Editing Abdallahi ibn Muhammad (section)

==Personal life==
Abdullah was born into the [[Baqqara|Ta'aisha Baqqara]] tribe {{circa}} 1846 in [[Um Dafuq]] and was trained and educated as a preacher and holy man.<ref name=EB>{{cite encyclopedia|last=|first=|editor-first=|editor-last=|editor-link=|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|title='Abd Allah|edition=15th|year=2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|volume=I: A-Ak - Bayes|location=Chicago, Illinois|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/16 16]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=عبدالله |first1=إشراقة علي |title="بيت الخليفة" متحف يؤرخ للثورة المهدية في السودان فما قصته؟ |url=https://www.independentarabia.com/node/399751/%D9%85%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%81-%D9%8A%D8%A4%D8%B1%D8%AE-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%9F |website=independentarabia.com |publisher=Independent Arabia |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> His father, Mahommed et Taki, had determined to emigrate to [[Mecca]] with his family, but the unsettled state of the region prevented him, and he died in [[Africa]] after advising Abdullah, to take refuge on the [[Nile]], and to proceed to Mecca at a favourable opportunity.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Khalifa, The|volume=15|page=770}}</ref>

On his journey, Abdullah met and became a follower of [[Muhammad Ahmad]] "the [[Mahdi]]" around 1880<ref name=EB/> and was named [[Caliph|Khalifa]] by the Mahdi in 1881, becoming one of his chief lieutenants.{{sfn|Lipschutz|Rasmussen|1989|p=1}} He married Hafsa Abdelsalam; she eventually bore him a son. 

The other Khalifas were [[Ali wad Hilu]] and [[Muhammad Sharif, Kalifa|Muhammad Sharif]].{{sfn|Spiers|1998|p=207}} Abdullah was given command of a large part of the Mahdist army, and during the next four years led them in a series of victories over the Anglo-Egyptians.{{sfn|Lipschutz|Rasmussen|1989|p=1}}

He fought at the [[Battle of El Obeid]], where [[William Hicks (British soldier)|William Hicks]]'s Anglo-Egyptian army was destroyed (5 November 1883), and was one of the principal commanders at the [[siege of Khartoum]], (February 1884{{snd}}26 January 1885).{{sfn|Lewis|1987}}