Najashi
| Nagasi | |
|---|---|
| Negus | |
.jpg) 1314 manuscript illustration by Rashid ad-Din. | |
| King of Aksum | |
| Reign | 614–630 |
| Predecessor | Gersem |
| Successor | 'Akla Wedem (unsure) |
| Born | As-hama[1][2] Around 560 C.E.[citation needed] Kingdom of Aksum |
| Died | 630 (aged 69–70)[2] Negash, Kingdom of Aksum (present-day Ethiopia) |
| Father | Abjar (possibly Gersem) |
| Religion | Christianity, later Islam |
| Occupation | King of Aksum |
The Najashi (Arabic: ٱلنَّجَاشِيّ, romanized: al-Najāshī) was the Arabic term for the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum (Ge'ez: ንጉስ, romanized: Aṣḥama, lit. 'sovereign') who reigned from 614 to 630.[1] It is agreed by Muslim scholars that Najashi gave shelter to early Muslim refugees from Mecca, around 615–616 at Aksum.[3][4]
Reign
[edit]The Najashi reigned for almost 17 years from 614 to 630 CE.[citation needed] Not much is known about his personal life and reign[2] other than that during his reign, Muslims migrated to Abyssinia and met its ruler.
He died in 630. Some Muslim sources indicate that Muhammad prayed an absentee funeral prayer[5] (Arabic: صَلَاة الْغَائِب, romanized: Ṣalāt al-Ġāʾib) in al-Baqi Cemetery, Medina[2] which is performed for the departed soul of a muslim.[6]
Identification with historical Axumite king
[edit]Arabic sources state the king's name was "Ella-Seham", occasionally written as variant names "Ashama", "Asmaha", "Sahama" and "Asbeha".[7] Ethiopian regnal lists record multiple kings named "Saham" or "Ella Saham", but all of them reigned before Kaleb (r. early 6th century) and are too early in the chronology for any of their reigns to coincide with the migration to Abyssinia.[8][9] Ethiopian sources instead state that a different king named Adriaz was a contemporary of prophet Muhammad.[7] An unpublished manuscript dates his reign to 603–623 E.C..[7] According to Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam, the Muslim migration took place in 620 E.C. and coincided with the reign of Aderaz.[10]
See also
[edit]- Armah
- Saifu
- List of mosques in Africa
- Al Nejashi Mosque in Negash, Ethiopia
- Mosque of the Companions in Massawa, Eritrea
References
[edit]- ^ a b al-Bukhari 2013, pp. 174, 179.
- ^ a b c d Öztürk 2006, pp. 476–477.
- ^ M. Elfasi; Ivan Hrbek (1988). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. UNESCO. p. 560. ISBN 978-9-2310-1709-4.
- ^ Ibn Ishāq (2004). Sīratu Rasūlillāh. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–153.
- ^ Sahih Muslim, Chapter 11:The Book of Prayer - Funerals, No.951-953.
- ^ al-Bukhari 2013, p. 179.
- ^ a b c Sellassie 1972, p. 185.
- ^ Dillmann 1853, pp. 343–344, 346–347.
- ^ Budge 1928, pp. 209–210, 259–261.
- ^ Gabra Maryam 1987, p. 107.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ahmed, Hussein (1996). "Aksum In Muslim Historical Traditions". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 29: 47–66.
- Atkins, Brian; Juel-Jensen, Bent (1988). "The Gold Coinage of Aksum: Further Analyses of Specific Gravity, A Contribution to Chronology". Numismatic Chronicle (148).
- al-Bukhari, Imam (2013). Sahih al-Bukhari: The Early Years of Islam》Chapter:THE BEGINNINGS OF ISLAM; Section:XIV THE DEATH OF THE NEGUS. Translated by Muhammad Asad. The Other Press. pp. 174, 179. ISBN 978-967-506-298-8. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- Budge, E. A. (1928). A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia (Volume I). London: Methuen & Co.
- Dillmann, August (1853). "Zur Geschichte des abyssinischen Reichs". Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German). 7: 338–364.
- Gabra Maryam, Alaqa Tayya (1987). History of the People of Ethiopia (in Amharic and English). Translated by Grover Hudson; Tekeste Negash. Uppsala: Centre for Multiethnic Research (Uppsala University – Faculty of Arts). ISBN 91-86624-12-1. ISSN 0281-448X.
- Öztürk, Levent (2006). "NECÂŞÎ ASHAME" (in Turkish). İslâm Ansiklopedisi. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- W. Raven, "Some early Islamic texts on the negus of Abyssinia", Journal of Semitic Studies, 22 (1988), pp. 197–218
- Sellassie, Sergew Hable (1972). Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270. Addis Ababa.
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