the East, and sought to gain the trust of the Sudanese educated group who, despite their small numbers, had a harmonious voice and influence. Most of them, however, were government employees. Sayyid wanted to establish himself as a leader of the intellectuals. This development became a testament to the beginning of the modern phase of the Mahdiya. Although the young intellectuals were Muslims by their heritage and teachings, their Islam was of a different kind; they considered the Sheikh and the Tariqa as remnants of the superstitions of the past. Therefore, Sayyid Abd al-Rahman realized that the optimal way to gain their support was on a political level. Keeping this in mind, he helped establish the first Graduates Club in 1918, and paved his way by opening up the arena of political seminars for graduates, benefiting from his partnership in owning the newspaper "Al-Hadara" in the twenties. (3) Furthermore, he provided financial assistance in 1924 to a group of Sudanese students to enroll in Egyptian and European universities.

The government's suppression of educational progress after the 1924 uprising, especially the closure of Graduates Clubs in 1925, had left the intellectuals in a state of weakness and resentment. Thus, by 1927, Sayyid Abd al-Rahman was ready to take his position in the political leadership of the intellectuals. In addition, some intellectuals loyal to Egypt, after the suppression of the 1924 movement, found themselves in a state of frustration and disappointment, which made them more receptive to Sayyid's policy of "its Sudanese national leadership." Such a movement required "leadership and a leading personality." In this capacity, Sayyid "offered his services." (37) In addition to his organized receptions and his relationships with individuals like Muhammad Ali Shawqi, Vice President of the Graduates Club in Omdurman, and Muhammad Salih al-Shinqiti, Sayyid was generous in his donations to the clubs and schools of the intellectuals. Although these contributions in themselves were ephemeral within their social scope, they did not seem to be devoid of political motives. While he donated one hundred and fifty pounds to the Al-Haddad school, whose owner and board of trustees were Mahdists, without asking for anything, he made a large grant to the Al-Qarsh Institute for Orphans in exchange for becoming its president. However, the institute's administrators did not accept the offer, keen to remain non-partisan, even though they seemed to be Mirghanis in their own decision.

Sayyid's objectives seemed very clear in his association with the Scientific Institute, "Omdurman Mosque School." After the retirement of Abu al-Qasim Hashim, a supporter of the Mahdi, from the directorship of the institute and the appointment of Ahmed Abu Daffan as his successor in 1933, a supporter of the Mirghaniyya, Sayyid tried to take over the patronage of the institute through financial ties. He offered to provide housing for the students, on the condition that he would have the right to control it. The administration rejected this offer, but Sayyid tried during the same year 13