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Document 43: Letter of Muhammad b. `Adlan b. Muhammad Abu Likaylik
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DOCUMENT 43 Document 43 is a letter issued by Mul).ammad b. 'AdHin b. Mul).ammad AbU Likaylik late in 1820 or early in 1821 during the course of the Turkish invasion of Sinniir. The text has been taken by the editors from a photocopy published by al-Shatir Bu~ayli 'Abd al-Jali!.1 The present letter, probably one of many similar calls to resistance issued by the Great Miinjil at this moment of Crisis, was directed to the leader of a community of holy men of the north-central Gezira.2 01 ~ c-:JI v~.» c-:JI ..... ..;)1 IHI ~!.,JI J!rlI.J .....;aJ1 r.J'4 I J~,\!I dJ""" ,,;r ~ .J J~)I ~~ ,,;r .::.~ ,,;r .::.~ JI 0:--1..ul 6~ o,\!js ~I J"'..)..,JI r-~.JI I U'i ~ ~I ol.!jJl ..u4 I.. -LL. ~. . :'1 I I ~:'I ~IS' . :1, ......1 1~'.l.I ~I ~I I IJ'J':" ~ ~ ~j"" '.r'" .J ~j"" ,. 'Y.. '.J • I iJ"'~1 ~ U.!jsl:i ~l:-iJ1 l:.:J.1.. L. ~ Ill. ~L.j ~ I ~ fi;u \SlIli r-'I ~ ~ ~ Ill. ":;';..,JI.J I r+. lAiJ ~l> ~ bp ~.J !r.-:r LAJI.w .J ....~I.J I b!;Ai.J ~.r fl.!' rZ'.J o L..;aJI .J Jr.ll ~L::i I ~u.. J.,lj.l.ll f!;Ai ~.J rZl IS~ JJ""".J ~ I .rJ1 .J ~I ~ blS'r..J WWI I..:;;~.) ~.J I ~~ 4. ~l> w.:; ~ ~ I ..ul J~ !r.-:r1.J ~~I.J ~~ II I ~ .:J.rJ1 if r:Jl.... o l .J ip '\!.J I w~ '\! .J ~ r-- w5-= '\! ~.)l... ~IS' ~ lS"'1:i ~ 1:U.J ....&11 I.J o:?U .J ~L. ~ !""'".J..u.r.> ~..,.239 240 DOCUMENT 43 ~ ~.J ~I ~l!. ul I J'rJ~ ~ ~.rl.) f.Jr' ~ 1.,.$'...,;;1 I ~I .J~I ~J:..; '1.) I o.r.S- '1 .) ~.J'" ~J'"':! L.. r+'..,$ ~ JI I ~.r- .) ~..;..., .dJ~ I I;.)~ '1 i~ '1.) \,)"'1.;.. ~ In the name of God, The Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God alone. There is no prophet after MuJ:lammad. Shaykh MUQammad, the son of The wazlr Shaykh •Adlan 1231/1815·1816 From the presence of him who inspires awe in men, while on the day of war and strife heroes quail at his assault, he who trusts in God the Judge, Shaykh MuJ:lammad, son of the late wazfr 'AdEm. May God grant him victory. Amen. To the presence of Faqih AJ:lmad walad al-Faqih Ibrahim al-FarQi and all the fuqara' of the Far<;liyin. He greets you with many greetings. That of which we inform you is, that in all our days we have never demanded anything from the tribes living in the Gezira, nor from their cultivation, in stress or in peace, but, I believe, have regarded them in their condition as friends. At present we have come to the Dinder to mobilize the tribes of the east and the nomads. As for you, our distinguishedfuqara', the reason for our truthful appeal and our common cause together through thick and thin, is that after receiving my letter which has come to you, you and all yourfuqara' should exert yourselves anew and to the utmost in the affair of God and toward attending to our very important needs. [We ask] a true determination, without neglect, or scorn, or half-hearted treatment. As you ask about the Turks of the sultanate of Egypt, we [first] heard that they were coming [back] in 1180/1766-1767. This is an outrage to all Muslims, so [100.26.35.111] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 15:27 GMT) DOCUMENT 43 241 leave all your affairs and direct your attention to the matter. If God wills, Our Lord will thwart their expedition and send them back to their place. They understand neither social rank nor the absence of it. They have no conception of high class and none of low. Do not fail in that. laI-Shatir Bu~ayli 'Abd aI-Jam, Ma'i:llim ta'rikh Sudan wadi ai-Nil (Cairo: 1955), p. 267. A flawed printed version may be found on p. 268. 2The biography of the father of the recipient, Ibrahim b. 'Abiidi, is included in the Tabaqat (p. 79). His burial place, and the probable residence of the recipient of Doc. 43, was at al-Ghabiya; see Tabaqat, p. 79, note 6. ...