Muhammad Gasa () (died 1583) was the first

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

of the

Imamate of Aussa The Imamate of Aussa, also spelled Imamate of Awsa, was a medieval Sunni Muslim imamate in present-day eastern Ethiopia and north-western Djibouti. Muhammad Gasa established the seat of power to Aussa from Harar in 1577, as the latter was too e ...

. Muhammad Gasa abandoned the capital of

Harar Harar (; Harari language, Harari: ሀረር / ; ; ; ), known historically by the indigenous as Harar-Gey or simply Gey (Harari: ጌይ, ݘٛىيْ, ''Gēy'', ), is a List of cities with defensive walls, walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is al ...

and relocated his capital to the desert oasis of Aussa. He subsequently became the first ruler and founder of the new

History

Muhammad Gasa, a relative of

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (, Harari: አሕመድ ኢብራሂም አል-ጋዚ, ; 21 July 1506 – 10 February 1543) was the Imam of the Adal Sultanate from 1527 to 1543. Commonly named Ahmed ''Gragn'' in Amharic and ''Gurey'' in Somali, ...

and

Nur ibn Mujahid Nur al-Din or Nur ibn Mujahid ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdullah al Dhuhi Suha ( Harari: ኑር ኢብን ሙጃሂድ, , ; died 1567) was an Emir of Harar who ruled over the Adal Sultanate. He was known for marrying his uncle's widow, Bati del Wambara, ...

, was elected

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

on September 1577. Hararis hoped that Muhammed, because of his illustrious lineage, he would create a new sense of unity, and inspire them to resist within the walls, if not lead them to victory outside of them. To their disappointment, the first thing Muhammed did when he came to power was to transfer the capital from Harar to Aussa in the Afar desert. Muhammad thought that this new capital would be less accessible to Oromo raids, but it did not appear to be that secure as the Oromos continually raided it anyways. In 1583 Muhammad was killed while in battle with the Warra Daya Oromos. His death was followed by a succession crisis in which eight imams succeeded each other in less than five years.

Notes

1583 deaths 16th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth unknown People from Harari Region Sultans of the Adal Sultanate {{Ethiopia-royal-stub