A friend forwarded this really, really interesting article from Egypt’s Al Ahram written by the well-known Gamal Nkrumah. Such a good read regarding Ethiopia’s history and relationships with early Islam. i chose the thread’s title, Raf’ Sha’n Al-Hubshan, because it means ‘the raising of the status of the Ethiopians’. It was written by Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti in the late 1400s, as an “earnest plea to reaffirm the equality of the races in Islam”.
One very interesting aspect i was not previously aware of was that the lady who raised Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), Baraka Umm Ayman, subsequent to his mother’s passing away, was herself Ethiopian. This was something new for me, i’ve heard of her of course, as the one who nursed and took care of him, but never that she was originally Ethiopian.
Anyways the whole article is a fascinating read into aspects of early Islam, shared languages, and of course the roles that Ethiopian rulers famously played in early Islam’s history… remember the delegation that Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, sent to Ethiopia under the leadership of Jafar ibn Abi Talib. Today, we would have called them refugees of a sort - because, afterall, this delegation of Muslims were fleeing religious persecution. They fled to Ethiopia to find refuge in the Christian kingdom of Negus, who granted the Muslims a safe abode in his kingdom from the persecutions of the Quraish.
Anyways - all in all, a fascinating historical insight into a country that doesn’t receive sufficient exposure amongst contemporary Muslim scholars, i think.
Its really something when you go into the history and culture of Muhammad's (pbuh) life. Definately an eye opener that there were no cultural bounds in his life. I wonder if we can find out what kinda food he ate without digging his grave (note: digging graves in Islam is not permissable). Is there an absolute biography of him? When I mean absolute, I mean from sleeping to doing everything that is human. He may have an elevated status among all of the creatures of this world but in the end, he's still human.
Another Ethiopian who was a very dear Companion of Rasool Allah (saw), was Hazrat Bilal Al Habashi(ra). He has the honour of being the first Muezzin in Islam.
Sorry, CocoNut, i am not certain i understand where you are coming from. If you mean that i was trying to elevate the status of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), - his status is already one that is viewed with deep respect and admiration by many individuals, both Muslims and nonMuslims. You are absolutely right, he was human, his personality was human and no human is perfect. He made mistakes (i recall Surah Abasa). i wasn’t trying to imply in any way that he was, Nauzubillah, God Forbid, anything more than human. What i was trying to do with this thread was to focus upon the relationships between Abyssinia and early Islam, especially the role that the Christian king, Negus, played in helping the group of Muslims who were fleeing religious persecution from the Quraish. i am not certain if that clears it up? Please let me know if i went off on a completely different tangent than what you originally intended.
Ibn Sadique, Yes, Bilal was indeed a great Muslim and a great Ethiopian. He was also a slave who was bought and freed by Abu Bakr (RA). There is the well-known story of Bilal proclaiming “Ahad, Ahad” even at the height of severe torture inflicted upon him for his religious beliefs.
a hadith of the Prophet (saw) says (i dont recall it properly nor remember the exact reference but it means something like this) that "three ethiopians r the leaders of the men in paradise: bilal, luqman and najashi"....
Sorry, CocoNut, i am not certain i understand where you are coming from.