Muhammad Ahmad ibn al-Sayyid Abdallah
Muhammad Ahmad From 1844-1881 Much has been written of Muhammad Ahmad the Mahdi, but few have followed the life of Muhammad Ahmad the man, the boat builder's son, the dedicated student, or the respected shaykh. Thus, the following will be a brief description of the life of Muhammad Ahmad from his birth in 1844 to his manifestation as al-Mahdi al-Muntazar on Aba Island in 1881. Muhammad Ahmad. Illustration by Giha / Musa Qism al-Din Muhammad Ahmad Ibn al-Sayyid Abdallahi was born on August 12th, 1844, on Labab Island in just south of the town of New Dongola (Holt 45. Nicoll 12. Qadal 37). The son of a Dongolawi shipbuilder who claimed to be a member of the Ashraf (to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad), a legacy which was drilled into the mind of the young boy, whom, it is said, could recite his full lineage back to Ali ibn Abi Talib (cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet), a full list of which can be found in Nu'am -Shoucair's Tarikh al-Sudan and Haim Shaked&