Umar Din


ʿUmar Dīn,, was a Sultan of the Adal Sultanate in the Horn of Africa. He was the younger brother of Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad. According to historian Richard Pankhurst, Umar was of Harari background.

Reign

After his brother Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad was killed by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi in 1526, Umar Din was made sultan by Imam Ahmad. He ruled as a puppet king, with Imam Ahmad wielding true power.
The Futuh al-Habasha of Sihab ad-Din records that the Sultan and the Imam quarrelled over the distribution of the alms tax at some point between the Battle of Shimbra Kure and the Battle of Amba Sel, which led to Imam Ahmad leaving Harar to live amongst the Somalis in Zeila for some time.
He was succeeded by his son Ali ibn Umar Din in 1553, who in turn was succeeded by his brother Barakat ibn Umar Din, the last member of the Walashmaʿ dynasty, in 1555.

Works cited

Category:16th-century monarchs in Africa
Category:Sultans of the Adal Sultanate
Category:People from Harari Region