by Nayab Naseer
Very soon, the Mahdi besieged Khartoum with all his might. The Nile was blockaded and telegraph lines cut.
Khartoum was surrounded by Nile on three sides. The open desert day on the only landwards side, and Gordon still had enough ammunition and native guinea pigs as the first line of defense.
***
The Nile was flooded and the Mahdi knew it would be atleast six more months before the waters would ebb and the city could be taken. But by then relief steamers, already enroute from Cairo would carry the white man to safety, and the last of the natives in Khartoum would be dead.
The Mahdi heard out the remaining few who had similar heart wrenching things to tell. It was time now for the Friday khutabah. He went into the open courtyard, entered the pulpit and started his khutabah.
He started with an ayah of Sura Al-Imran:
“Every soul shall have a taste of death. And on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the fire and admitted to the garden (of paradise) will have attained the objective of Life, for life in this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”
He continued by recounting a sermon delivered by Abdullah ibn Mas’ood, the famous companion of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
"Surely the most truthful speech is that of the Quran, the Book of Allah; and the best of covenants and bonds are an expression of piety; the best of persuasions is that of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and the best of traditions are those of Mohammad, may Allah bless him, and grant him peace. The most noble and exalted of speeches and conversations is to talk about Allah the Most High; the best and most truthful of stories are told in the Quran; the worth of a good deed will show at the end, and the most evil of deeds are innovations; to have less of what satisfies one's needs is better than to have aplenty one cannot compass or control; the worst self-blaming is sorrow when death comes to seize the person, and the worst grief is to have regret on the Day of Judgment…."
If this khutabah made a deep appeal on the masses, it pierced the heart of Osman of Beja, leader of a powerful Arab tribe. He had come to Ombdurmann on the Mahdi’s invitation, but his real purpose was to spy for the white man. He earned a lucrative income by granting trading rights and acres of plantation to the settlers in his sheikhdom bordering Abyssinia. He immediately went forward and gave the bayah to the Mahdi.
Soon, news arrived of a series of British columns advancing from Cairo, the first one having already reached Abu Klea, a strategic oasis before the Nile crossing halfway between Cairo and Khartoum.
The Mahdi asked for volunteers for jihad.
The entire assemblage raised their hands, but in the end two of the finest chieftains – Osman of Beja and Salida were chosen to lead the jihad. Abdullahi and the Mahdi would stay back in Ombdurmann and continue the siege.
***
The battle lines were drawn at Abu Klea, the desert Oasis some miles before the Nile. The British broke camp and rode out in their traditional orderly square formation. They moved deliberately into the mouth of the defile, no gaps appearing in their lines. Their discipline and precision was chilling, even to men like Osman and Salida.
Osman and Salida were men of contrasts. The former was a student of knowledge, the breed willing to sacrifice and work hard to attain the desired goal – and in this fact he was no different from the British.
“I will not leave them for the desert” declared Salida. “We will destroy them with the sword”.
Osman instinctively knew the battle was lost.
The salaf under the command of Sad bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with them once walked over the flooded Tigris at Midan against the Persians. Seeing this, the terrified Persians ran away saying “Divana” “Divana” we are not fighting humans.
But those were the ones who practiced pure religion, had full faith in Allah and were ready to accept only two outcomes – victory or death. The likes of Salida professed such, but deep down, they loved life of the world and luxuries that came with it, as manifested by the tough breed horses, opulent palaces, lavish ceremonies, desire for fame and the like. Moreover the religion of Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace was different from the religion of Salida, though the latter claimed to be waging jihad on behalf of the former’s religion. Prophet Mohammed’s religion did not know blood feuds, clans, fighting for war booty and prestige, difference between Arabs and Africans, luxuries for the leader and hardship or the foot-soldiers and likewise. Though the “mahdia” professed and promised such a khilafat, it could never really eradicate the established customs of the land.
The British rode on through the narrow neck of the pass and the sides opened like the jaws of a monster on each side of them. The sergeant rode down to the ranks to redress them
“Close up on the right!”
“Keep your spacing in the ranks!”
“Wheel into the line of the left!”
Within minutes the integrity of the square was restored. The corners were at meticulous right angles and the spacing precise. The lines of bayonets glittered in relentless sunlight, and faces of the waiting men were ruddy with sweat, but not one unhooked a water bottle from his webbing.
In was this organized square that Salida’s tribal hordes, wasting energy war drums and other unnecessary gimmicks, tried to break. The massacre would have been complete had Osman not entered the fray when Salida and his men were being decimated.
In matters of wine, women, palaces and the like Osman was no different from Salida. However he was a pragmatist. He knew that keeping aloof from what did not concern him was a part of faith, and as such did not waste time or undertake anything unnecessary, and that was a good beginning. He also knew “Allah loves someone, who when they do something do it well.”
Even before, if any European had ticked him off, and there were many, he would pardon him off in exchange for teaching him something. In all Sudan, he was the only one who knew about the existence of locomotives, gunpowder and the like.
Osman had hoped to tire out the enemy in the deserts by blocking off the wells and the passage to Nile. It would only be a matter of time before water ran out and the waiting hordes could pounce on the thirsty and dehydrated British soldiers. At that time, no threats of court martial would have worked to restore discipline in British ranks. This was what a vastly under-armored Salauddin Ayyubi, may Allah have mercy on him did to the Crusaders, and he attained big time success.
Osman entered the battle and broke the square not with the objective of killing off the enemy, but to inflict maximum damage to their stores and armory. In this he succeeded, and just as the square was closing in, he retreated.
By this time Salida and most of his soldiers has passed into the life of barzakh, about which only Allah knows.
Gordon’s streamers were waiting at the Nile, but Charles Wilson and his troops had to reach the Nile first, and Osman was waiting. The few of Salida’s soldiers who survived joined Osman’s banner, hungry for revenge for their fallen brothers, uncles, nephews, sons and others. The British still had another two hours to go before reaching Metemma on the Nile when Osman decided it was time for battle again. The British camels were exhausted and could go forth no longer. The only way for them was to leave the wounded and make a run for the last leg.
Osman’s troops took their time in coming, but when they came it was as if Gog and Magog had truly broken out. The British still had superior firepower and better discipline, but against overwhelming odds, led by a shrewd tactician it was not enough. Charles Wilson himself survived only because Osman didn’t wait to complete the extermination. Time was a precious commodity, and so were the lives of his followers. He had already lost some of his best during the earlier attack on the square. He had done enough to prevent the advance of the relief column to Khartoum. Any further delay meant risk of some other column further up the Nile advancing. He had a job in hand, and that was the take over of Khartoum.
Before Osman return
ed to Khartoum, he did one ruse. He wrote a letter to the Mahdi
“Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem Praise be to our beloved Prophet Mohammed and his Mahdi (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon both!). All is lost. My shame and sadness is a great rock in my belly, for the infidel devils has prevailed in battle against us. Emir Salida is dead, and his division destroyed. The infidel has reached the Nile at Metemma. I am returning in all haste with my division to Omdurmann. Pray for us, holy and mighty Mahdi.”
He tied the message to the pigeon and sent it. He knew for sure that the British garrison in Khartoum was intercepting their pigeon-mails, and sure enough this happened.
The mood in Khartoum, hitherto grim, erupted into gaiety. Stored up liquor was thrown open and the night was spent in partying and bursting of crackers all round. The defenses were relaxed.
All this while, Osman was steadily advancing from Metemma.
Back in Metemma, Charles Wilson managed to chase away the mad few who stood back to complete the revenge. He however found his strength badly decimated to make an advance to Khartoum before the next relief arrived from Cairo.
Osman entered Ombdurmann unnoticed. He found the mood somber and despondent. The trickle to enter the city was reversed, and people packed their camels, preparing a retreat to El Obeid.
“The ruse has worked” he thought.
Osman wasted no time. From what he knew, previous attempts at Khartoum failed primarily because war cry gave advance notice to the enemy, and the huge mass of dead bodies at the first line, resultant from the enemy firepower, acted as an additional barrier for the second wave.
Osman returned to camp and gathered fifty of his most trusted and able soldiers, and just before dawn crossed the river by stealth. He had spent the night studying from those who had been to Khartoum the strategic locations of defense.
Before anyone knew it, all such positions were taken. The customs warehouse and the infantry barracks came next. The slaughter was swift, silent and total.
Simultaneous with the adhan for fajr at Ombdurmann, the rest of Osman’s army, in their traditional war cry swarmed upon the city.
Charles Gordon, awoken from his slumber gave orders to repulse the “dervishes.” Instead of the sound of army boots marching forth, it was the face of Osman that greeted him.
Osman did not waste time in frivolities. He immediately sliced off Gordon’s head and sent it to the Mahdi.
Two days later Charles Wilson’s steamers reached Khartoum. All it took was a single cannon shot to rupture the hull of the lead steamer. Wilson decided enough was enough and returned to Cairo post haste.
***
To preserve faith in times of defeat is easy; there is nowhere else to go. But preserving faith in times of victory, to maintain equanimity and not let victory go to head is the most difficult thing to do, and this is where Mohammed Ahmed faltered. Proclaiming himself as the Mahdi might have been the result of an ijtihad – either false deduction or compelled due to the exigency of the situation – the tribes would not have broken their century old blood feud and rallied around one banner otherwise.
But what he did next was to order the duty to perform hajj replaced by duty to do further jihad under him – against Abyssinia in the south and Egypt in the North.
The Mahdi did not last long after this. The angel of death took his soul away. Abdullahi took over. He continued the war with Abyssinia, an unwise move, because King John was tolerant to the Muslims. The war, though victorious sapped the ‘mahdia’ of its energy, and didn’t attain much either by means of converting the populace or adding any worthwhile territories.
In the north, the British were beaten back but the prospects were too tempting for abandonment – a virgin territory to harvest as their base, manpower for industries, the treasures of the Nile, the forests, game, plantations and what not.
This time they came back with machine guns, steam locomotives and an even ruthless general – Kitchener.
Abdullahi was in the vanguard to defend Ombdurmann but when he saw the steam locomotive – a mile of track was laid and the troops advanced mile by mile - he was terrified and screamed just as the Persians had screamed at Midan - “’Divana’ ‘Divana’ we are fighting demons!”
He preferred flight to fight. But this did not prevent the British from razing Ombdurmann to dust and giving chase to Abdullahi deep-south.
On the way, Osman, now retired and devoted to the study of Islam at his oasis of Gedda gave the British serious challenge, but then in a hopeless situation, he got what he wanted – martyrdom.
It was only a matter of days before the Anglo-Egyptian force caught up with Abdullahi and executed him, and it was even sooner that the imperialists, by now adept in the game rekindled old tribe loyalties, jealousies and blood feuds. The imperialists entered the scene as peace- makers and have never really quit.
MOHAMMED IBN ABDUL WAHAB AND THE HOUSE OF SAUD
In modern Islamic history, there is no figure more controversial that Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab. The salafis virtually swear on him, positioning him just next to the sahabas, for all practical purposes. At the other end of the spectrum, the barelwis consider him as the modern day incarnation of the khawarij, and refer to Najd, his stronghold as the horns of the satan.
Leaving aside the virtues of the salafi movement, a student of history would do well to understand how and why Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab, a commoner by all means, achieved such spectacular success that brought him to the centerstage of Islamic polity and fiqh ever since.
Allah takes away religion by taking away the scholars. In the 7th hijri century (13th century CE), Salauddin Ayyubi and Baybars, may Allah have mercy on them, managed to strike decisive blows against the twin political threat to Islam in the form of Crusaders and Mongols.
However the damage had been done.
For almost a generation or two the kufar held sway over the epicenter of Islamic civilization – Damascus, Baghdad, Bukhara, and in the case of Spain permanently.
In the absence of a strong central authority like the Umayyad or the Abbasids to maintain the law of the land, somewhere in the 7th-8th hijri century (13th-14th century CE), blood feuds, discord, corruption and other forms of barbarism, all characteristic of the pre-Mohammedian jahiliyyah era, made a comeback in the Arabian peninsula. The political chaos was, as always, marked by a social and cultural decline.
The rot spread to religion as well, especially in the absence of strong religious scholars, most of them who had succumbed fighting the Mongols and the Crusaders. Such was the misguidance that had crept into the religion that in Makkah, there were four different iqamas and four different prayer congregations of each prayer– one each for the Shafi, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali madhhabs!
Najd, the vast central part of the Arabian Peninsula was ruled by numerous petty chieftains. Only two of whom were comparatively better in administering justice - the rulers of Dar’iya and Una’yna. The former was ruled by the Saud family and the latter was under the rule of the family of Muammar.
The other rulers and the Bedouins tribes, by now totally ignorant of the laws of Allah, were blinded by lust, prejudices and mad impulses. They plundered houses and lands, slew people without reason, captured women and sold them in the slave markets of Hejaz and Africa, and burned date palms at whim.
The vilest of the chieftains was the amir of Riyadh - Daham ibn-Dawas, a tyrant and hypocrite of the first order. He would sew the mouths of women, cut the tongues of innocent people, break their teeth, slash flesh from their bodies and force them to eat their own roasted flesh.
In such a state of affairs, the teachings of Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was all but forgotten. Belief spread that certain shrines, tombs, stones and trees possessed power to harm and protect people. People offered sacrifices and sought the intercession of such idols They also consulted soothsayers and oracles, considering them to be successors of Al-Ablak al-Saadi, the (in)famous oracle of pagan Najd.
People
called on the (in)famous palm tree ‘al-Fahhal’ in Bleida to provide sustenance, lighten distress, cure sicknesses and provide husbands or children. The tree of Tarjiya was worshipped in the same way. Women begetting a male child would hang a rope or a piece of cloth on the tree, asking it to grant a long life for the child. So numerous were the people who venerated the tree as such that the branches, leaves and stems were hidden amidst the piles of rope and pieces of cloth.
One deceiver, on the lookout to gain easy money spread stories about a female saint in the cave of Dar’iya. This cave also became a major center of pilgrimage.
It was in the background of such pitch darkness that sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab started his dawah work.
***
Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab was born in 1115 AH (1703 CE.) He was descent from the Musharraf family, a branch of Banu Tamim. His father Abdul Wahab was an alim and chief qadi of Dar'iya. He personally taught his son all the sciences of Islamic learning and made him memorize the Quran while still a child.
By the age of twenty, Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab had grown too big for the small town of Huraimila in Nejd, where he lived, and accordingly proceeded to Makkah and Madinah to continue his education. His tutor, sheikh Ibn-Saif of Madinah initiated him to study the life and works of Imam Ahmad ibn-Hanbal and the ‘Sihah Sitta,’ the six famous compilations of hadeeth. He soon became influenced by the teachings of sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him.
Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab eventually returned to Huraimila and started his dawah against pagan beliefs that had crept in to Islam. However, the so-called ulema of Huraimila, the direct beneficiaries of the people’s pagan cult beliefs and superstitious offerings, rose against him and nearly to murder him.
Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab fled to Una’yna, the provincial big town. Here, he was welcomed by the town’s chieftain, the amir, Uthman ibn Mu'ammar, who gave the daughter of his son Abdullah ibn Mu'ammar to him in marriage and pledged support for his cause.
