Kim Searcy is an assistant professor of history at Loyola University, Chicago. He is an Islamicist trained in African history, focusing primarily on Islamic Revival and Reform in the Sudan in the 19th century.

• CONTENTSAcknowledgements ............................................................................ viiIntroduction ........................................................................................ 1Chapter One Islam in the Sudan ................................................. 7A Brief Geographical Introduction ............................................ 7The Arrival of Islam ...................................................................... 7The Funj Sultanate ........................................................................ 11The Darfur Sultanate .................................................................... 16The Turco-Egyptian Invasion and Occupation ........................ 18Causes of the Mahdist Revolt ...................................................... 21The Mahdī’s Origins ..................................................................... 24Chapter Two Protocol, Ceremony, and Symbols of Authority ...... 29Mystical Islam: Sufi Brotherhoods ............................................. 39Protocol and Ceremony ............................................................... 41Symbols of Authority .................................................................... 54Chapter Three The Charismatic Leader ...................................... 65Charisma ......................................................................................... 66Saints and Zāwiyas ........................................................................ 74Mahdist Expectations: The West African Connection ............ 80Chapter Four The Khalīfa and the Routinization of Charismatic Authority ..... 89A New Era for the Mahdiyya ...................................................... 90The Mythic Concordance: The Khalīfa’s Claims to Authority ............................. 92The Khalīfa’s Origins .................................................................... 96The Khalīfa as the Locus of Power and the City of Omdurman ..................... 109Chapter Five The Creation of an Islamic State ......................... 119State Hierarchy .............................................................................. 127Jihad as a Symbol of Legitimacy ................................................. 129The Treasury .................................................................................. 135The Implementation of Sharīʿa ................................................... 138The Construction of Buildings and Roads ................................ 141Conclusion .......................................................................................... 149Bibliography ........................................................................................ 153Index .................................................................................................... 157