ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with Mahdists who were located in the central and western portions of the Caliphate. These Mahdists, who did not recognize the legitimacy of Muhammad Ahmad, included many clerics, aristocrats and common people, not just those who became associated with the revolutionary cause. Mahdism has usually challenged established authority, and consequently its revolutionary potential in the context of the colonial conquest has been widely recognized. The Mahdist uprising of 1905–1906 had no direct connection with this Nilotic tradition. Revolutionary Mahdism shared many features with other forms of Mahdism. The revolutionary Mahdists sought the overthrow of all established authority, including the colonial regimes and local officials who collaborated with the Europeans. Mahdism could appeal to Islamic tradition to justify the transformation of society, and it could provide a structure of ideas and institutions that drew the masses into a more active political role.
