A Month of: This Day in History

On 29th June 1881 in Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad, a Sudanese Sufi sheikh, declares himself to be the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith. From this date until the fall of Khartoum in 1885, he led a successful military campaign against the Turco-Egyptian government. His announcement of his claim as the Mahdi was made to prepare the way for the second coming of the second Prophet Isa (Jesus).

In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi “guided one” is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years, according to differing interpretations.

The end of his ‘reign’ came in 1885 at the Battle of Omdurman against British forces.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: battle of Omdurman, islam, islamic faith, jesus, khartoum, Mahdi, prophet isa, religion, second coming, Sudan