Ancient Coin Review 121 : Rare coin of King of Axum , Armah ( 614-631 CE) or King Najashi who helped Muslims/Prophet Companions first immigration to Abyssinia in 615 CE

This is a coin from the era of king of Axum / Aksum know as Armah or Ashamah Ibn Abjar or Najashi. He ruled Kingdom of Aksum in Abyssinia from 614 - 631 CE.

Obverse

King Najashi seated and crowned holding a long cross. King Armah in Ge'ez

Reverse

Cross framed by 2 stalks of grain. Let there be joy to the people (in Ge'ez)

The kingdom of Axum in a nutshell was an isolated and independent Christian kingdom in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea that survived from the 1st century AD to approx. the 9th century AD. They existed on equal footing with the the empires of the day. Rome, Persia and China. At some point they conquered the Himyarite Confederacy, in what is now Yemen, and absorbed the Sabean culture. They maintained strong ties with the Byzantine Empire until ultimately being cut off from trade by the Arab conquests of the surrounding area, and Axum fell into decline. The Kingdom of Axum is the proposed home of the Ark of the Covenant and the legendary home of the Queen of Sheba. The Axumite Monarchy was established based on a genealogical relationship with the King Solomon of Judea and the Queen of Sheba.

During his reign, the Muslims in Mecca faced severe persecutions by the polythiests and Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH) has allowed his followers to make the first migration to Abyssinia to save their faith and life. This Muslim emigrants were led by Jaafar bin Abu Talib in 615 CE.

When the polythiests from Mecca came to retrieve the Muslims, King Najashi refused to surrender them. 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after the Hudaibiyah Treaty in 6 AH ( 628 CE), sent letters to leading kings and rulers of the region inviting them to Islam. Amr bin Umayyah Dhimri was delegated to the court of Habesha. King Najashi received the letter with great honor, touched it with his eyes and read it. He came down from the throne and sat on the ground to show his humbleness and high respect for the Prophet of Allah. Later he asked the letter to be preserved in an ivory casket.

The king wrote back saying”...I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah, true and confirming those before you. I have given my allegiance to you and to your brother (i.e. Jafar) and I have surrendered myself through him to the Lord of the Worlds.”

Muslim emigrants returned with Jafar to Madinah when the Prophet (peace be upon him) conquered Khyber. They thanked King Najashi for his good protection and hospitality provided to them. When King Najashi expired in 631 CE the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered his funeral prayer in absentia, in Madinah. He is buried at a place called Najash in Ethiopia.

Prophet's Letter to Najashi

Najashi Tomb

Date ......... 614-631 CE
Ruler........... King Armah, Najashi
Condition.............. VF
Approx. diameter.............  18 mm
Approx. weight in grams............... 1.55 grams
Material....................bronze
Rarity.......................................scarce
Reference : Munro-Hay Type 153; BMC Aksum 573