Commander of the Somali Adalite Division Ahmed Gurey Bin Hussein Al-Somali أحمد جرئ بن حسين الصومالي | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Ahmed Girri Bin Hussein |
| Born | 16th century |
| Allegiance | Adal Sultanate |
| Branch | Commander |
| Rank | Division Commander |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Shimbra Kure Battle of Amba Sel Battle of Badeqe |
Ahmed Girri Bin Hussein (Somali:Axmed Girri Bin Xussein,Arabic: أحمد جرئ بن حسين) was aSomali military commander and general that served theAdal Sultanate. He played a key prominent role in the campaigns ofAhmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi by bringing one of the largest armies to aid the Imam in Jihad. Ahmed Girri hailed from theYabarray clan.[1][2] He was also the chieftain ofHabr Maqdi which was a collective of Yabarray andBartire. He was regarded one of the most capable generals during theConquest of Abyssinia alongsideGarad Matan.[3][4]
Born into the prominent Jidwaaq clan,[1][5] he played a key role in theMuslim conquests of theHorn of Africa by bringing one of the largest armies to Adal.[6][7] and was mentioned among the honorable knights of the Imam. Ahmed Girri Bin Hussein was the commander of Adal empire .
Robert Ferry also confirms
“Warrior valor has remained one of the main qualities of the Somalis to this day; on the other hand, we know that the Somalis, and especially the Darod Somalis, were in full expansion towards the west and the Geri, the Marrehân, the Harti who are cited elsewhere, and the Yabarray who undoubtly identify with the Yiberri of Futuh el Habasa are precisely Darod. expansion of the Darod invaders, for their enterprise of conquest of Abyssinia. To the Somalis must be added the Harla who, under the name of Harla now consider themselves a fraction of Issa but are distinguished from the Somalis.”[8][9]
The famous Futuh Al-Habasha manuscript was written during the 16th century by Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Qādir ʻArabfaqīh, who was present during the rise and fall of theAdal Sultanate as well as the actual jihad. Shihāb al-Dīn would later document about theEthiopian-Adal War and explicitly about theSomali clans that participated.[10][11][12]Arab Faqih notes
“..then he assembled the Somali clans, the tribe of Girri, the tribe of Marraihan, the tribe of Yibberi with their chieftain Ahmad Girri, the clan of the mah’ed ase, people of Mait, the tribe of Jairan, the tribe of Mazzar, the tribe of Barsub all of these were Somalis and they were ordered by the imam to hold the left flank, they were all under Matan.”[2]
It is noted that Ahmad Girri Bin Hussein was one of the most capable Adalite generals alongsideGarad Matan. He was the chieftain of theYabarray clan but also led theHabar Maqdi which was a confederacy betweenBartirre andYabarray. Both are part of theJidwaaq clan today which are part of the largerDarod clan.[13] But most times he ledYabarray andBartirre underHabar Maqdi.[14]
Arab Faqih confirms thatHabar Maqdi isBartirre;
“Then he split his force into three divisions. The first consisted of the people of Sim, the tribe of Marraihan and Bar Tarri which are the Habr Maqdi and the people of Jawatir: they were under the command of the wazir 'Addol.”[7]
French contemporary writer, Amelia Checkroun writes that the Habar Maqdi clan under Ahmed Girri were among the top five Somalis mentioned to have played an important role, the Habar Maqdi were instrumental to the conquest of Abyssinia. Amelia Checkroun further confirms that the Habar Maqdi were a composition of Yabaray and Bartire both of these clans today are identified to be a part of Jidwaaq which is part of the widerAmelia Checkroun writes;
“Five of the Somali clans appear several times and allows for a better understanding of them. These are the clans of Yabari and Harti, but especially the clans of Girri, Marayahan and Habr Maqdi. These five clans, more particularly the last three, we learned several things about the Somali. First, each clan was independent of the other. Some clans are subdivided into “sub-clans”, like the Bartirri which united the Habr Maqdi and the Gawätir. There does not seem to be any Somali authority bringing together all the clans under one command. So when a conflict breaks out between two clans, they turn to the authority of the imam.”[15]
The Imam first conquered theHabar Maqdi for engaging in banditry subsequently making them submit, afterwards theHabar Maqdi made peace with him. Before theConquest of Abyssinia, the Imam began sending messengers to every tribe in the vicinity ofHarar and its surrounding areas. He dispatched a messenger named Ali to the Yabaray[16] and two other messengers to the Geri clan and Marehan.
After the Yabaray accepted the imams call to jihad, Ahmed Girri recruited members from his tribe and united them. The first tribe to arrive in Harar was theHabar Maqdi with their leader Ahmed Girri, who brought one of the largest armies numbering 2000 soldiers, consisting of a confederacy ofYabarray andBartirre.
Arab Faqih details:
“The first of the tribes to arrive to the imam wasHabr Maqdi with their leader and chieftain Ahmad Girri bin Husain, the Somali. They encamped in a place called Qasa in the heights above the valley of Harar. They showed off their equipment and their weapons, and paraded their horses. They were knights, and what knights! And they were great foot-soldiers; and what foot soldiers! The imam rejoiced at their arrival exceedingly. They met the imam face to face, and he welcomed them with the warmest of welcomes. He gave them gifts of apparel, and provisions, and treated them graciously, garbing their chieftain Ahmad Girri in particularly exquisite clothing.”[17]
He also notes how the imam was extremely elated at the fact that the Habar Maqdi clan accepted the call to Jihad. The Habr Maqdi clan was among the first tribes to accept Jihad alongside theGeri clan underGarad Matan. It's documented that they encamped in Qasa a place nearHarar.[18]
Arab Faqih notes:
“At that time the imam organised his forces and called up his army. He tied a white standard to a spear, and entrusted it to wazir 'Addoli, and the people of Sim rallied to him from the tribe of the Somalis, theHabr Maqdi and the tribe of Ahmad Girri, and with them two-hundred cavalry and two thousand infantry, like savage lions.”[19]
