Sayyid Muhammad Sharif (died 1899) was one of the three Kalifas or lieutenants of

Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (; 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 vi ...

(1844–1885), who styled himself the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

, the others being Ali wad Hilu and

Abdallahi ibn Muhammad Abdullah ibn-Mohammed al-Khalifa or Abdullah al-Taashi or Abdallah al-Khalifa, also known as "The Caliph, Khalifa" (; 184625 November 1899) was a Sudanese Ansar (Sudan), Ansar ruler who was one of the principal followers of Muhammad Ahmad. Ahmad c ...

. Muhammad Sharif was the son of Hamid Muhammad, first cousin of the Mahdi.

Career

When Muhammed Ahmad died on 22 June 1885, in theory the Kalifas were jointly responsible for ruling the "''Mahdiyah''", as the Mahdist state of

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

was known. In practice, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad was the effective ruler after dealing with challenges to his authority from members of the Mahdi's family, and became generally known as "The Kalifa". In 1886, Khalifa Muhammad Sherif led a coup attempt by the Ashraf, kinsmen of the Mahdi, but Abdullahi defeated the challenge without difficulty. On 23 November 1891, Ashraf troops led by Muhammed Sharif surrounded

the Mahdi's tomb The Mahdi's tomb or ''qubba'' () is located in Omdurman, Sudan. It was the burial place of Muhammad Ahmad, the leader of an Islamic revolt against Turco-Egyptian Sudan in the late 19th century. The Mahdist State was established in 1885 after t ...

and prepared for a showdown. The Khalifa did not trust his own forces, so negotiated an amnesty. Soon after, he took his revenge. The Khalifa would not kill any member of the family, but exiled their supporters from

Omdurman Omdurman () is a major city in Sudan. It is the second most populous city in the country, located in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the capital city of Khartoum. The city acts ...

and had them killed at

Fashoda Kodok or Kothok (), formerly known as Fashoda, is a town in the Fashoda County of Upper Nile (state), Upper Nile State, in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. Kodok is the capital of Shilluk people, Shilluk country, formally known as the ...

. When Muhammad Sharif objected to this action, the Kalifa arranged for him to be tried by a court with 44 judges. He was found guilty in March 1892 and imprisoned for a four-year term. The charge was that he planned to depose 'Abd Allahi and assume the caliphate himself.

Death

After the

Battle of Omdurman The Battle of Omdurman, also known as the Battle of Karary, was fought during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan between a British–Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by British Commander-in-Chief (sirdar) major general Horatio Herbert ...

(2 September 1898) in which the Mahdist forces were defeated by an Anglo-Egyptian force led by General

Herbert Kitchener Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (; 24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his involvement in the Second Boer War, a ...

, Khalifa Sherif surrendered to the British. Muhammad Sharif was placed under house arrest in the village of Shakaba near

Wad Madani Wad Madani (; also spelled Wad Medani and known simply as Madani) is a city in eastern Sudan and the capital of the Al Jazirah (state), Al Jazirah state. "Wad Madani" (population), Microsoft Encarta, Online Encyclopedia 2001. Wad Madani lies on th ...

with two of the Mahdi's sons. In 1899, hearing that they planned to join the Khalifa (who was still at large), the three were arrested. There was a skirmish when an attempt was made to rescue them. Sherif and the Mahdi's two sons were found guilty by a court martial trial and were shot. A different version of what happened is that the government heard a rumor that the group was conducting Mahdist propaganda. A force of government troops was dispatched which fired on the group at random, killing Khalifa Muhammad Sharif and two of the Mahdi's sons, al-Fadil and al-Bushra. A third son,

Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi Sir Sayyid Abdul Rahman al-Mahdi, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, KBE (; June 1885 – 24 March 1959) was a Sudanese politician and prominent religious leader. He was one of the leading religious and political figures duri ...

, was badly wounded. One of Muhammad Sharif's wives was the Sharifa Zainab bint al-Mahdi, daughter of the Mahdi, and their son, Husain al-Khalifa Muhammad Sharif (1888–1928), was a pioneer journalist in

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ') was a condominium (international law), condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereig ...

References

Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Sharif Year of birth missing 1899 deaths Sudanese Muslims Mahdist military personnel of the Mahdist War Sudanese politicians 19th-century Sudanese people