Najashi

Armah (አርማህ) or Aṣ-ḥamah (أَصْحَمَة), commonly known as Najashi (ٱلنَّجَاشِيّ), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum who reigned from 614–631 C.E. He is primarily known through the coins that were minted during his reign. It is agreed by Muslim scholars that Najashi gave shelter to Muslim emigrants from Mecca, around 615–616 at Axum. Najashi reigned for 18 years from 614–631 C.E. During his reign, Muslims migrated to Abyssinia and met Najashi. According to Islamic sources, Muhammad's cousin, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, told Najashi about the persecution they had faced at the hands of the tribe of Quraysh. Najashi asked if they had with them anything which had come from God. Jaʿfar then recited a passage from Surat Maryam in the Quran, regarding Isa (Jesus) and Maryam (Mary). When Najashi heard it, he wept and exclaimed: Verily, this (Quran) and what Isa brought (Gospel) has come from the same source of light. Najashi then affirmed that he would never give up the Muslims. Scholar of Ancient Ethiopia, Stuart Munro-Hay (1947–2004), stated that either Armah or Gersem was the last Axumite king to issue coins. Bronze coins from the reign of Armah depict him as a full-length figure enthroned, with Christian cross motifs throughout. Najashi was raised as a Christian, but it is speculated that he embraced Islam after accepting Muslim refugees from Arabia into his kingdom. However there is no historical evidence for this claim. Armah's silver coins have an unusual reverse, showing a structure with three crosses, the middle one gilded. Munro-Hay quotes W.R.O. Hahn as suggesting that this is an allusion to the Holy Sepulchre, as a reference to the Persian capture of Jerusalem in 614.