[2] When Muhammed Ahmad died on 22 June 1885, in theory the Kalifas were jointly responsible for ruling the "Mahdiyah", as the Mahdist state of Sudan was known.
In practice, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad was the effective ruler after dealing with challenges to his authority from members of the Mahdi's family, and became generally known as "The Kalifa".
[1] In 1886, Khalifa Muhammad Sherif led a coup attempt by the Ashraf, kinsmen of the Mahdi, but Abdullahi defeated the challenge without difficulty.
[3] On 23 November 1891, Ashraf troops led by Muhammed Sharif surrounded the Mahdi's tomb and prepared for a showdown.
A force of government troops was dispatched which fired on the group at random, killing Khalifa Muhammad Sharif and two of the Mahdi's sons, al-Fadil and al-Bushra.