RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Sudan

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Sudanese Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Sudanese Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Muhammad Ahmad (1844 - 1885)

With an HPI of 65.88, Muhammad Ahmad is the most famous Sudanese Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (Arabic: محمد أحمد بن عبد الله بن فحل; 12 August 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political leader. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, and led a war against Egyptian rule in Sudan which culminated in a remarkable victory over them in the Siege of Khartoum. He created a vast Islamic state extending from the Red Sea to Central Africa, and founded a movement that remained influential in Sudan a century later. From his announcement of the Mahdist State in June 1881 until its end in 1898, the Mahdi's supporters, the Ansār, established many of its theological and political doctrines. After Muhammad Ahmad's unexpected death from typhus on 22 June 1885, his chief deputy, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad took over the administration of the nascent Mahdist State. The Mahdist State, weakened by his successor's autocratic rule and inability to unify the populace to resist the British blockade and subsequent war, was dissolved following the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan in 1899. Despite that, the Mahdi remains a respected figure in the history of Sudan. In the late 20th century, one of his direct descendants, Sadiq al-Mahdi, twice served as prime minister of Sudan (1966–1967 and 1986–1989), and pursued pro-democracy policies.

2. Josephine Bakhita (1868 - 1947)

With an HPI of 62.99, Josephine Bakhita is the 2nd most famous Sudanese Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Josephine Margaret Bakhita (Arabic: جوزفين بخيتة), (ca. 1869 – 8 February 1947) was a Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. In 2000, she was declared a saint, the first black woman to receive the honor in the modern era.

3. Gabriel Zubeir Wako (b. 1941)

With an HPI of 50.21, Gabriel Zubeir Wako is the 3rd most famous Sudanese Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Gabriel Zubeir Wako (born 27 February 1941) is a Sudanese Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Khartoum from 1979 to 2016. He was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003.