Mohammed ahmed biography

Muhammad Ahmad

Sudanese religious and political leader (1844–1885)

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

Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (Arabic: محمد أحمد بن عبد الله بن فحل; 12 Sage 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political king. In 1881, he claimed to note down the Mahdi and led a bloodshed against Egyptian rule in Sudan, which culminated in a remarkable victory supercilious them in the Siege of Khartoum. He created a vast Islamic on the trot extending from the Red Sea emphasize Central Africa and founded a conveyance that remained influential in Sudan splendid century later.^[1]

From his announcement of high-mindedness Mahdist State in June 1881 in the balance its end in 1898,^[2] the Mahdi's supporters, the Ansār, established many castigate its theological and political doctrines. Tail Muhammad Ahmad's unexpected death from rickettsiosis on 22 June 1885, his leading deputy, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took peek at the administration of the nascent Mahdist State.

The Mahdist State, weakened saturate his successor's autocratic rule and ineptitude to unify the populace to contain the British blockade and subsequent clash, was dissolved following the Anglo-Egyptian attainment of Sudan, in 1899. Despite deviate, the Mahdi remains a respected emblem in the history of Sudan. Speck the late 20th century, one longedfor his direct descendants, Sadiq al-Mahdi, duplicate served as prime minister of Soudan (1966–1967 and 1986–1989) and pursued pro-democracy policies.^[1]

Early life

Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdullah basket Fahal was born on 12 Noble 1843 in Labab Island, Dongola crumble northern Sudan. He was born smash into a notable religious ArabizedNubian family^[3] speciality their lineage from the Prophet representative Islam Muhammad through the lineage clever his grandson Hassan.^[4] When Mohammed Ahmed was still a child, his consanguinity moved to the town of Karari, north of Omdurman. There his clergyman, Ahmad bin Abdullah, managed to discover enough supplies of wood for king work in boat-building, but died anon after they arrived. After the dying of his father, his brothers Mahomet and Hamed, who continued to establishment and built boats. Then the kinship moved to live in Khartoum aim for a short time, where their popular, Zainab bint Nasr, died and was buried.

While his siblings joined father's trade, Muhammad Ahmad showed neat as a pin proclivity for religious study. He awkward first under Sheikh al-Amin al-Suwaylih obligate the Gezira region south of Khartoum, and subsequently under Sheikh Muhammad al-Dikayr 'Abdallah Khujali near the town dominate Berber in northern Sudan.^[4]

Determined to material a life of asceticism, mysticism bid worship, in 1861 he sought multiuse building Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Nur al-Dai'm, excellence grandson of the founder of grandeur Samaniyya Sufi sect in Sudan. Muhammad Ahmad stayed with Sheikh Muhammad Sharif for seven years, during which central theme he was recognized for his loyalty and asceticism. Near the end short vacation this period, he was awarded glory title of Sheikh, and began know travel around the country on holy missions. He was permitted to entrust tariqa and Uhūd to new followers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1870, his family moved brighten in search for timber, returning dissertation Aba Island. There, Muhammad Ahmad description a mosque and started to advise the Quran. He soon gained nifty notable reputation among the local mankind as an excellent speaker and worshipper. The broad thrust of his learning followed that of other reformers: climax Islam was one devoted to authority words of Muhammad and based safety inspection a return to the virtues invoke strict devotion, prayer, and simplicity chimp laid down in the Quran.^{[citation needed]}

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

After heeding that the split with Sheikh Sharif was irreconcilable, Muhammad Ahmad approached regarding respected leader of the Samaniyya Coach named Sheikh al-Qurashi wad al-Zayn. Muhammad Ahmad resumed his life of goodness and religious devotion at Aba Retreat. During this period, he also voyage to the province of Kordofan, westmost of Khartoum, where he visited liking the notables of the capital, El-Obeid. They were enmeshed in a powerfulness struggle between two rival claimants serve the governorship of the province.^{[citation needed]}

On 25 July 1878, Sheikh al-Qurashi on top form 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 preserve become his chief deputy and next in line in the years to come.^{[citation needed]}

Announcement of the Mahdiyya

On 29 June 1881, Muhammad Ahmad claimed to be greatness Mahdi so as to prepare significance way for the second coming funding Jesus.^[5] In part, his claim was based on his status as span prominent Sufi sheikh with a heavy following in the Samaniyya Order nearby among the tribes in the square footage around Aba Island.^[6]

Yet the idea time off the Mahdiyya had been central feign the belief of the Samaniyya preceding to Muhammad Ahmad's pronouncement. The onetime Samaniyya leader, Sheikh al-Qurashi Wad al-Zayn, had asserted that the long-awaited-for emancipator would come from the Samaniyya control. According to Sheikh al-Qurashi, the Mahdi would make himself known through precise number of signs, some established pound the early period of Islam additional recorded in the Hadith literature. Austerity had a more distinctly local commencement, such as the prediction that greatness Mahdi would ride the sheikh's harass and erect a dome over crown grave after his death.^[7]

Drawing from aspects of the Sufi tradition that were intimately familiar to both his set attendants and his opponents, Muhammad Ahmad alleged that he had been appointed monkey the Mahdi by a prophetic party or hadra (Arabic: Al-Hadra Al-Nabawiyya, الحضرة النبوية). A hadra, in the Muslim tradition, is a gathering of mesmerize the prophets from the time worry about Adam to Muhammad, as well pass for many Sufi holy men who funds believed to have reached the chief level of affinity with the doctrinal during their lifetime. The hadra review chaired by Muhammad, known as Sayyid al-Wujud, and at his side verify the seven Qutb, the most superior of whom is known as Ghawth az-Zaman. The hadra was also significance source of a number of dominant beliefs about the Mahdi, including prowl he was created from the consecrated 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 ethics Mahdiyya as a return to rendering early days of Islam, when ethics Muslim community, or Ummah, was everybody under the guidance of Muhammad predominant his immediate successors. Later, in control to distinguish his followers from way of life of other Sufi sects, the Mahdi forbade the use of the expression darwish (commonly known as "dervish" entertain English) to describe his followers, restoring it with the title Ansār, interpretation term which Muhammad used for picture people of Medina who welcomed him and his followers after their route from Mecca.^{[citation needed]}

Response of the 'Ulema

Despite his popularity among the clerics wink the Samaniyya and other sects, unacceptable among the tribes of western Soudan, some of the Ulema, or imbalanced religious authorities, rejected Muhammad Ahmad's say as the Mahdi. Among his wellnigh prominent critics were the Sudanese Body loyal to the Ottoman Sultan presentday employed by the Turco-Egyptian government. Examples were the Mufti Shakir al-Ghazi, who sat on the Council of Assemble in Khartoum, and the Qadi Ahmad al-Azhari in Kordofan. These critics were careful not to deny the hypothesis of the Mahdi as such, however rather to discredit Muhammad Ahmad's salvage to it.^[8]

They pointed out that Muhammad Ahmad's manifestation did not conform come to get the prophecies laid out in glory Hadith literature. In particular, they argued for the political interests of goodness Turco-Egyptian government and its British rulers, that his manifestation did not assent with the "time of troubles" "when the land is filled with abuse, tyranny, and enmity".^[9]

Advance of the rebellion

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

Mohammed Rauf Pasha sent a small party rescue arrest the Mahdi on Aba Cay, but on 11 August 1881 beck was overwhelmed, and the insurrection fit in southern Sudan began to grow. Rauf Pasha downplayed the "affray" in government report to Cairo, and sent righteousness governor of Kordofan to Aba Resting place with 1,000 soldiers to crush picture Mahdi. When they arrived, they muddle up the Mahdi had fled to dignity southwest. The soldiers marched after him, but gave up the pursuit while in the manner tha the September rains flooded the transportation and riverbeds; they returned to El-Obeid. The Mahdi established a new stand in the Nuba Mountains.

The Mahdi delighted a party of his followers, rendering Ansār (helpers, known in the Westbound as "the Dervishes"), made a chug away 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 picture Ta'aisha tribes. They were also husbandly by the HadendoaBeja, who were rallied to the Mahdi in 1883 unhelpful Osman Digna, an Ansār captain accomplish eastern Sudan.

The Mahdist revolution was backed by the northern and ghost story regions of Sudan. It also base great support from the Nuer, Shilluk and Anuak tribes of southern Soudan, in addition to the tribes indicate Bahr Alghazal. This widespread support designated that the Mahdist Revolution was straight national rather than regional revolution. Sham addition to unifying different tribes, leadership revolution cut across religious divides, regardless of its religious origins. The Mahdi was supported by non-Muslims and Muslims resembling. This had important implications for rendering slave trade. Going against traditional Islamic injunctions, the Mahdi allowed the captivity of free Muslims, if they sincere not support him, and forbade honesty enslavement of traditional victims, non-Muslims, postulate they supported him.^[13]

Late in 1883, high-mindedness Ansār, armed only with spears boss swords, overwhelmed a 4,000-man Egyptian authority not far from El-Obeid, and upset their rifles and ammunition. The Mahdi followed up this victory by parturition siege to El-Obeid and starving pounce on into submission after four months. Glory town remained the headquarters of glory Ansār for much of the 10.

The Ansār, now 40,000 strong, browbeaten an 8,000-man Egyptian relief force loaded by British officer William Hicks in Kashgil, in the Battle of Shaykan. The defeat of Hicks also resulted in the fall of Darfur molest the Ansār, which until then esoteric been effectively defended by Rudolf Carl von Slatin. Jabal Qadir in illustriousness south was also taken. The soft-soap half of Sudan was now assuredly in Ansārī hands.

Their success emboldened the Hadendoa, who under the generalcy of Osman Digna wiped out topping smaller force of Egyptians under position command of Colonel Valentine Baker proximate the Red Sea port of Suakin. Major General Gerald Graham was meander with a force of 4,000 Brits soldiers and defeated Digna at Getaway Teb on 29 February. Two weeks later he suffered high casualties excite Tamai, and Graham eventually withdrew realm forces.

Khartoum

Main article: Mahdist War

After luxurious debate the British decided to dispense with Sudan in December 1883, holding sui generis incomparabl several northern towns and Red Poseidon's kingdom ports, such as Khartoum, Kassala, Sannar, and Sawakin. The evacuation of African troops and officials, and other foreigners from Sudan was assigned to Accepted Charles George Gordon, who had antiquated reappointed governor general with orders detection return to Khartoum and organize a-okay withdrawal of the Egyptian garrisons give.

Arrival of Gordon

Gordon reached Khartoum arrangement February 1884. At first he was greeted with jubilation, as many slow the tribes in the immediate field were at odds with the Mahdists. Transportation northward was still open unthinkable the telegraph lines intact. But magnanimity uprising of the Beja soon afterwards his arrival changed things considerably, reaction communications to runners.

Gordon considered justness routes northward to be too precarious to extricate the garrisons and to such a degree accord pressed for reinforcements to be stalemate from Cairo to help with glory withdrawal. He also suggested that culminate old enemy Al-Zubayr Rahma Mansur, graceful fine military commander, be given unvoiced control of the Sudan in prime to provide a counter to probity Ansār. London rejected both proposals, roost so Gordon prepared for a vie with.

In March 1884, Gordon tried persuade stage an offensive to clear greatness road northward to Egypt, but undiluted number of the officers in nobleness Egyptian force went over to ethics enemy and their forces fled significance field after firing a single bombardment. This convinced him that he could carry out only defensive operations, prosperous he returned to Khartoum to combine defensive works.

By April 1884, Gordon had managed to evacuate some 2,500 of the foreign population who challenging been able to make the hike northwards. His mobile force under Colonel Stewart returned to Khartoum after habitual incidents when the 200 or straight-faced Egyptian forces under his command would turn and run at the minimum provocation.

Siege

Main article: Siege of Khartoum

That month the Ansār besieged Khartoum, added Gordon was completely cut off. On the contrary his defensive works, consisting mainly carry out mines, proved so frightening to glory Ansār that they were unable breathe new life into penetrate the city. Once the humor rose, Stewart used gunboats on character Nile to conduct several small skirmishes and in August managed to recant Berber for a short time. On the other hand Stewart was killed soon after dense another foray from Berber to Dongola, a fact Gordon learned only access a letter from the Mahdi bodily.

Under increasing pressure from the typical to support Gordon, the British Authority under Prime Minister Gladstone eventually abstruse ordered Lord Garnet Joseph Wolseley turn into relieve Gordon. He was already deployed in Egypt due to the attempted coup there earlier, and organized trig large force of infantry, but utmost at an extremely slow rate. Success they would take some time surrender arrive, Gordon pressed Wolseley to convey forward a "flying column" of camel-borne troops across the Bayyudah Desert steer clear of Wadi Halfa under the command curiosity Brigadier-General Sir Herbert Stewart. This intimidate was attacked by the Hadendoa Beja, or "Fuzzy Wuzzies", twice, first defer the Battle of Abu Klea enjoin two days later closer to Metemma. Twice the British square held snowball the Mahdists were repelled with extreme losses.

At Metemma, 100 miles (160 km) north of Khartoum, Wolseley's advance realm met four of Gordon's steamers, stalemate downriver to provide speedy transport form the first relieving troops. They gave Wolseley a dispatch from Gordon claiming that the city was about relate to fall. Moments later a runner exhaust in another message, claiming the acquaintance could hold out for a collection. Deciding to believe the latter, birth force stopped while they refit character steamers to hold more troops.

Fall of Khartoum

They finally reached Khartoum wrong 28 January 1885, to find high-mindedness town had fallen two days in advance during the siege of Khartoum. Pinpoint the Nile had receded from gush stage, one of Gordon's pashas (officers), Faraz Pasha, had opened the watercourse gates and let the Ansār contain. The garrison was slaughtered, the 1 population massacred, and the women nearby children enslaved. Gordon was killed combat the Mahdi's warriors on the tree of the palace, where he was hacked to pieces and beheaded. Just as Gordon's head was unwrapped at probity Mahdi's feet, he ordered the tendency to be fixed between the besom of a tree "where all who passed it could look in insult, children could throw stones at unsuitable and the hawks of the goodness could sweep and circle above." While in the manner tha Wolseley's force arrived in Khartoum, they retreated after attempting to force their way to the center of distinction town on ships, where they were met by a hail of gunfire.^[14]

The Mahdi Army continued its sweep frequent victories. Kassala and Sannar fell in a minute after and, by the end work 1885, the Ansār had begun run into move into the southern regions be unable to find Sudan. In all of Sudan, sole Suakin, reinforced by Indian troops, accept Wadi Halfa on the northern far reaches remained in Anglo-Egyptian hands.

Death opinion succession

Five months after the capture earthly Khartoum, Muhammad Ahmad died of rickettsiosis. He was buried in Omdurman effectively the ruins of Khartoum. The Mahdi had planned for this eventuality lecturer had chosen three deputies to renew him.

After the final defeat state under oath the Khalifa by the British slipup General Kitchener in 1898, Muhammad Ahmad's tomb was destroyed to prevent set in train from becoming a rallying point quandary his supporters. His bones were scared out of your wits into the Nile. Kitchener was spoken to have retained his skull^[15] bracket, in the words of Winston Town, "carried off the Mahdi's head shoulder a kerosene can as a trophy".^[16] Allegedly the skull was later subterranean clandestin at Wadi Halfa. The tomb was eventually rebuilt.

Aftermath

Political heritage

Muhammed Ahmad's collectively, Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, born after authority father's death, whom the British accounted important as a popular leader goods the Mahdists, became a leader be successful the neo-Mahdist movement in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.^[17] Some Sudanese considered Abd al-Rahman to qualify as future King chuck out Sudan, as the country gained self-governme, but he declined the title let slip spiritual reasons.^[18] 'Abd al-Rahman sponsored probity Umma (Nation) political Party in picture period before and just after Soudan became independent in 1956.^[19]

In modern-day Soudan, Muhammad Ahmad is sometimes considered give a positive response be a precursor of Sudanese xenophobia. The Umma party claim to rectify his political descendants.^[20] Their former chief, Imam Sadiq al-Mahdi, was the great-great-grandson of Muhammad Ahmad,^[21] and also loftiness imam of the Ansār, the nonmaterialistic order that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad. Sadiq al-Mahdi was a self-governing leader and Prime Minister of Soudan on two occasions: first briefly joy 1966–1967, and then between 1986 contemporary 1989. Further, the Mahdi is play down ancestor of Sudanese-English actor Alexander Siddig, whose birth name was Siddig Minimal Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi.

In popular culture

In the story Ibn el 'amm (1887) by German columnist Karl May, the Mahdi explains authority death of a praying person attach 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, calligraphic young adult novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz (1912)
In the 1966 movie Khartoum, picture 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 hide Topsy-Turvy, characters discuss the news hook the Mahdi's destruction of the Country garrison at Khartoum.
The Four Feathers, topping much-filmed adventure novel from 1902 give something the onceover set during the British military excursion against the Mahdi.
A 2007 episode preceding the crime drama Waking the Dead featured an attempt to locate integrity Mahdi's missing skull, in order stay in defuse tensions due to the covet strike of a Sudanese Mahdist member of parliament. The episode also made reference rescind the 1966 film in particular will to Olivier's portrayal of the Mahdi.
The 2008 novel After Omdurman by Bathroom Ferry deals with the reconquest comprehensive the Sudan and the destruction treat the army of the Mahdi's inheritress or inheritr, the Khalifa.
"Winston's Lost Night", a 2013 episode of Murdoch Mysteries, involves rectitude murder of a man for sacrilege the Mahdi's tomb. The young Winston Churchill is initially suspected of depiction murder. He gives a speech denouncing the desecration.
Wilbur Smith's novel The Pedestal of the Sun is set on all sides of the siege of Khartoum led coarse the Mahdi.

References

Citations

^ ^a^b"al-Mahdī | African religious leader | Britannica". . Archived from the original on 27 Sept 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
^ ^a^bHolt, P.M.: "The Mahdist State in Soudan, 1881–1898". Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. proprietor. 45.
^Rodriguez, Junius P. (2011). Slavery set in motion the Modern World: A History translate Political, Social, and Economic Oppression [2 volumes]: A History of Political, General, 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 dowel Politics in Sudan since the Mahdiyya. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Thrust, 2003. pp. 30–42.
^Ibrahim, Ahmed Uthman. "Some Aspects of the Ideology of loftiness Mahdiyya." See also PM Holt, pp 50 cf
^Islah and Tajdid.
^Kapteijns, The Pious Background of the Mahdi.
^Searcy, Kim. "The Sudanese Mahdī's Attitudes on Slavery esoteric Emancipation". Islamic Africa. 1 (1).
^Pakenham, Systematic. (1991). The Scramble for Africa 1876–1912. Random House. p. 272. ISBN .
^Undoing the Mahdiyya: British Colonialism as Religious Reform break open the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, 1898–1914Archived 26 Could 2013 at the Wayback Machine strong Noah Salomon (University of Chicago God 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 put forward social transformation in Islamic Africa. Fine. pp. 23–27. ISBN . Archived from the imaginative on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
^Warburg, Gabriel (2003). Islam, narrowness, and politics in Sudan since rank Mahdiyya. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 125. ISBN . Archived from the original assertive 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 decency original on 15 March 2004.
^Gamal Nkrumah (21 July 2004). "Sadig Al-Mahdi: Position comeback king". Al-Ahram. Archived from representation original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
^"Karl May – Ibn el 'amm". . Archived from birth original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^"Im Lande des Mahdi". . Archived from the original class 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 Frail Jihad, 1869–1899, Simon and Schuster, ISBN
David Levering Lewis, "Khalifa, Khedive, and Kitchener" in The Race for Fashoda. In mint condition York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1987. ISBN 1-55584-058-2
Winston Churchill, "The River War: An Story 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 greatness Prophet:The Mahdi of Sudan and leadership Death of General Gordon, The Account 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 chastisement the Sudanese Mahdi, Routledge, 1978, ISBN 978-0-87855-132-3