The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-05
AL-MAHDI, THE PERPETUAL
THE MUHImMEDAN BELIEF nv A
LEADER or THE FIITHEUL.

MuhammadA hmud, 'thc Mnhdi,' lay stretched
upon his death bed IN the midst OF his hnrem
III the Soudanese city Of khnrtum. \ fatal
fever had fallen upon him. aud for six weary
days and nights u group of faithful attendants
had watched the gradual chbing out of life in
one who had raised himself from n position Of
obscurlty to command the lcgiors Of Islam. This
ynsE, Muhnmmnd Ahmud, could claim descent
from tho Prophet, mud IL was said that God had
selected him ns one destined to lead the armies
Of the faithful on the road " God" tSabccb
Ullahl. by the consent of the people he was
proclaimed Al Mahdi, or "tho leader
The disease hal now reached its crisis. and
the devoted companions of the Mnhdi witnessed
their master dying. even ms the Prophet had
died centuries ngo. of n burning fever. From
time to time the Mahdi lost consciousness and
then, feeling that his end was drawing near. he
Whispered in u low voice TO those around him,
"Khalifn Abdullah has been appointed by the
Almighty IA my successor. Ilu Is Of me and of
him. As you have ohcycd me. and have car.
red out my orders. so obey him. May God
have mercy upon my soul" Then, gathering
up all his strength, with one final effort, he re-
pcatcd the Muslin creed, There is no God but
God. and Muhammad is His messenger And
then folding his hands he stretched ont his
limbs and closed his eyes in death.
From that day Abdullah proclaimed himself
Khalifa AL Mahdi. or tho viceregcnt of the
Mahdi. and he Is recognized at the present time
rs AlMahdI, or director. OF the armies of Islam.
1t was this audacious leader of Muslin le-
gions who. In 1855, addressed q letter to the
Queen OF England commanding her to em-
bra,e tho religion OF the Prophet. and also sent
n messenger to the Sultan of Turkey requiring
him to renounce the position of Caliph, which
his ancestors had wron ely assumed when they
deStrOytd the khalifatc of Bagdad, and invit-
ing him to fight under the banner of the Mahdi.
Early the following year Abdullah proclaimed
his intention of invading Abyssinia and Egypt,
and he then threatened the peace of the world
with q standing army of 200, 900 followers.
Tho European powers have been slow to re-
alize the strength of this religious movement,
although every student of Islam knows very
we'll that wherever Muslin devotees have be-
come great invading force. they have been
led by men who. like the present Mahdi of the
Soudan, have believed themselves to he COM
nissioned apostles of the Almighty. \ belief
in the mission Of n Mahdi is as essential to Nh
hammadanism as a belief in the second COM
ing of Christ to orthodox Christianity. 1t is
founded upon the express teaching Of the
Prophet of Arabia himself.
According to lshmacl Of BOkhara. the great
traditionist. the Prophet said: The world will
not come to an end until n man of my tribe
and of my name shall he master of Arabia.
And when you see black ensisns coming from
the direction of khorasan. then join them, for
the priest OF God will be with those standards,
and his name will be Al Mahdi, the director.
The Mahdi will be descended from me. He
will he II mau with an open countenance. He
will fill tho earth with equity and justice, and
he will reign for seven years.
According to another tradition, recorded by
Abu Daud. the prophet said: WARS and dispu-
tations shall exist among men, and then n man
descended from the people of Medina shall go
forth to Mecca and declare himself Imam. or
leader. Then the ruler of Syria will send an
army against him, but this army shall he de-
stroyed by earth quakes. And the Mahdi shall
rule according to the example of the Prophet,
and give strength and stability to Islam. He
shall reign for seven years and then die
According to the Shah traditions. which are
acknowledged in Persia, Munammad said:
From the descendants of All will descend Al.
Mahdi, who will conquer all the religions of the
world and take vengeance on the infidels. He
will take their fortresscs and will destroy them,
and slay the idolaters. lie will be "A HAMPTON
Of Islam, n drawer Of water at the fountain Of
knowledge. He vii! reward merit and punish
every fool according to his folly. He will he
valiant in the cause of Islam"
The Persians claim that their twelfth ruler,
or Imam, Muhammad by name. was the Mahdi.
and they believe that he is still alive and that he
will appear again in the last days as the leader
of the armies of Islam.
In A. ID. 1891 Muhammad, the son of Alb
dull Wahhab. established In the province OF
Maid, in Arabia. a ~fanatical school of Moslem
thought. the intention of which was the revival
of the enthusiastic princinlrs Of Is,o, ,, which
"a a.Laata, 49, ~, ''l' M
nd" "hlmateu the Prophet hlihselt. lie pro-
claims himself Mahdi. His son, Abdul .AZeeZ,
upon The death Of his father 1-H5 ossumaI
.haa.a.aaJ =, " l,D'' "
VIZ 'omihahu ot tHe NahaDoia army, ana nj the
very time when America was fighting for its
Independence Abdul A2cey was n,sbjng bia |
ouanas.s 49, aa w." rs
conquesls 'lt' the rohlotesl corners OF Arahia
and proclaiming himself the Mahdi. But n
Persian fanatic plunred hIs sharn doyeor into
A. nJahJi,. -, t. '"7oe' '"'
the Mahois siuo JUST as-he was prostrating
himself in prayer in the Mosque of Deriah, and
he was succeeded ~ his eldest son sand who
' '"Nt' WING
WIN an army IL %o'"oo men, eAecteu the con-
quest Of Mecca. and on the 27th of April, 1909, |
made n formal entry int n the sacrn5 c,tv md
.aIr,oa 80 Ill g. - 49, ""'
saluteu lhc biack stone OF thc haahah. Tho
sanctlty OF the place, II is said. suhdupd tha