Islam and its role in Sudanese-Egyptian relations

Forced to associate with Egypt, and not fully convinced of this matter.

The role of Al-Azhar in Sudan. And the activities of the Egyptian government.

Islam in Sudan since The Sudanese were eager for knowledge and would migrate from one sheikh to another seeking more knowledge, then turn their faces towards Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, so Al-Azhar was their scientific qibla. They would travel to it after having memorized the Holy Quran, and learned some of the sciences of language, jurisprudence, and creed. In this field, many scholars emerge, who underwent the experience of traveling to Al-Azhar, and moving to it to gain more religious knowledge. Among these is Sheikh Ammar bin Abdul Hafeez, who traveled to Egypt in the year 1161 AH/1747 AD. He stayed in Al-Azhar for a period, then moved to the Hijaz, then to Egypt again, and left it thereafter, returning to his country. Sheikh Ammar was interested in all books and obtaining copies of them, and brought with him a large number of jurisprudential commentaries and Islamic works. In Egypt, he studied under its scholars the sciences of grammar, language, principles, logic, and Sufism.

Thus, the Sudanese would travel to Al-Azhar, disregarding the hardship, difficulty, and suffering of the journey. The journey would take about five months, during which the traveler would be exposed to dangers and horrors, and insecurity on the road, which was beset by raids of looting and pillage.

Among the early pioneers of Sudanese scholars who connected with Al-Azhar, studied there, and brought their knowledge back to the country to contribute to the renaissance of Sudanese society is Sheikh Abdul Rahman Juma'a Al-Khatib, a great scholar whom Ibn Daif Allah titled Sheikh Al-Islam. He studied jurisprudence under a great Sudanese scholar, Sheikh Ismail bin Jabir, then studied under Sheikh Al-Bannufri, who impressed him and indicated that he was suitable to be a mufti because he inquired about the subtleties of commentaries. Among the most prominent students of Sheikh Abdul Rahman is Sheikh Hamad Al-Agbash, who later established his own schools of knowledge for his family, and Ibrahim bin Tabihah Al-Faradi, and others.

Among these pioneers is also Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Ibrahim Bani Abi Mallah, who fled in his early days to Sheikh Muhammad Issa Suwar Al-Dhahab, under whom he memorized the Holy Quran and learned its rulings. He then traveled to Egypt and studied under Sheikh Ali Al-Aghjuri the Maliki jurisprudence and the writings of Sheikh Al-Aghjuri on creed. Sheikh Al-Aghjuri granted him an academic license for what he studied.