Muhammad Ahmad

Muhammad Ahmad
1884 illustration of Ahmad
Imam Mahdi
In office
1881–1885
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAbdallahi ibn Muhammad 'Khalifa'
Personal details
Born(1843-08-12)12 August 1843
Labab Island, Dongola, Turco-Egyptian Sudan
Died21 June 1885(1885-06-21) (aged 41)
Khartoum, Mahdist State
Cause of deathTyphus
Resting placeThe Mahdi's tomb, Omdurman, Sudan
Occupation
  • Politician
  • theologian
  • military leader
TitleMahdi
Personal
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceMaliki
Main interest(s)Fiqh, Tafsir
TariqaSammāniyya

Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (Arabic: محمد أحمد بن عبد الله بن فحل; 12 August 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political leader. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, and led a war against Egyptian rule in Sudan which culminated in a remarkable victory over them in the Siege of Khartoum. He created a vast Islamic state extending from the Red Sea to Central Africa, and founded a movement that remained influential in Sudan a century later.[1]

From his announcement of the Mahdist State in June 1881 until its end in 1898,[2] the Mahdi's supporters, the Ansār, established many of its theological and political doctrines. After Muhammad Ahmad's unexpected death from typhus on 22 June 1885, his chief deputy, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took over the administration of the nascent Mahdist State.

The Mahdist State, weakened by his successor's autocratic rule and inability to unify the populace to resist the British blockade and subsequent war, was dissolved following the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan in 1899. Despite that, the Mahdi remains a respected figure in the history of Sudan. In the late 20th century, one of his direct descendants, Sadiq al-Mahdi, twice served as prime minister of Sudan (1966–1967 and 1986–1989), and pursued pro-democracy policies.[1]

  1. ^ a b "al-Mahdī | Sudanese religious leader | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  2. ^ Holt, P.M.: "The Mahdist State in Sudan, 1881–1898". Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. p. 45.

Developed by StudentB