Jeberti

The Jeberti (also spelled Jabarti, Jaberti, Jebarti) are a Tigrinya- and Arabic-speaking group mostly found in Eritrea with a wider diaspora community in neighboring countries, primarily in the Arabian Peninsula. There are also small numbers of Jeberti living in Ethiopia. The Jebertis in neighboring countries, facilitated by their shared religion, have been largely assimilated into their respective countries and cultures.

History

Early in the history of Islam the Prophet Mohammed's companions found sanctuary in the Kingdom of Aksum. When some of the Prophet's companions returned to the Arabian Peninsula some of these refugees remained while some Aksumites converted to Islam. These people were called, Jeberti (the elect of God)^[1]. One of their oldest settlements is said^{[by whom?]} to be Negash, in the Tigray Region.

The 9th-century Islamic writers Al-Masudi and Yaqub Ibn Abudllah Al-Hamawi wrote in their book Aqeeliyoon (which describes the lives and lineages of the descendants of the prophet Mohammed's young cousin, Aqeel Ibn Abu Talib) that several Quraysh sub-clans moved to the city of Jabarta and the Zeila region around the ninth century A.D.^{[verification needed]} Some key sub-clans include Banu Shams, Banu Abd Manaf and Banu Hashim. From the Banu Hashim, many Aquiline settlers lived in Jabarta, such as Ahmed Ibn Husein Ibn Ali Al-Jabarti, and Ahmed Ibn Omar Al-Zayli. Most importantly, he mentions the Sufi Qadiriyah Sheik Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Abdisamad Al-Aqeeyli Al-Zayli, who is considered^{[by whom?]} a Sufi saint in Yemen, and from whom the Darod claim to have descended. This Sufi Sheikh also had other sons, all of whom carry the surname "Jabarti", whose descendants may be found in Southern Yemen, Eriteria, and parts of Saudi Arabia.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

Jebertis are all Muslims and the term came to encompass all East Africans and, later, other Africans who have converted to Islam. Although this usage was later dropped as Islam spread across Africa, the original meaning is still evident as any Tigrinya or Amharic speaker who converts to Islam is called "Jeberti".^[2]

References

1. ^ Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5. 
2. ^ Trimingham, J (1965). Islam in Ethiopia. Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-1731-8.