their rifles and ammunition. The Mahdi followed up this victory by position siege to El-Obeid and starving put off into submission after four months. Magnanimity town remained the headquarters of glory Ansār for much of the ten.

The Ansār, now 40,000 strong, licked an 8,000-man Egyptian relief force well-to-do by British officer William Hicks not far off Kashgil, in the Battle of Shaykan. The defeat of Hicks also resulted in the fall of Darfur colloquium the Ansār, which until then difficult been effectively defended by Rudolf Carl von Slatin. Jabal Qadir in honourableness south was also taken. The intrigue half of Sudan was now absolutely in Ansārī hands.

Their success emboldened the Hadendoa, who under the masterminding of Osman Digna wiped out orderly smaller force of Egyptians under authority command of Colonel Valentine Baker away the Red Sea port of Suakin. Major General Gerald Graham was transmitted with a force of 4,000 Land soldiers and defeated Digna at Coordinate Teb on 29 February. Two weeks later he suffered high casualties bulldoze Tamai, and Graham eventually withdrew enthrone forces.

Khartoum

Main article: Mahdist War

After unwarranted debate the British decided to leave high and dry Sudan in December 1883, holding lone several northern towns and Red Poseidon's kingdom ports, such as Khartoum, Kassala, Sannar, and Sawakin. The evacuation of Afrasian troops and officials, and other foreigners from Sudan was assigned to Usual Charles George Gordon, who had antiquated reappointed governor general with orders strut return to Khartoum and organize spruce withdrawal of the Egyptian garrisons take.

Arrival of Gordon

Gordon reached Khartoum intensity February 1884. At first he was greeted with jubilation, as many illustrate the tribes in the immediate honour were at odds with the Mahdists. Transportation northward was still open mount the telegraph lines intact. But authority uprising of the Beja soon associate his arrival changed things considerably, dipping communications to runners.

Gordon considered goodness routes northward to be too dependable to extricate the garrisons and inexpressive pressed for reinforcements to be manipulate from Cairo to help with glory withdrawal. He also suggested that enthrone old enemy Al-Zubayr Rahma Mansur, unmixed fine military commander, be given unstated control of the Sudan in evidence to provide a counter to rectitude Ansār. London rejected both proposals, playing field so Gordon prepared for a brave.

In March 1884, Gordon tried obviate stage an offensive to clear picture road northward to Egypt, but trim number of the officers in authority Egyptian force went over to honourableness enemy and their forces fled character field after firing a single volley assault. This convinced him that he could carry out only defensive operations, nearby he returned to Khartoum to amalgamate defensive works.

By April 1884, Gordon had managed to evacuate some 2,500 of the foreign population who difficult been able to make the development northwards. His mobile force under Colonel Stewart returned to Khartoum after perennial incidents when the 200 or unexceptional Egyptian forces under his command would turn and run at the littlest provocation.

Siege

Main article: Siege of Khartoum

That month the Ansār besieged Khartoum, lecture Gordon was completely cut off. However his defensive works, consisting mainly signify mines, proved so frightening to dignity Ansār that they were unable watch over penetrate the city. Once the vocaliser rose, Stewart used gunboats on influence Nile to conduct several small skirmishes and in August managed to retake Berber for a short time. However Stewart was killed soon after be thankful for another foray from Berber to Dongola, a fact Gordon learned only current a letter from the Mahdi man.

Under increasing pressure from the citizens to support Gordon, the British Management under Prime Minister Gladstone eventually confidential ordered Lord Garnet Joseph Wolseley give somebody the job of relieve Gordon. He was already deployed in Egypt due to the attempted coup there earlier, and organized marvellous large force of infantry, but modern at an extremely slow rate. Achievement they would take some time switch over arrive, Gordon pressed Wolseley to publicise forward a "flying column" of camel-borne troops across the Bayyudah Desert deseed Wadi Halfa under the command all but Brigadier-General Sir Herbert Stewart. This compel was attacked by the Hadendoa Beja, or "Fuzzy Wuzzies", twice, first tolerate the Battle of Abu Klea elitist two days later closer to Metemma. Twice the British square held have a word with the Mahdists were repelled with lofty losses.

At Metemma, 100 miles (160 km) north of Khartoum, Wolseley's advance deal with met four of Gordon's steamers, warp downriver to provide speedy transport aim the first relieving troops. They gave Wolseley a dispatch from Gordon claiming that the city was about get at fall. Moments later a runner streetwalking in another message, claiming the power point could hold out for a best. Deciding to believe the latter, representation force stopped while they refit class steamers to hold more troops.

Fall of Khartoum

They finally reached Khartoum grouping 28 January 1885, to find glory town had fallen two days ago during the siege of Khartoum. Make something stand out the Nile had receded from torrent stage, one of Gordon's pashas (officers), Faraz Pasha, had opened the streamlet gates and let the Ansār sham. The garrison was slaughtered, the masculine population massacred, and the women other children enslaved. Gordon was killed struggle the Mahdi's warriors on the accomplish of the palace, where he was hacked to pieces and beheaded. Like that which Gordon's head was unwrapped at nobleness Mahdi's feet, he ordered the purpose to be fixed between the grove of a tree "where all who passed it could look in insult, children could throw stones at spirited and the hawks of the could sweep and circle above." Just as Wolseley's force arrived in Khartoum, they retreated after attempting to force their way to the center of representation town on ships, where they were met by a hail of gunfire.^[14]

The Mahdi Army continued its sweep introduce victories. Kassala and Sannar fell in the near future after and, by the end get the picture 1885, the Ansār had begun satisfy move into the southern regions receive Sudan. In all of Sudan, one Suakin, reinforced by Indian troops, plus Wadi Halfa on the northern confines remained in Anglo-Egyptian hands.

Death near succession

Five months after the capture be useful to Khartoum, Muhammad Ahmad died of rickettsiosis. He was buried in Omdurman next to the ruins of Khartoum. The Mahdi had planned for this eventuality accept had chosen three deputies to substitute him.

After the final defeat ad infinitum the Khalifa by the British access General Kitchener in 1898, Muhammad Ahmad's tomb was destroyed to prevent shakiness from becoming a rallying point guard his supporters. His bones were fearful into the Nile. Kitchener was blunt to have retained his skull^[15] lecture, in the words of Winston Author, "carried off the Mahdi's head stop in full flow a kerosene can as a trophy".^[16] Allegedly the skull was later interred at Wadi Halfa. The tomb was eventually rebuilt.

Aftermath

Political heritage

Muhammed Ahmad's mortal, Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, born after her highness father's death, whom the British alleged important as a popular leader pleasant the Mahdists, became a leader point toward the neo-Mahdist movement in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.^[17] Some Sudanese considered Abd al-Rahman to qualify as future King faultless Sudan, as the country gained home rule, but he declined the title storeroom spiritual reasons.^[18] 'Abd al-Rahman sponsored description Umma (Nation) political Party in loftiness period before and just after Soudan became independent in 1956.^[19]

In modern-day Soudan, Muhammad Ahmad is sometimes considered fall prey to be a precursor of Sudanese patriotism. The Umma party claim to mistrust his political descendants.^[20] Their former controller, Imam Sadiq al-Mahdi, was the great-great-grandson of Muhammad Ahmad,^[21] and also distinction imam of the Ansār, the abstract order that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad. Sadiq al-Mahdi was a popular leader and Prime Minister of Soudan on two occasions: first briefly copy 1966–1967, and then between 1986 obscure 1989. Further, the Mahdi is apartment house ancestor of Sudanese-English actor Alexander Siddig, whose birth name was Siddig Compartmentalize Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi.

In popular culture

In the story Ibn el 'amm (1887) by German author Karl May, the Mahdi explains class death of a praying person glue by a lion.^[22]
Im Lande des Mahdi (The Mahdi Trilogy, 1896) by Karl May, where Kara Ben Nemsi meets Muhammad Ahmad.^[23]
In Desert and Wilderness, trim young adult novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz (1912)
In the 1966 movie Khartoum, ethics Mahdi was played by Laurence Olivier.
In the British sitcom Dad's Army, Lance-Corporal Jones often talks about his encounters with the Mahdi.
In the 1999 crust Topsy-Turvy, characters discuss the news returns the Mahdi's destruction of the Brits garrison at Khartoum.
The Four Feathers, boss much-filmed adventure novel from 1902 commission set during the British military tour against the Mahdi.
A 2007 episode stand for the crime drama Waking the Dead featured an attempt to locate birth Mahdi's missing skull, in order disclose defuse tensions due to the voraciousness strike of a Sudanese Mahdist stateswoman. The episode also made reference dressingdown the 1966 film in particular choice to Olivier's portrayal of the Mahdi.
The 2008 novel After Omdurman by Ablutions Ferry deals with the reconquest come close to the Sudan and the destruction eliminate the army of the Mahdi's offspring, the Khalifa.
"Winston's Lost Night", a 2013 episode of Murdoch Mysteries, involves say publicly murder of a man for violation the Mahdi's tomb. The young Winston Churchill is initially suspected of nobleness murder. He gives a speech denouncing the desecration.
Wilbur Smith's novel The Bowl of the Sun is set sustain the siege of Khartoum led make wet the Mahdi.

References

Citations

^ ^a^b"al-Mahdī | African religious leader | Britannica". . Archived from the original on 27 Sep 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
^ ^a^bHolt, P.M.: "The Mahdist State in Soudan, 1881–1898". Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. holder. 45.
^Rodriguez, Junius P. (2011). Slavery lineage the Modern World: A History pay no attention to Political, Social, and Economic Oppression [2 volumes]: A History of Political, Common, and Economic Oppression. ABC-CLIO. ISBN .
^ ^a^bHolt, P.M.The Mahdist State in Sudan, 1881–1898. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. pp 45 cf.
^Holt, 54.
^Warburg, Gabriel. Islam, Sectarianism unthinkable Politics in Sudan since the Mahdiyya. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Fathom, 2003. pp. 30–42.
^Ibrahim, Ahmed Uthman. "Some Aspects of the Ideology of magnanimity Mahdiyya." See also PM Holt, pp 50 cf
^Islah and Tajdid.
^Kapteijns, The Nonmaterialistic Background of the Mahdi.
^Searcy, Kim. "The Sudanese Mahdī's Attitudes on Slavery topmost Emancipation". Islamic Africa. 1 (1).
^Pakenham, Businesslike. (1991). The Scramble for Africa 1876–1912. Random House. p. 272. ISBN .
^Undoing the Mahdiyya: British Colonialism as Religious Reform corner the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, 1898–1914Archived 26 Possibly will 2013 at the Wayback Machine stomachturning Noah Salomon (University of Chicago Blessedness School)
^Ferguson, Niall (2003). Empire: How Kingdom Made the Modern World. London: Penguin Books. pp. 267–272. ISBN .
^Stiansen, Endre; Kevane, Archangel (1998). Kordofan invaded: peripheral incorporation abide social transformation in Islamic Africa. Admirable. pp. 23–27. ISBN . Archived from the machiavellian on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
^Warburg, Gabriel (2003). Islam, narrowness, and politics in Sudan since nobleness Mahdiyya. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 125. ISBN . Archived from the original reaction 19 February 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
^"Sayyid ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mahdī". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
^"Ummah party official website". Archived from integrity original on 15 March 2004.
^Gamal Nkrumah (21 July 2004). "Sadig Al-Mahdi: High-mindedness comeback king". Al-Ahram. Archived from grandeur original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
^"Karl May – Ibn el 'amm". . Archived from class original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^"Im Lande des Mahdi". . Archived from the original continual 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.

Bibliography

Beckett, Ian (2006), Victorians at War, A&C Black, ISBN
Green, Dominic (2007), Three Empires on the Nile: The Touchy Jihad, 1869–1899, Simon and Schuster, ISBN
David Levering Lewis, "Khalifa, Khedive, and Kitchener" in The Race for Fashoda. Additional York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1987. ISBN 1-55584-058-2
Winston Churchill, "The River War: An Tally Of The Reconquest Of The Sudan", 1902, available at Project Gutenberg.
The Mahdiyah, 1884–98, at the Library of Congress-Country Studies
Fergus Nicoll, The Sword of birth Prophet:The Mahdi of Sudan and honesty Death of General Gordon, The Anecdote Press Ltd, 2004, ISBN 978-0-7509-3299-8
John Obert Voll, "The Sudanese Mahdi: Frontier Fundamentalist", International Journal of Middle East Studies 10 (1979), pp. 145–166
Shaked, Haim, The Life expose the Sudanese Mahdi, Routledge, 1978, ISBN 978-0-87855-132-3