Islam in africa has to varying degrees incorporated tribal and preislamic practices, and the muslims of africa have accepted claims of several selfproclaimed mahdis. This book is not an attempt to write a history of west africa, but to show the way in which islam spread and moulded the history of the western sudan. Focusing on islamic scholars returning from studies in saudi in the late 1960s, the. Trimingham presents the general religious and cultural background of ethiopian history, into which he places a learned chronicle of the emergence and development of islam. Trimingham studied social sciences at birmingham university, arabic and persian at oxford university, and. First, there is its long history in the country see trimingham 1952. Islam in africa african studies oxford bibliographies.
In march 2011, news about the forced flight of christians from western ethiopia stirred a highly charged controversyboth within and beyond ethiopiaabout the role of islam in the horn of africa. Islam is the religion of the overwhelming majority of the somali, afar. First, there is its long history in the country see trimingham. Islam was in 2007 the second largest religion in ethiopia with over 33. An historicalanthropological approach to islam in ethiopia. Triminghams islam in the sudan as well as several of his shorter teenth centurythe role of islam in ethiopia has always been largely peripheral, geo. During muhammads lifetime a group of muslims escaped meccan persecution 615 by fleeing to ethiopia, where the negus king gave them protection. Earlier europeanlanguage overviews of muslim africa stressed centerperiphery relations in the expansion of islam, distinguishing between northern and subsaharan africa e.
Islam initially took hold among nomad tribes on the coast of the red sea. Ethiopian islam and the challenge of diversity the situation of islam in ethiopia is remarkable for a number of reasons. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all. Islam in ethiopia is the secondmost widely practised religion after christianity. Geoffrey cumberlege for the university press, 1952, p. Ethiopias christianity remained anchored in jerusalem, while judaism came to ethiopia even before islam and christianity. Islam and ethiopia amharic part i youtube jan 21, 2014.
A bibliography on christianity in ethiopia jon abbink introduction this bibliography intends to meet the need of researchers and students of christianity in ethiopia and africa to have a survey of the most important published materials on the subject in recent years. Christian rule has prevailed in the ethiopian highlands. Trimingham, islam in west africa 1959, islam in east africa 1964, islam in the sudan 2d ed. As early as the ninth century, an islamic sultanate was established in central ethiopiathe makzumite dynastyfollowed by the wide variety of other islamic principalities in the medieval period in presentday southeastern ethiopia taddesse tamrat 1972. John spencer trimingham 17 november 1904 6 march 1987 was a noted 20thcentury scholar on islam in africa. According to a survey by pew, roughly 68% of ethiopian muslims are sunni, whilst 23% are nondenominational muslims, whilst another 4% adhere to other sects such as shia, quranist, ibadi etc. Trimingham is a scholar of islam in africa and his firm grasp of the subject is reflected here in the thoughtful analysis he gives to historical events. Islam in ethiopia had an auspicious beginning, thanks to the hospitality the companions of the prophet muhammad got from a benevolent christian king in the seventh century a. But the link between islam and ethiopia is as grand and old as the religion of islam itself.
This incident was a consequence of the desecration of the quran. It has 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, as well as 102 shrines. Islam in ethiopia had an auspicious beginning, thanks to the hospitality the companions of the prophet muhammad got from a benevolent christian. Beleaguered muslim fortresses and ethiopian imperial. Similarly, when the arabs consolidated their rule over the berbers the text reads after the islam of the berbers had been made good bada ma hasuna islam albarbar. This book continues the survey of islam in africa which was initiated with islam in the. See also jan abbinik, ethiopian islam and the challenge of diversity isim newsletter, volume 4, 1999, at 24 3. According to him, islam claimed many of its souls in abyssinia in the years between the tenth and twelfth centuries. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. Islam has a very long history in the country, going back to the time of the prophet muhammad.
Spreading of islam without any violence in central, east and. Pdf transformations of islam and communal relations in. Find link is a tool written by edward betts searching for islam in ethiopia 59 found 78 total alternate case. For the billions of nonethiopian muslims throughout the world, the connection between islam and ethiopia is of a minor significance, if at all, and very little is known about it. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. Ethwpian islam is interesting both because of its antiquity since the inceptwn of islam itself and because.
Trimingham, islam in ethiopia, matter is further compounded by both writers using abyssinia and ethiopia interchangeably. Ethiopias main languages geez, amharic and tigrinya are semitic, and they developed through the uninterrupted connection with arabia and the core countries of the middle east. The enactment of the 1960 civil code, which calls for uniform. Muslims struggling for recognition in contemporary ethiopia. The ensuing era of rivalry and armed conflict between the highland and the coast are portrayed, as the muslim states weather early and severe reversals. Ethiopian islam is interesting both because of its antiquity since the inception of islam itself and because of the particular patterns. Trimingham was born in thorne to john william trimingham and alice ventress. Islam west africa trimingham j the sufi orders in islam john spencer trimingham 17 november 1904 6 march 1987 was a noted 20thcentury scholar on islam in africa. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Islam in africa, the development of the muslim religion on the african continent. Alsosheikh nasir, one of aour guides is linked to the awwalini family and he is also the keeper of the site of warukko, who is considered the founder of the dynasty and the one who introduced islam in the region. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. The history and current situation of islam in ethiopia, especially the northern part of the country, provide an interesting case study.
Islam in africa has its roots in the origins of the faith, as ethiopia was a refuge for muslims who fled arabia during the time of islams prophet muhammad b. Spencer trimingham 1965, islam in ethiopia, london. Most vitalsource ebooks are available in a reflowable epub format which allows you to resize text to suit you and enables other accessibility features. Islam entered ethiopia in the 7th century and ever since then its influence grew. With the success of ahmed gragn, ethiopia almost became a islamic state in the 16th century. List of books and articles about islam in africa online. Triminghams islam in ethiopia 1965 1952, for example, examined the dissimilar impacts of islam upon various communities in. The situation of islam in ethiopia is remarka ble for a number of reasons. Legal pluralism, sharia courts, constitutional standards, a handoff approach, ethiopia.
According to the latest 2007 national census, there are over 25 million or 33. It has 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, as well as. Spencer john spencer, 1904islam in ethiopia ocolc506251702. Trimingham focuses on the practical disciplines behind the mystical aspects of sufism which initially attracted a western audience. The emergence of the salafi movement in bale, ethiopia terje ostebo1 this paper intends to shed light on the early emergence and growth of the salafi movement in bale. Ethwpian islam is interesting both because of its antiquity since the.
Dr trimingham s conclusion is that a fundamental among the great facts in the history of west africa prior to the age of european penetration has been the propagation of islam and the way it has. Few subjects have been more important, and more neglected, in modern ethiopia than the rapidly changing and growing role of islam. Islam in ethiopia, african affairs, volume 52, issue 206, 1 january 1953, pages 7879. According to unesco, it is regarded as the fourth holy city of islam. In islamic history and tradition, ethiopia abyssinia or alhabasha is known as the haven of the first migration or hijra. The geographical proximity of ethiopia to arabia and the flourishing longdistance trade between the. Islam has gained more converts in africa than has christianity, which labors under the burden of identification with european imperialism. Kingdom of gomma 546 words exact match in snippet view article find links to article for nur husains departure from mogadishu. This proclamation was repealed in 1994 by the khadis and naiba councils proclamation, proclamation no. Ethiopian islam and the challenge of diversity core. Islam a brief overview of the history of islam the origin of islam is placed around 610 ce when muhammad, a highly spiritual and religious man who spent months in praying and self contemplation in a secluded cave near the town of mecca, is thought to have received divine messages. For both formats the functionality available will depend on how you access the ebook via bookshelf online in your browser or via the bookshelf. The faith arrived in ethiopia at an early date, shortly before the hijira. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle.
Trimingham s islam in the sudan as well as several of his shorter teenth centurythe role of islam in ethiopia has always been largely peripheral, geo. Where the content of the ebook requires a specific layout, or contains maths or other special characters, the ebook will be available in pdf pbk format, which cannot be reflowed. These are, in the words of t1952, rimingham, muslim colonies which were located withinandaround the abyssinian christian kingdom 63. Spencer trimingham offers a clear and detailed account of the formation and development of the sufi schools and orders tariqahs from the second century of islam until modern times. According to a fox news report, 1 ethiopian muslims set ablaze about 50 churches and dozens of christian homes. The only discussion of theoretical positions in relation to islam is found in hussein ahmed. It covers various fields such as philology, religious studies. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. Muslim ethiopia the christian legacy, identity politics. In jerusalem 1932 trimingham married wardeh, who died in 1980. Dr triminghams conclusion is that a fundamental among the great facts in the history of west africa prior to the age of european penetration has been the propagation of islam and the way it has. Understanding islam, its history in ghana, and an effective. It does so, inter alia, by giving recognition to the settlement of disputes by customary and.
Trimingham, an orientalist historian who in 1969 described historic ethiopia as a beleaguered fortress in the midst of a sea of islam. The islamicbook is a website that facilitates access to islamic books that are freely readable over the internet. Key dimensions in abyssiniaottoman relations in the. Trimingham has famously described ethiopia as a beleaguered fortress in the midst of a sea of islam, implying. Spreading of islam without any violence in central, east.
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