Sheikh Mohammed Rashad Abdulle (c. 1933 – May 25, 2013) was an Oromo scholar. He is known for developing

Oromo phonology This article describes the phonology of the Oromo language. Consonants The Oromo language has 24 to 28 consonant phonemes depending on the dialect. is a voiced retroflex plosive. It may have an implosive quality for some speakers. The v ...

and translating the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

into the

Oromo language Oromo ( or ; Oromo: ''Afaan Oromoo''), in the linguistic literature of the early 20th century also called Galla (a name with a pejorative meaning and therefore rejected by the Oromo people), is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushiti ...

Biography

Sheikh Mohammed Rashad was born at Laga Arba village near the town of

Gelemso Galamso (also spelled Gelemso, and in Oromo Galamsoo), is a town in West Haraghe of Oromia Region, Ethiopia, Gelemso is located eastern Ethiopian is far from country capital 301 km and second way 413 km in the western periphery of the highly ...

, the son of Kabir Abdulle Kabir Mummaya and Amina Bakar. He learned Qur'an from his father and traveled extensively within the province of

Hararghe Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari language, Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo language, Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a provinces of Ethiopia, province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar. History Hararg ...

to acquire further knowledge. His teachers included Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Bilal, Sheikh Hassan Anano, Sheikh Abdullah al-Harari and Sheikh

Bakri Sapalo Sheikh Bakri Sapalo (born Abubakar Garad Usman; November 1895 - 5 April 1980) was an Oromo scholar, poet and religious teacher. He is best known as the inventor of a writing system for the Oromo language. Life Bakri Sapalo was the son of Garad U ...

.Mohammed Hassen thanks Mohammed Rashad for providing him with copies of a number of Sheikh Bakri Sapalo's manuscripts, "which are otherwise inaccessible". (''The Oromo of Ethiopia: A History 1570-1860'' renton: Red Sea, 1994 p. xv) Finished a postgraduate program at

Al Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, Rashad was appointed by the University as officer at their

Burao Burao, also spelt Bur'o or Bur'ao (; so, Burco, , ar, برعو) is the capital of the Togdheer region and the second largest city in Somaliland. Burao was also the third largest city of Somalia. Burao was the site of the declaration of an in ...

branch school in northwestern

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

in 1963. After three years of working for Al Azhar in Burao, He went to

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

and started working for Front for Somali Galbeed as a communications officer and youth coordinator. He convinced Somali authorities to open a

Radio Mogadishu Radio Mogadishu ( so, Radio Muqdisho, ar, راديو مقديشو) is the federal government-run radio station of Somalia.

Afan Oromo Oromo ( or ; Oromo: ''Afaan Oromoo''), in the linguistic literature of the early 20th century also called Galla (a name with a pejorative meaning and therefore rejected by the Oromo people), is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushiti ...

program. Sheik Mohammed Rashad Abdulle died at age 79 on May 25, 2013 in

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa ( am, ድሬዳዋ, om, Dirree Dhawaa, 3=Place of Remedy; so, Diridhaba, meaning "where Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", ar, ديري داوا,) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia and Somali Re ...

References

1930s births Ethiopian Muslims 2013 deaths People from Dire Dawa Oromo people Quran translators Translators to Oromo Oromo-language writers 20th-century translators {{Ethiopia-translator-stub