Al-Nejashi Mosque
Bahir Dar, June 27, 2023 (AMECO) – 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. The tombs of 15 of the original settlers are protected in a new mosque.
The Ethiopian Christian king’s generosity, his refusal to betray the first small community of Muslims to their Meccan persecutors, his befriending of and correspondence with the Prophet, and his contribution to the latter’s victory, left a special message of gratitude for Islam and presented Ethiopia as a model of universal humanity and grace.
Al Nejashi mosque (Negash Amedin Mesgid) which is named after the king Negash is said to be the first mosque in Africa and one of the oldest mosque in the world. It is one of the top must-see places in Ethiopia, especially for tourists who are interested in history and religion.
Al Nejashi mosque holds an important place in lslamic history and serves as an enduring reminder of the warm welcome extended to the first Muslims by the Ethiopian king of the time. It is also a sign that Ethiopia endorsed Islam first from the rest of Africa and most Arab countries, even before the majority of the people in Mecca.
Al Nejashi mosque is a place worth exploring for. Anyone who comes to visit the place will be able to walk along the path leading to the tombs ‘derih’ in the backyard of the mosque which is called ‘companions street’ and will be rewarded by the glorious history it offers. For these reasons, Al Nejashi mosque is considered by many as the second most sacred place of Islamic worship and rightly dubbed by Ethiopian Muslims as ‘the second Mecca’
Source: Ethiopia land of origins and Oman Observer
