Muhammad Awad Muhammad, in his book *Sudan and its Tribes*, discusses some of the phenomena that prevailed in religious life in Sudan, such as the phenomenon of Sufi orders. He alludes to their spread and prevalence in Sudan more than in any other Islamic country, and to the rituals they adopted that were influenced by Africa. He wonders if these spiritual leaderships, which have no parallel in Egypt, might be an influence of the spiritual leaderships that have a strong presence on the African continent.

Sufism was widespread in knowledge and practice in Sudan, and most scholars were Sufis. There was a special literature, litanies, and invocations that were memorized and recited. For this reason, Sufi lessons were taught and imparted along with other sciences in mosques and khalwas. Thus, Sufi orders spread throughout Sudan from that time. These orders worked to bring tribes and races closer together, as people from all over Sudan joined the ribats and zawiyas to connect with the sheikhs and receive knowledge from them. This wide spread is perhaps due to the rulers who encouraged and supported the Sufis, and received much of their patronage.

Sufism took on a character that was endearing to the general public. This perhaps explains the division of this Sufi culture in Sudan into two aspects: the theoretical aspect, which is the scholarly Sufi production characterized by the class of senior Sufis, and the practical aspect, which is the aspect characterized by the class of followers.

The sheikhs of this Sufi culture and its followers had far-reaching effects on the future of religious culture in Sudan, because these Sufis paid great attention to what is called the science of the inner (batin) and believed it to be the true science, while their attention to the science of the outer (zahir) was not as intense.

In reality, religious culture attracted a minority of Sudanese, while the majority joined the ranks of Sufism as disciples and followers of men.