Muhammad Ahmad (1844 – 1885) was a religious leader in Sudan who proclaimed himself the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. His rise to prominence and subsequent rebellion against the Ottoman Empire and Egypt significantly impacted the region's political landscape.
Muhammad Ahmad was born in the Dongola region of Sudan. His family were members of the Samaniyya religious order, which influenced his early religious education. He later joined the Khatmiyya order but left after disagreements over its practices, eventually establishing his own following.
In 1881, Muhammad Ahmad declared himself the Mahdi, claiming divine guidance to reform Islam and establish a theocratic state. His movement quickly gained traction among the disenfranchised Sudanese population, who were suffering under Egyptian and Ottoman rule, as well as the British influence through the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan administration.
Following his proclamation, Muhammad Ahmad led a successful military campaign against the Ottoman-Egyptian forces. His followers, known as the Ansar, overthrew the government in Khartoum in 1885, marking the establishment of the Mahdist State. The Mahdiyya, or Mahdist rule, was characterized by a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and his regime was marked by significant social and religious reforms:
Muhammad Ahmad died on June 22, 1885, just six months after his victory at Khartoum, possibly from typhus. His death led to internal power struggles within the Mahdist movement, but his successor, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as the Khalifa, continued the Mahdist rule until the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, when British forces under General Horatio Kitchener overthrew the Mahdist State.
The Mahdist movement had profound effects: