Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān, most commonly known as Arab Faqīh, was a Yemeni writer from the port of Jizan.^[1] Best known for writing the chronicle "Futuh al-Habasha", a first hand account of the Ethiopian-Adal war in the 16th century.^[2][3]

Biography

Arab Faqih was a citizen of the Adal Sultanate and a religious Sufi.^[4][5] He is believed to be of Yemeni descent according to most modern scholars.^{[3][6][7][8][9]} Arab Faqih was a companion of Šams ad-Din ‘Ali bin 'Umar aš-Šādili al-Qarši al-Yemeni who according to French linguist René Basset established coffee drinking into Arabia.^[10]

His surname in the Harari language was 'Arab Faqih,' which translates to "the Arab Jurist," a name suggesting Arab Yemeni roots. Enrico Cerulli described him as probably a Harari, while noting that the title ‘Arab Faqih’ could point to Yemeni origins.^[11][12]

He used to document his work (which were left unfinished) in Jizan, Yemen.^[12]

Linguist Giorgio Banti states it is noteworthy that his name Arab Faqīh is constructed using Arabic vocabulary while adhering to Harari grammatical rules.^[13]

Arab Faqih is notable for writing the "Futuh al-Habasha" which details the sixteenth century war between Adal and Abyssinia from the point of view of Harar residents.^[14]

References