Al-Negashi Mosque
Historical manuscripts indicates that Islam in Ethiopia dates back to the year 615 AD when the first Muslim, among them Prophet Mohammad’s wife came to Ethiopia as refugees and settled in Negash, a small village located 60 km east of Mekelle, the capital of Tigray State. The Quraysh sent emissaries to bring them back to Arabia, but the king of Ethiopia refused their demands.
The Prophet himself instructed his followers who came to Ethiopia, to respect and protect Ethiopia as well as live in peace with Ethiopian Christians, as Selahadin Eshetu (PhD), a Political Commentator, International Relations Expert and Writer described king Negash on his thesis entitled “Authentic History of King Negash of Abyssinia”
The Negash or Al-Nejashi Mosque is as old as the faith of Islam. Negash, Ethiopia’s first Islamic settlement, was established in the 7th century AD by Muslim refugees who escaped persecution in Mecca, including close relatives of Prophet Mohammed, during his lifetime.
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