Proclamation "Whoever speaks obscenely shall receive eighty lashes, and whoever says to his believing brother 'O wicked one,' or 'O thief,' or 'O adulterer,' or 'O traitor,' or 'O cursed one,' or 'O infidel,' or 'O sodomite,' shall be flogged eighty lashes and counted for seven days. Likewise, the punishment for whoever says to his believing brother 'O dog,' or 'O pigs,' or 'O Jew,' or 'O cuckold,' or 'O fornicator.'" Thus, we grew up as children in a society free from vulgar language and idle talk. I remember that I and my brothers, the sons of Al-Mahdi, were on a migration to Shambat, accompanied by Al-Amin Shukr Allah (who passed away in 19xx). We found children playing there, and we approached them. We heard one of them say to his brother, "O son of a dog!" We moved away from them in shock, wondering how one could call his brother the offspring of a barking animal. A major incident was recounted, where I and my brothers, the sons of Al-Mahdi, frequented the Khalifa's council to hear Al-Mahdi's proclamations and receive lessons in religious sciences from the judiciary. I remember one of our teachers was "Ali Qata' al-Shakk." My brother Ali was the youngest, and I was younger than him. As for my older brothers, Muhammad, Al-Fadl, and Al-Bushra, they had reached manhood by then. Although we were not all from the same mother, strong bonds of love existed between us. I remember my mother loved us all and treated us equally with affection and tenderness. News began to arrive and be spread by people about the coming of the Turks (the Anglo-Egyptian army). The Ansar maintained resolve and confidence that religion would be victorious. I remember one day I had a dream. I saw that the Turks had entered Al-Mahdi's mosque from the west, and the ranks of the Ansar were broken, retreating towards the east of the mosque. I saw a freed slave of Al-Nasr Al-Din, my brother, named Jabir, drop the blue banner. In the dream, I said to him, "O Jabir, raise the banner." I did not tell anyone about this dream, but the Khalifa of Al-Mahdi asked me, "Did you see a dream?" I recounted the dream to him. He asked me, "Who said, 'O Jabir, raise the banner,' you or the Khalifa of Al-Mahdi?" I said, "I." He repeated the question three times, and I answered him. He said, "Keep this dream secret and tell no one." After a while, I went to him again, and he said, "Keep it secret and tell no one." I was surprised how he knew about this dream, as I had not told anyone. The spirit of sacrifice that the call of Imam Al-Mahdi instilled in this scattered collection of tribes and sects residing in the lands of Sudan transformed them into a believing, striving nation. That spirit had prepared this nation for the hardships it faced and the wars it encountered due to neighboring regions and the competition of European powers for these areas. 29