He is the most famous person who spoke about the awaited Mahdi, as Ibn Arabi mentioned him in Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya in his special treatise on the awaited Mahdi (Anqā' al-Maghrib). The writings of this man later became a justification for the Sudanese in defending the Mahdi of Sudan and in opposing him.

News carrying the idea of the Mahdi and speaking about him came from two sources, according to Abu Salim. The first is a general source, which is the reading of Islamic sources that spoke about the Mahdi, the spread of Sufi orders, and contact with Muslims in other countries through Hajj, trade, and other aspects of life that push people to connect with each other. The second source is a special source, which is the impact of the jihad movement launched by Sheikh Uthman dan Fodio. Sheikh Uthman dan Fodio preached the appearance of the Mahdi in the regions east of his country. He said in one of his books: "He will appear in the East, and I will follow him if I am alive. If I am not alive, then the believers must support him and migrate to him." And he said in a poem addressed to his group: "Hold fast to the allegiance of your amirs until the Mahdi appears. When he appears, you and your amirs, pledge allegiance to him." Sheikh Uthman drew for people the path of migration eastward to the Mahdi and clarified the stages of migration until reaching the land of the Nile. As a result of these prophecies, migration eastward increased in search of the Mahdi or to remain in his path of appearance.

This shows us the extent of the spread of the idea of the Mahdi, its popularity, and its acceptance by people, scholars and commoners alike, across the vast Sudan, which later prepared for Muhammad Ahmad (the Mahdi of Sudan) to receive a good reception and great welcome.

It is not surprising, then, to find a scholar like Hamad al-Nil traveling from Sudan to Mecca and claiming Mahdiship there. The Mahdi was influenced in his theoretical approach by the currents of Sufi thought that prevailed at that time, during the Funj era. This was evident in the way he presented his call and explained his idea to people. He used and cited Sufi sources from men who are pillars of Sufi thought, such as Ibn Arabi, Ahmad bin Idris, and Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani, and others.

In addition to this, the Mahdi lived in deep Sufi atmospheres. His writings are always filled with a large number of words and meanings that depict those Sufi atmospheres to us. He claims that the Master of Existence informs him in a state of complete wakefulness that he is the Mahdi, who is a creation unlike other people, and his origin is from the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In another publication, he mentions Sheikh al-Basir al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi: The Ideology of the Mahdiyya in Studies in the History of the Mahdiyya, Volume One, prepared for publication by Dr. Omar Abdel Razig Al-Thaqar (Khartoum: Department of History, University of Khartoum). Printed by Matabe' and Studio Ray, December 2001. November to 2. The origin of these research papers was presented to the World Conference on the History of the Mahdiyya, Khartoum, 8-10 January 1985.

Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Salim (12) - Previous source, p. 4. Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Salim (1) - Previous source, p. 4 (22). 16 Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi: The Ideology of the Mahdiyya, p. 410. Add to that, Muhammad Al-Dhawr: Previous source, p. 4 (22). 8 Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Salim: Previous source, p. 52.