Najashi

Armah (Ge'ez: አርማህ) or Aṣ-ḥamah (Arabic: أَصْحَمَة),[1] commonly known as Najashi (Arabic: ٱلنَّجَاشِيّ, romanized: An-Najāshī), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum who reigned from 614–631 C.E. It is agreed by Muslim scholars that Najashi gave shelter to Muslim emigrants from Mecca, around 615–616 at Axum.[2][3]

For the Twelver Shi'ite rijāl scholar (c. 982–1058), see Ahmad ibn Ali al-Najashi.
Najashi
Negus
King of Aksum
Reign614–630
Predecessorunknown
Successorunknown
BornArmah
Around 560 C.E.
Kingdom of Axum
Died631(631-00-00) (aged 70–71)
Negash, Kingdom of Axum
(present-day Eritrea & Ethiopia)
ReligionIslam

Reign

Najashi reigned for 18 years from 614–631 C.E. During his reign, Muslims migrated to Abyssinia and met Najashi. According to a story recorded by the Muslim biographer Ibn Ishaq (c. 704–767), Muhammad's cousin, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, told Najashi about the persecution they had faced at the hands of the Arab tribe of Quraysh. Najashi asked if they had with them anything which had come from God. Ja'far then recited a passage from Surat Maryam in the Quran, regarding Isa (Jesus) and Maryam (Mary). When Najashi heard it, he wept and exclaimed:

Verily, this (Quran) and what Isa brought (Gospel) has come from the same source of light.

— Najashi

According to Ibn Ishaq, Najashi then affirmed that he would never give up the Muslims.[3]

See also

References
  1. 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. p. 179. ISBN 978-967-506-298-8. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. M. Elfasi; Ivan Hrbek (1988). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. UNESCO. p. 560. ISBN 978-9-2310-1709-4.
  3. Ibn Ishāq (2004). Sīratu Rasūlillāh. Oxford University Press. pp. 150–153.

Further reading
  • Atkins, Brian; Juel-Jensen, Bent (1988). "The Gold Coinage of Aksum: Further Analyses of Specific Gravity, A Contribution to Chronology". Numismatic Chronicle (148).
  • Hussein Ahmed, "Aksum In Muslim Historical Traditions", Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 29 (1996), pp. 47-66
  • W. Raven, "Some early Islamic texts on the negus of Abyssinia", Journal of Semitic Studies, 22 (1988), pp. 197-218
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