SHEIKH HUSSEIN, BALE, ETHIOPIA

Sheik Hussein (variably Nur Hussein) was a benevolent, virtuous, and religious missionary who lived in Bale around 1300 A.D. Nur Hussein, a comrade of Sof Omar -- another prominent religious disciple of the same era -- is credited for introducing and spreading Islam in the region. There are conflicting reports about Sheik Hussein's ancestry including those that claim he was born in Saudi Arabia. Others suggest, his grandfather, Sayyid Abdallah, emigrated from Saudi Arabia in the way somali.