Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi

Who was Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi?

Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, KBE was one of the leading religious and political figures during the colonial era in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and continued to exert great authority as leader of the Neo-Mahdists after Sudan became independent. The British tried to exploit his influence over the Sudanese people while at the same time profoundly distrusting his motives. Throughout most of the colonial era of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan the British saw Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi as important as a moderate leader of the Mahdists. However, the British would not support him in his ambition to become King of Sudan when the country gained independence.

Abd al-Rahman was the posthumous son of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith in 1881, and died in 1885 a few months after his forces had captured Khartoum. A joint British and Egyptian force recaptured Sudan in 1898. At first, the British severely restricted Abd al-Rahman's movement and activity. However, he soon emerged as the Sayyid of the Ansar religious sect, supporters of the Mahdist movement.

Abd al-Rahman helped the British to retain Sudanese support during the First World War, when they were opposed to the Turkish Empire, despite his being a Muslim leader. He lent his support again during a crisis in 1924 when there were anti-British riots in Egypt and the British Governor-General of the Sudan was assassinated. Meanwhile he grew wealthy from cotton production, for which his supporters provided labor, and influential among the intelligentsia. The British administration distrusted him. When Governor General Sir Geoffrey Archer paid a formal and friendly visit to Abd al-Rahman in March 1926, Archer was dismissed and Abd al-Rahman was placed under travel restriction.