Sharīʿa and the Islamic State in 19th-Century Sudan

The Sudanese Mahdī headed a millenarian, revivalist, reformist movement in Islam, strongly inspired by Salafī and Ṣūfī ideas, in late 19th century in an attempt to restore the Caliphate of the Prophet and “Righteous Caliphs” in Medina. As the “Successor of the Prophet”, the Mahdī was conceived of as the political head of the Islamic state and its supreme religious authority. On the basis of his legal opinions, decisions, proclamations and “traditions” attributed to him, an attempt is made to reconstruct his legal methodology consisting of the Qurʾān, sunna, and inspiration (ilhām) derived from the Prophet and God, its origins, and its impact on Islamic legal doctrine, and to assess his “legislation” as an instrument to promote his political, social and moralistic agenda.

Aharon Layish, Ph.D. (1973), is Professor Emeritus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published extensively on modern Islamic law, Muslim and Druze family law and waqf, tribal customary law. Recent publications are Sharīʿa and Custom in Libyan Tribal Society. An Annotated Translation of Decisions from the Sharī'a Courts of Ajdābiya and Kufra, Leiden, 2005; Legal Documents from the Judean Desert. The Impact of the Sharī’a on Bedouin Customary Law, Leiden, 2011.

'While a lot has been written on the Mahdī, it is indisputable that the content of this book Sharī‘a and the Islamic State in 19th-Century Sudan: The Mahdī’s Legal Methodology and Doctrine is an intellectual masterpiece. The book presents the important information one needs to know about the legal system of the Mahdī’s theocratic state in 19th-century Sudan. [...] Layish’s efforts in bringing the Mahdī documents together and his analysis of them has contributed to our knowledge of the legacy of the Mahdī’s legal traditions without repeating what other scholars have already said. The contents of this particular work, therefore, throw more light on the Mahdī’s legal methodology. This contribution of Layish’s will serve as a guide for whoever is interested in seeking to better understand the manšūr (proclamations) issued by the Mahdī himself, as well as the indispensable role of the Qur’ān and Sunna of the Prophet which served as sources for his concept of the Šarī‘a'.' - Martin A. Wullobayi, in: Islamochristiana 42 (2016)
'All in all, this is a very interesting (and, I repeat, extremely topical) case study of Mahdi’s legal discourse and of his state’s approach to legislation and one that is going to remain classical for the years to come. One only hopes that other similar subject matters will also be studied (as for example, the examination of legislation and law enforcement under the Mahdi’s successor).' - Sotirios S. Livas, in: Journal of Oriental and African Studies Vol. 26 (2017) pp. 452-454