Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān
Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān | |
|---|---|
| Title | Arab Faqih |
| Personal life | |
| Era | Adal Sultanate |
| Region | Horn of Africa |
| Main interest(s) | Warfare |
| Notable work(s) | Futuh al-Habasha |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Sunni |
Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān, most commonly known as Arab Faqīh, was an Yemeni writer from the port of Jizan. [1]
Best known for writing the chronicle "Futuh al-Habasha", a first hand account of the Ethiopian-Adal war in the sixteenth century.[2]
Biography
[edit]Arab Faqih was a citizen of the Adal Sultanate and a religious Sufi.[3][4] He is believed to be of Yemeni descent according to most scholars.[5][6][7][8]
His surname in the Harari language was 'Arab Faqih,' which translates to "the Arab Jurist," a name suggesting Arab Yemeni roots. However, Enrico Cerulli argues that he was likely of Harari descent who became proficient in Arabic, thus earning that name. [9]
He used to document his work (which were left unfinished) in Jizan, Yemen.[9]
Linguist Giorgio Banti states it is noteworthy that his name Arab Faqīh is constructed using Arabic vocabulary while adhering to Harari grammatical rules.[10]
Arab Faqih is notable for writing the "Futuh al-Habasha" which details the sixteenth century war between Adal and Abyssinia from the point of view of Harar residents.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Subrahmanyam, Sanjay (October 2019). "Between Eastern Africa and Western India, 1500–1650: Slavery, Commerce, and Elite Formation". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 61 (4): 805–834. doi:10.1017/S0010417519000276. JSTOR 26795933.
{{cite journal}}: More than one of|at=and|pages=specified (help) - ^ Gori, Alessandro. Arab Faqīh. BRILL.
- ^ Wion, Anaïs (2023). Amélie Chekroun, La conquête de l'Ethiopie. Un jihad au xvie siècle (PDF). Paris, CNRS Èditions. p. 108.
- ^ Chekroun, Amelie (2015). Des futūḥ au Futūḥ al-Ḥabaša : usage symbolique d'un modèle littéraire arabe classique dans l'Éthiopie islamique du xvie siècle. Histoire ancienne et médiévale. Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. pp. 309–317. ISBN 979-10-351-0142-8.
- ^ YaʼItyop̣yā qwānqwāwočenā sena ṣeḥuf maṣḥét. Addis Ababa University. 1997. p. 27.
- ^ Getahun, Solomon (27 February 2014). Culture and Customs of Ethiopia. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 979-8-216-06942-3.
- ^ Pankhurst, Richard (2009). "Barara, the Royal City of 15th and Early 16th Century (Ethiopia). Medieval and Other Early Settlements Between Wechecha Range and Mt Yerer: Results from a Recent Survey". Annales d'Éthiopie. 24: 214. doi:10.3406/ethio.2009.1394.
- ^ Hassen, Mohammed (2017-12-04). "The Genealogy and Ethnic Identity of Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Al-Gazi (Gragn) of Ethiopia: A Historiographical Reappraisal". East African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 2 (2). doi:10.20372/eaj (inactive 1 July 2025). ISSN 2959-149X. Archived from the original on 2024-12-29.
written by a Yemeni Arab chronicler known as Shihab al-din Ahmed bin Abd al-Qader bin Salem bin Uthman (for short Shihab al din, alias known as Arab Faqih in Ethiopian sources
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link) - ^ a b Cerulli, Enrico. Islam yesterday and today. p. 134.
- ^ Banti, Giorgio. The literature of Harar until the end of the 19th century (PDF). Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura. p. 151.
- ^ Chekroun, Amelie (2016). Ottomans, Yemenis and the "Conquest of Abyssinia" (1531-1543). Corne de l'Afrique contemporaine / Contemporary Horn of Africa. Centre français des études éthiopiennes. pp. 163–174. ISBN 978-2-11-172313-9.