Dharq Ahmad Othman

The local popular perceptions extended to include Sufism, which came

to transform Sudanese Sufism into a mixture of local African elements. The Sudanese were influenced by the very important works of Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani in the history of

Egyptian Sufis, such as Sheikh Abd al-Rahim al-Qanawi and others who came to Sudan permanently, such as Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, Abu al-Su'ud ibn Abi al- Badhni, Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili, and others. We find the Sufi influence on

important figures in modern Sudanese history. The Imam of the Mahdiya was influenced by what the Egyptian Sufis wrote. In addition to his influence by what Abd al-Wahhab wrote,

the Mahdi wrote a poem at the beginning of his Sufi life, through which he sought closeness to his master. The poem follows the pattern of Ibn al-Farid's great Ta'iyya and the Mahdi's poem. And if God willed, the sun of my sainthood

protected me from the masters of the Tariqa (?)

And far from this digression, we would like to point out here the nature of the ties between

Sudan and Egypt, with Islam being the central axis during the period of the government of

Sudan.

The attention to mosques, religious centers, and education was the most important feature of the ties

in this regard. The Egyptian government, first and foremost, paid attention to these

aspects.

Al-Dhi approved the establishment of the Sennar Wing at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and this

Wing continued to provide bread to Sudanese students in the year 41

(6)

Muhammad Ali realized the Sudanese attachment to knowledge and scholars, and he knew that the jurists

enjoyed great influence. He witnessed the extent of people's attachment to this group and to education, which

was traditional education. He saw no reason to change or alter it.

They performed their role, and they were granted material and moral benefits. He also brought with him

the three schools of thought, who were the official religious men linked to the government's policy.

He also worked on spreading Sufi orders, bringing with him from Egypt

such as the Sa'diyya, the Rahmaniyya, and the Ahmadiyya al-Badawiyya (11). The descendants of Egyptian families

remained with Muhammad Ali's campaign to Sudan and stayed there to this day, loyal to their

ancestors.