Al-mahdi (founder of The Mahdiyah Islamic dynasty of Sudan)

My grandmother was a youth during the time of The Mahdiyah and she said that she didn't like the British occupation of Sudan but she preferred the British over the post Mahdi (the founder of The Mahdiyah) rule of the Mahdi's followers called Al-ansar. She told me that the Al-ansar were very corrupt. They would throw tobacco in people houses , go and search people homes and steal whatever they want. The Al-ansar didn't demonstrate what the Mahdi wanted Sudan to be.

I thought I give you a first hand perspective of The Mahdiyah from someone who lived through it but we'll get back to my grandmother later. I like to talk about how The Mahdiyah came to be , its purpose , and its legacy and creator.

The Mahdi was brought up like most young men in North Africa (post the Fatmid Dynasty) by going to Islamic schools and being a scholar in Islam or being a devout with an Islamic holy man to become a holy man himself. For those of you who don't know the Fatmid dynasty , it was an Islamic dynasty that stemmed from Morocco and expanded into Egypt. The Fatmid dynasty was a Shiite dynasty and some wounder if that had any influence over the The Mahdiyah ideology.

The Mahdi was born in the Dongolo , region of North Sudan. The Mahdi was interested in religion than business. His father was a boat builder and so it was assumed that he will enter the boat building business. In 1861 , he joined the Sammaniyya sufi sect to become a sufi. Shaykh Muhammad ash-Sharif (the head of the Sammaniyya sect) realized the Mahdi's dedication to becoming a sufi and promoted him a teacher of the sect , so he can teach it to his followers. Soon after the Mahdi move to Aba Island near the white Nile and built a mosque there. The Mahdi developed a reputation in that area as an inspirational speaker and mystic.

He soon began to travel through North and west Sudan to attract new follower to the Sammaniyya sect. As he was traveling through North and west Sudan, he realized the hate that the local populations had for the Ottoman-Egyptian. The local population declared him the Mahdi ( or savior).

In 1881 Muhammad Ahmad or Al-Mahdi raised an army to fight the Ottoman-Egyptian occupation. He declared that he is the expected Mahdi and anyone who finds an infidel Turk or Turkish person or an Egyptian, that person shalt kill him/her. The Mahdi believed the Turks/Egyptians to be corrupt and infidels since they didn't follow all the rules of Islam.

The Mahdi came to defeat the 4,000 Egyptians and Turks in many battles. His followers used only sticks while the Egyptians and Turks used firepower and guns. The Mahdi gained the support of most tribes in West and eastern Sudan as the expected one. After extensive battles between the Mahdi and the Turks/Egyptians, the Turks/Egyptians decided that it's not worth to fight the Mahdi anymore for it was costing men and arm power. The Turks invoked the help of Britain to withdraw their troops from Sudan , the British sent General Gordon in 1884. He was expected to withdraw Turks/Egyptians forces from Northern territories such as the capital Khartoum , Kassala , and Sanner. General Gordon managed to evacuate some 2500 foreigners from Sudan. After he evacuated the 2500 foreigners, he thought that he could have defeated the Mahdi. So Gordon began launching offensives against the Mahdi forces. It was not long until the Ansar or Mahdi followers reached Khartoum and seized Gordon's palace and hack Gordon into pieces literally cutting his body into pieces to parade their victory. The Mahdi was against his Ansar killing Gordon but they defied him and did it anyway. It's said that the Mahdi sent several letters warning Gordon to leave Sudan and that the army he was waiting for is not going to come but Gordon was arrogant and wanted to bring down The Mahdiyah.

After Khartoum fell under The Mahdiyah and Mahdi. The Mahdi and his Ansar ruled Sudanese people by Sharia laws. They replaced pilgrimage to Mecca with holy fighting and enforced other Islamic laws such as women wearing headscarf in public. The new Sharia laws wasn't welcomed by most Sudanese people, for the Mahdi followers were corrupt.

The Mahdi died six months after the capture of Khartoum and the Ansar appointed a Caliph or a representative of the The Mahdiyah. Caliph Abd al allah become and only caliph of The Mahdiyah. The Mahdiyah dynasty was the shortest Islamic dynasty in the history of North Africa. This was due mostly to corruption , wake rulers , and mismanagement of the Caliphate or state resources.

Going back to my grandmother, she said that she liked the Mahdi and the The Mahdiyah as an ideology but she didn't like corruption that was brought upon by the Mahdi followers. I agree with my grandmother, corruption is a destroyer of any solid government. The Mahdiyah could have lasted longer if the Ansar followed the Mahdi fully but the Ansar were very defiant, killing General Gordon when the Mahdi told them not to and collecting unjust taxes and abusing the Sudanese people. The only Caliph of The Mahdiyah was more concerned with expanding The Mahdiyah into Ethiopia then strengthen the Caliphate of The Mahdiyah in Sudan.

If the Caliph focused on defense , agriculture , live stock , and improving relations with his neighbors, then The Mahdiyah would have surely flourished. Corruptions seem to be the ailment that all Islamic dynasties suffer from throughout history. Take Caliph Al-Hakim of the Fatmid dynasty for example, his odd laws such as killing anyone he pleases or forbidding any foods he please brought his rule down. Although another weakness of the Fatmid dynasty is that most of its caliphs were too young. Caliph Al-hakim was only 11 years old when he become Caliph and his son was only 11 years old when he became caliph as well.

The Sudanese people welcomed the fall of The Mahdiyah because it wasn't working for them and because of the corrupt followers of the Mahdi and the weak Caliph that was more concerned with expanding territory than improving his current territory.

The British weren't major players in Sudan but they become involved through the Turks and the Egyptians. My grandmother tells me that the British were kind people , paying people to clean the streets etc. They improved the education system in Sudan. It's no doubt that the Sudanese people welcomed the Mahdi cause for freeing Sudan from the Turkish/Egyptians rule but what they don't support is corruption and decay brought upon by his followers.

So was the Mahdi real the expected one and did he save the Sudanese people from impurity? My grandmother would say that the Mahdi was the awaited leader but he wasn't the expected one because he didn't improve the conditions of the Sudanese people. He simply saved them from the occupying Turks /Egyptians.

The Mahdiyah wasn't the only Islamic dynasty in Sudan. There was the Funj and Darfur dynasties but The Mahdiyah was most notable because its founder carried a religious cause. The Funj dynasty was more like a muslim kingdom. The Funj dynasty was very unified and very structured, lasting from the early 1500s into the early 1700s. The funj were of Arab linage while the Fur dynasty were of non-arab linage. The Darfur dynasty lasted from the early 1500s to early 1700s in western Sudan before the coming of Turkish rules and The Mahdiyah. The Darfur dynasty was well structured and unified as well. Maybe unity is the link that was missing to the success of The Mahdiyah. It's no doubt that the Mahdi and The Mahdiyah left their mark on Sudan and North Africa but it was the shortest Islamic dynasty in North Africa.