Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān

Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān, most commonly known as Arab Faqīh, was an Adalite writer of the chronicle "Futuh al-Habasha", a first hand account of the Ethiopian-Adal war in the sixteenth century.^[1]

Shihab al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Sālim ibn ʿUthmān
Title	Arab Faqih
Personal life
Era	Adal Sultanate
Region	Horn of Africa
Main interest(s)	Warfare
Notable work(s)	Futuh al-Habasha
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Jurisprudence	Sunni

Biography

Arab Faqih was a citizen of the Adal Sultanate and a religious Sufi.^[2][3] He is believed to be of Yemeni descent according to most scholars.^[4][5][6] However other historians such as Enrico Cerulli state he was possibly of Harari background.^[7] Linguist Giorgio Banti states it is noteworthy that his name Arab Faqīh is constructed using Arabic vocabulary while adhering to Harari grammatical rules.^[8]

Arab Faqih is notable for writing the "Futuh al-Habasha" which details the sixteenth century war between Adal and Abyssinia from the point of view of Harar residents.^[9]