Facsimile · p. 42
In the book titled "The Book of Loyalty."
Sultan Ali Dinar's response to Turkey's call.
The country was not without some opponents, and Sultan Ali Dinar, whose relationship with the Sudanese government had deteriorated in the years preceding the declaration of the Great War, responded to the Ottoman Caliph's address to him, expressing his readiness to engage in military operations against the Sudanese government. These developments led to the government's apprehension and the intensification of its propaganda campaign, which was being carried out by "Al-Sudan Newspaper." The government also prepared to invade Darfur and eliminate Sultan Ali Dinar.
Change in the government's policy towards the Ansar
The country was not without some opponents, and Sultan Ali Dinar, the tyranny that was practiced towards us and towards the Ansar. The government believed that the Mahdi's past fight against the Turks supported its cause against Turkey in Sudan. Therefore, the government began to soften its policy and be lenient in mentioning the name of the Mahdi. This trend put a temporary end to the arbitrary policy towards the Ansar, which was established by Sultan Pasha, who was described as Inspector-General of Sudan, overseeing its implementation.
The impact of the war on my business
Despite the restrictions on my movements, my agricultural activities have seen continuous expansion. When the conditions of the World War arrived, my development of the lands of Aba Island had borne fruit, and the land was producing various crops, including cotton (in the irrigated lands).
Just as the war had a tangible impact on the government's policy towards us, it also had an impact on the country's commercial affairs in general and my business in particular.
The Great War led to the disruption of commercial transportation, cutting off the supply of coal from Europe. The government resorted to using wood fuel, so timber was cut from the forests of Aba and transported by steamers to Khartoum, yielding great profit from this commercial operation. From its proceeds, I bought
my house in Khartoum and established an agricultural pumping station in Abu Halima on the Blue Nile, as mechanical cultivation was prohibited on the White Nile at that time.
In addition to mechanical cultivation, I was cultivating by rain in many places in the lands of the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The labor force that carried out this expansion was that of the protected people who had migrated from various tribes and regions, especially from the West, to be in the company of the Mahdi's son. Their intention was to migrate and wage jihad for the sake of God, following the example of their fathers with Imam Al-Mahdi. Their strong spirit of sacrifice was directed towards development, in order to strengthen our cause in reviving the Mahdi's legacy and raising the status of religion in a manner that suits the circumstances of our time.
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