Najashi
Armah (Ge'ez: አርማህ) or Aṣḥamah (Arabic: أَصْحَمَة),[1] commonly known as Najashi (Arabic: النَّجَاشِيّ, romanized: An-najāshī), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum who reigned from 614–631 CE. He is primarily known through the coins that were minted during his reign.[2] It is agreed by Islamic scholars that Najashi gave shelter to the Muslim emigrants around 615–616 at Axum.[3][4]
| Najashi | |
|---|---|
| King of Aksum | |
| Reign | 614 – 630 |
| Predecessor | Gersem |
| Successor | Kwestantinos |
| Born | Asham Around 560 CE Kingdom of Axum |
| Died | 631 (aged 70–71) Negash, Kingdom of Axum (present-day Ethiopia) |
| Religion | Christianity Islam (converted) |
Kingship
Najashi reigned for 18 years from 614–631 CE. During his reign, Muslims migrated to Abyssinia and met Najashi. According to Islamic sources, Jafar ibn Abi Talib told Najashi about the persecution they had faced at the hands of the Quraysh. Najashi asked if they had with them anything which had come from God. Ja‘far then recited a passage from Surah Maryam. When the Najashi heard it, he wept and exclaimed:
Verily, this (Quran) and what Isa brought (Gospel) has come from the same source of light.
— Najashi
Najashi then affirmed that he would never give up the Muslims.[4] Scholar of ancient Ethiopia, Stuart Munro-Hay (1947–2004), stated that either Armah or Gersem was the last Axumite king to issue coins. Bronze coins from the reign of Armah depict him as a full-length figure enthroned, with Christian cross motifs throughout.[5]
Personal life
Najashi was raised as a Christian.[6] Traditional Muslim sources indicate that the Islamic prophet Muhammad prayed an absentee funeral prayer (Arabic: صَلَاة الْغَائِب, romanized: Ṣalāt al-Ġāʾib) in Madinah which is performed upon a dead Muslim if they die in a place with no Muslims to pray for the dead.[1]
Artifacts
Armah's silver coins have an unusual reverse, showing a structure with three crosses, the middle one gilded. Munro-Hay quotes W.R.O. Hahn as suggesting that this is an allusion to the Holy Sepulchre, as a reference to the Persian capture of Jerusalem in 614.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ A letter to Antoine d'Abbadie, dated 8 January 1869, mentions a coin of this ruler. Rubenson, Sven, ed. (2 September 2000). Acta Aethiopica, Vol. III: Internal Rivalries and Foreign Threats, 1869–1879. Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-765-80728-9.
- ^ M. Elfasi; Ivan Hrbek (1988). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. UNESCO. p. 560. ISBN 9789231017094.
- ^ a b Ibn Ishāq (2004). Sīratu Rasūlillāh (tr. Alfred Guillaume). Oxford University Press. pp. 150–153.
- ^ Markowitz, Mike (22 July 2014). "The Coinage of Aksum". CoinWeek. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Najashi: The king who supported Muslim emigrants". Arab News. 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
- ^ Munroe-Hay, Stuart C. (24 June 1991). Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 91. ISBN 0748601066.
- Atkins, Brian; Juel-Jensen, Bent (1988). "The Gold Coinage of Aksum: Further Analyses of Specific Gravity, A Contribution to Chronology". Numismatic Chronicle (148).
External links
- Muslim Emigrants & Quraysh in Courtroom of Negus (The Message Movie Scene) (YouTube)
- Ethiopian Christian King saves Muslim Captives