The Role of the Hajj and al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn in the Mahdism Movements of the Islamic MaghrebCase Study: Mohammad Ahmad Sudani

Hajj and al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn have long been the cores of the intellectual, social, and political developments in the Muslim world. Despite the transfer of the capitals of the Islamic Caliphate to other geographical territories or the formation of political, social and religious spheres in the Muslim world, al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn as the Umm al-Qura in the Muslim world and Hajj as one of the common religious rites among the followers of the most Islamic sects have played irreplaceable roles. Following the Holy Qur’an and Ahl al-Bayt (AS), Hajj and al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn have been the reasons for the cohesion and unity of the Muslim nations and sects on the one hand, and the focus of legitimizing or delegitimizing the Islamic movements on the other. Relying on the historical sources and the description and analysis of the roles of the Hajj and al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn, this study tries to investigates critically the beliefs and practices of Mohammad Ahmad Sudani as one of the most famous claimants of Mahdism in the Islamic Maghreb; because in two different ways, along with benefiting from the place of the Hajj and al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn in proving the legitimacy of his invitation, Sudani tries to pass through the challenges, created by this belief on his invitation, with some justifications.