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A quick step back into a previous chapter.

Havoc and Rebirth


The death of Negus Ahmed Hafiz, if you read William Kramer's 1910 book, "The History of Abyssinia", would say his death lead to the destruction of the First "Moslem Kalifate" Dynasty. This would continue to be parroted by other Western Abyssianists as they sought to classify and divide the history of the Habashah Empire. Much like has been treated with the so called Byzantine Empire western historians sought to differentiate the rulers of Habashah into distinct familial lineages. Unlike the Romans though Kramer went with the Egyptian dynastic numerical system for the Habashah. For him and for many Western Historians today the death of Negus Ahmed Hafiz and his successor, Negus Mohammed Abdulrahman is seen as the gap between two separate dynasties despite the fact that Negus Mohammed was the son of Ahmed's sister, Yasmina, and the warlord Abdulrahman Umar.


Kramer fails to take into account the Habashab viewpoint. Negus Mohammed did not see himself as part of a "Second Dynasty" but of an unbroken line of rulers with the blood of the Prophet, Negus al-Kaleem , and King Solomon in his blood. This continues into today as the Imperial family consider themselves "Unbroken" despite claims of historians.


The transition from Negus Ahmed to Muhammad though would be full of havoc however but also great change. It was under his grandson's rule that the capital would be moved from Gondar to the fortified city close to the Great Rift Valley, Barara where the capital of Habashah has remained ever since. This was both political and practical as the havoc that had spread across the Muslim world finally came to shore in Habashah, though the Habashabs could be considered lucky that their havoc did not rise on horses like the Mongols and the Habashabs were able to recover fairly quickly to meet the arrival of the Ming and late the Portuguese.


The branch of Islam in Habashah is often cited as "Imranid", named after the founder of the Lakomelza Sultanate the first official Islamic state within Habashah, despite not being a religious teacher he encouraged the religious policy of incorporation of pagan beliefs. Considered to be a branch under Sunni Islam it is most popular in East Africa and exclaves around the Indian Ocean.


Havoc though brings change and also Rebirth. For the greater Muslim world the "Rebirth" of the "Havoc" of the Mongols was the Gunpowder Empires as new Turkic statelets forged great powers and inspired great cultural change. However for Habashah this Rebirth was more religious. In the wake of the Mongols a new religious movement had grown in the Muslim world, this was the "Sufis". Mystics that sought greater devotion to Allah through a myriad of mystical beliefs they inspired small religious movements and warrior brotherhoods that would lay the foundations for the Ottomans and Safavids. From Persia the first Sufis arrived to Habashah, of many notable beliefs and stripes the most famous which would come to dominate Habashah would come under Farouk ad-Din Shirazi who himself was a member of the Mewlewi Order, otherwise known as the Whirling Dervishes.


Farouk came to Habashah well over sixty years after the death of the Whirling Dervishes's founder, the poet Rumi. Here he traveled Habashah as a mystic and beggar, quoting Rumi's poems and founding in his wake founded craftsmen-merchant-knightly guilds called, futuwwa. While connecting the economies of different towns the men who formed the militant branches became Ghazis, attacking brigands sparking tales of chivalry and knightly valor. The practices of the Mewlewi would blend with the many native traditions of Habashah, different tribal dances coming together and blending. This Sufism in particular became very popular with the militant Oromo people. Mewlewi and Imranid Islam would gradually merge overtime until the Imranid form had totally subsumed the teachings of the Mewlewis, becoming mainstream and leaving the Mewlewis as the more ascetic members of the order.


The Mewlewi connection would prove to a bridge later in relation to the Ottomans but would also lay foundation for the Habashah Emperors who would seek to claim the title of Caliph.