Why did Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi condemn the Egyptian ruling class as un-Islamic?

Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi condemned the Egyptian ruling class as un-Islamic because he believed they had abandoned the faith and defiled the religion. His critique was rooted in several key observations:1

• Theological Heresy: He viewed the orthodox ulama (religious scholars) who supported the Egyptian administration as being no better than infidels. He perceived the administration's legalistic and "unappealing" orthodoxy as a corruption of the faith.23
• Presence of Non-Muslims: He was scandalized by the presence of non-Muslim Europeans serving as provincial governors and by their public consumption of alcohol, which he considered contrary to Islamic principles.1
• Misgovernment and Injustice: Al-Mahdi viewed the secular maladministration of the Egyptian government—including fiscal injustices, the use of frequent floggings for tax collection, and the forced labor of peasants—as incompatible with his religious beliefs.231

Ultimately, al-Mahdi believed that the khedive of Egypt was a puppet of unbelievers and that he had a divine mission to purify Islam and destroy any government that defiled it, seeking to return the faith to the pristine form practiced by the Prophet Muhammad.231