Mawja to Sayyid Muhammad Uthman bin Sayyid Muhammad Sir al-Khatim, the Wali of Sayyid al-Bakri, the cousin of Muhammad Uthman.

He sent letters on different dates, including a letter dated Muharram 1 AH, which was sent by Sayyid Abu Bakr bin Ja'far. There was also a letter sent on Safar 1024 AH to Sayyid Muhammad Uthman, reminding him that he had sent letters and warnings, and that he had not received a reply. The letter presented him with two options: first, to migrate to him, i.e., to join Al-Tahir al-Majdhoub and Uthman Diqna, and to wage jihad with them.

The Mahdi always made it clear to Muhammad Uthman that he cared about him and thought he was knowledgeable in such religious matters and did not need reminding or warning, as he was not unaware of such a matter. The Mahdi said in a letter to him: "It is not hidden from you that we have cared for you greatly and have addressed you with words of love more than once, and have made known to you your great status with us, and we have desired you to answer the call of God. It was not our expectation of you and your intelligence that you would neglect yourself to this extent and stop at such a stop. Perhaps, my beloved, you have an excuse, for a believer seeks excuses for his brother. However, your neglect in this matter is not trustworthy, for you are among the noble ones who are presumed not to value the world at all."

It is believed that the Mahdi had several motives that led him to persistently send messengers and letters to the leadership of the Khatmiyya. The first of these motives is what we have already mentioned, that the Mahdi was keen to gain the trust and support of the Sufi tariqa leaders, as he believed they were his natural allies in his call. Their joining him would guarantee the strengthening of his argument and encourage him to move forward in building his state. Since the Khatmiyya were among the strongest Sufi groups, it was imperative for him to hasten to gain their support and seek their help with all his might. The second of these motives may have been the Mahdi's desire to win over a figure with a prestigious religious influence in the region, so that he could unite the scattered and disparate tribes there under his leadership. The Mahdi had found the leadership of the Majdhoub and gained their support, but that leadership did not have influence in Kassala. He might have felt that his داعيته Uthman Diqna was not popular with the Mahdi's followers, and therefore, a personality with deep influence in the region was necessary, to whom all tribes would pledge allegiance. This personality's importance was not limited to fighting the Turks, but also to carrying the revolution later to the lands of Abyssinia, especially since the Kassala region represented the natural key to those areas due to geographical proximity. The third motive may have been his desire to settle the conflict in this region in his favor by gaining the support of the Khatmiyya with their popular and supportive masses.

Al-Mahdi, Al-Imam, Previous Source, Publications, p. 1024, p. 592, p. 7.