Evening star., 1898-10-08
An Event Of Importance in the
Mohammedan World.
WHAT TEE SIRDAR'S VICTORY MEANS
1t viii Strike Terror Into Every
MosIem Army.
POWER OF THE EHALTFA
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

khanfa In the city of Omdurnlan Is n great
event in the Mohammedan world. for there
is nothing which the Moslem rulers OF the
present day fear more than the establish
ment of the universal rule of mahdL
According to the Moslem theology. a ruler
who shall be known as el-mahdi. or the
rightly directed one leader or guide shall
appear in the last days upon the earth
The people Of Persia hold that this mahdi
mas already appeared in the person of Abul
kasim, the twelfth imam, who Is believed
to be concealed until the day OF his mani
festation before the end Of the world But
the Sunni Moslems of India. Turkey. Egypt.
Afghanistan and Arabia say that he has
not yet appeared, and consequently they are
in expectation of the appearance Of some
great leader who will weld together ths
forces of Islam and conquer the whole
earth
The sayings of the prophet on this SUBJ
tect are somewhat notable. For exapnIa
ne is related TO have said The mahdi viii
De descended from me. He Will be A man
with an open countenance and with a nigh
nose. He will fiji the earth with eouIfy
and Justice. even as It has been filled win
Vlllalny and oppression, and he will reign
over the earth seven years"
Story of the kkalifa.
IL was in accordance with this prophecy
that Mohammed Ahmed, the mahdt OF the
Soudan, asserted his right to the dignity az
mahdL He was born In Dongolo OF a noor
and obscure family, but said he was de-
scended in direct line from Fatima tba
prophets daughter When a child he was
taken by his father to Khartoum. where
as young man he gave himself up entirA-
~ 10 reiigious exercises. As the outcona
or certain local disturbances he became an
important leader of the people and event
ually declared himself the mahdi HIS
prestige, especially in the eyes of the Arabs
Lose enormously, and letters were dis
patched IN all directions proclaiming the
TACT that, according to the savings ~ the
prophet, the mahdi had appeared And be
was Immediately credited with working
such sI' miracles as placed his identity beyond
dispute. This was the man who imprisoued
Gen Gordon and was responsible for his
aedCh; lhe ciuelties and atrocities perne-
Idtea IN uhe massacre which followed Cor
dons death are beyond description
but In the midst of this reign of Terror
the mahdi was seized with typhus fever ana
shorIy before his death he nominated An
dullah as his khalifa or vice regent This
~ lne man who is now being pursued by
the Bfltish cavalry, and whose capture viii
probably put an end to the difficulties in
the Soudan. Slatin Pasha described him
as man of middle stature. with a light
oIoNn coinptexlon. sympathetic Arab face
on Whlch the marks Of smallpox are trace
aDle, an aquiline nose. a well-shsnesj mouth
slight mustache, and q fringe of bafr -
MS cheek, but rather thicker on his chin
,tbi az Win row CT glistening white teeth
Whch are visible when he smiles The
khallfa's pride and confidence in his own
powers were indescribable and he firmly
DeneVed that he was capable OF doing any
tnns ana everything. he said he acted
solely by Divine guidance. After the man
OIL $ death this khalifa addressed a letter.
TO the Queen Of England requesting har
majesty to submit TO his r,,Ia "a a.7 - nc.
Islam. nv
His Strange Character
His character is a strangs rnixturs y,
nance and cruelty. He delights to annoy
ana cause disappointment, and ts never
napier than when he is robbing families
wholesale and seizing and executing ALL
persons OF influence and authority. Il was
lhls Abdullah who gave the order for no
quarter at the storming of Khartoum and
IL was he and not his master, the nahdt
who authorized the wholesale massacre 81
men, women and children at the fall of the
CITY; ne mas caused the deaths of thou
SANDS OF innocent people, and Slatin Pasha
says that when he was in prison the khalIfa
mad the right hand and left foot of a c.r-
tam general publicly cut off in the market
piace because ne had been unsuccessful in
an expedition. But in spite of his tyrannt-
cal nature he is said to be devoted 10 his
eldest son. Osman, who is now a Young
man OF twenty-five years of age
Aiic hHdilld Hdrcn consists Of 1itl wiN-0s
IN accordance with the law Of Islam he has
four legal wives, but according to this Iaw
ne is allowed to have any number of concu-
oines, who, as Slatin Pasha saws vary I'm
Color from light brown to deepest black
ana represent nearly every tribe In the
Soudan. These women are almost entirely
cut on from intercourse with the outer
world, and doubtless have hailed with low
the arrival of the British liberators
During his residence at Omdurman the
khalifa conducted the public prayers five
times day, according to the injunctions of
MS religion, and Immediately after the
nlsht prayers he would sit in the niche of
the mosque and receive visitors ON thess
occasions several thousands would he pres-
ent, and the khalifa would be very careful
In selecting persons whom he desired TO
honor.
The khaIffn's Religion
The khalifa is really a wahhab in his
religious sentiments, and consequently he
regards many current customs of Islam as
idolatry. Smoking is forbidden. as well as
the wearing of silken garments and gold
ornaments.
Every Friday at midday PRAYER the
khalifa would preach a sermon in Arabic.
beginning with the salutation, Peace be
upon you o friends of the mahdi"
After the fall Of Khartoum the mahdi Sc
lected Omdurman as a temporary camp
but the khalifa made it the sacred city of
mahdi as equal in point of sanctity 20 the
tomb of the prophet at Medina The city
covers the length of about six English
miles and consists of thousands and thou
sands of straw huts. The great MOSQUE is
a brick building about 500 yards long and
$50 yards broad. The mahdFs tomb is a
dcmed building whitewashed and by no
means a structure of beauty. South of the
tomb is the great Enclosure of the khalifa's
palace, which is surrounded by a high wall
built of red brick.
Town of Omdurman.
The town of Omdurman is built for the
most part on fairly level ground but here
and there are a few small hills. The popu-
lation Of the city is distributed entirely ac-
cording to tribes. The Arabs live in the
southern quarter and the Nile valley peo-
pie in the northern portion A number OF
new wells have been dug, and while those
In the southern quarter Of the city are
mostly brackish, there are a few wells
nirety feet in depth which yield very good
water
The state Of things ia Omdurman for the
last ten years or so has been a disgrace TO
Christian Europe. II the great powers OF
Europe could act as one man against the
combined influence of the semi-sayaee
armies of the Soudan such a condition Of r.
- s.,r-s,