The Mahdi

Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (otherwise known as The Mahdi or Mohammed Ahmed) (August 12, 1844 – June 22, 1885)

was behind the destruction of the British garrison at Khartoum and the murder of Governor General Charles Gordon - a profound shock to imperial Britain.

Ahmad made his name fighting a rival imperial power the "infidel" government loyal to the Ottoman Sultan.
                                              The British government, and even Gordon, underestimated the threat posed by Ahmad until it was too late and the garrison at Khartoum had been annihilated.
                                              Ahmad was not killed in a British raid - he died of typhus. But Lord Kitchener destroyed his tomb to prevent it becoming a rallying point for disciples and had his bones thrown into the Nile.
                                              Kitchener is said to have retained the skull as a paperweight.
There are lessons from Ahmad's movement - he had chosen three deputies to succeed him who they began squabbling as soon as he died. The movement unravelled as a result.
                                              Ahmad's tomb was, however, subsequently rebuilt.






Source: Text and Image:  Online