My Great Majesty, who rules over millions of followers of your noble religion in lands other than this, I convey to you her Majesty's great concern for all that leads to your happiness. In her name, I shall now bestow an English medal upon one of the most honorable Muslim Sudanese, in recognition of what the Governor-General has reported about him.

Before Cromer's speech, Kitchener had already announced in the year [21] that His Majesty, Mr. Ali Al-Mirghani, had come to alleviate the suffering of Muslims and to establish an Islamic state based on justice and truth, and to build mosques and help spread the correct belief.

After the conquest, the Mirghanis set about rebuilding their sect after what it had suffered under the Mahdist rule. They found the greatest assistance from the government, which formed a strong alliance with the Khatmiyya. As a result of this great support from the ruling authorities, the Khatmiyya were able to regain their status, and their tariqa became stronger and greater than it had been. The series of marriages between the Mirghani family and the Hawara, Al-Khawjalab, Al-Maryumab, and Al-Ingirab also contributed to strengthening the tariqa and increasing its membership. In addition, people remembered the events that occurred during the Mahdist period and the injustice and oppression people suffered during that time, which led them to flee from it and to hate it and accept any other rule in its place. The Mirghanis, on the other hand, believed that any change in rule would be against them and would facilitate the return of the Mahdiyya. Mr. Ali, the leader of the Khatmiyya, continued his cooperation with the government until [0m]. During this entire period, he was foremost among all Sudanese and was the first man of Sudan. To understand the English view of him, let us read what Wingate wrote in [19] to Mr. Ali, saying: "The Mirghani family lives in various places and is therefore subject to the authority of the local government administration in which they live. However, I have no doubt that they all, like the government, look to you as their chief and leader."

The Mirghanis distributed influence among themselves on a regional basis. Eastern Sudan, between Kassala and Qallabat, including Al-Butana, came under the care of Mr. Ahmed Al-Mirghani. The Red Sea Hills, Khor Baraka, and the coast up to the borders of Egypt were under the care of Mrs. Maryam Al-Mirghani. The care of the Khatmiyya within Eritrea was left to Mrs. Alawiya and Mr. Jaafar Al-Bakri. As for all of Central Sudan, up to Kordofan, and its north and south, [184] Maki Shabika (Dr.): Sudan Through the Centuries, p. [1] Jaafar Muhammad Ali Bakhit (Dr.): British Administration and the National Movement in Sudan, p. [31] Translated into Arabic by Hazri Riyad, First Edition, p. [279] Dar Al-Thaqafa, Beirut, and Khalifa Attia Library, Khartoum. Muhammad Ibrahim Abusaleem: Previous Source, p. [110] [4] [081], [181] Pages [50] Gabriel Worburg: The Sudan Under Wingate, p. 99 [17] -