British Political Ambitions 15 A general revolt was staged by the Sultan for Sudan immediately, and all tribes were subject to him. None of this was hidden from the British, just as they knew better than anyone that the Governor of Egypt, Muhammad Sa'id Pasha, visited Sudan in 1858 and declared in Khartoum his intention to withdraw his armies and government officials from that country. So, the tribal sheikhs and Sudanese notables came from all directions, imploring him not to do so, but he stood firm in his resolve, the reason for which history has not yet revealed to us. Is this not evidence of the Sudanese people's inclination and adherence to Egyptian rule over them? Sa'id himself, while in Khartoum, later appointed the official whom the sheikhs, notables, and dignitaries had requested, his Armenian scribe, Araqil Effendi, as governor of that land. Then, those same dignitaries rose up in complaint and sedition "because the governor appointed a Christian to their land." Araqil did not do what Gordon and others did. Instead, he approached the masses who were witnessing the revolt against him, stood among them, and said to them, "If you understand the governor's government, then he has appointed me as your ruler. Here is my blood, shed it, and remain loyal to the Egyptian government." Their anger subsided, and they turned from defiance to obedience, and they undertook the service of the army in maintaining security and order throughout Sudan.

And this Mahdi, whom they portrayed as a monster, caused a revolt throughout the country. If we examine his history, we will know that he was like those who claim Mahdism in this era. Since the entry of many into Sudan until today, there have been 15 Mahdis in that land, and a group of people gathered around each one to listen to them. However, some soldiers managed to apprehend them by their forelocks. The incident of Abu al-Su'ud, the officer sent by Ra'uf Pasha, the Governor of Sudan, to Muhammad Ahmad upon his uprising and call, is famous. Abu al-Su'ud reached the man while he was in a cave with his companions. His matter was considered, and he was left alone. If he had wanted to handcuff him or capture him, it would not have been difficult or impossible. But the sedition that began, as we have seen and as the Sudanese scholars themselves recall, later transformed and encompassed them all.