Islam arrived early in Ethiopia and majority of them are Sunnis, members of the largest sect of Islam. The Prophet himself taught his followers to respect and protect Ethiopians.
It was in 615 that Muhammed’s wife and cousin sought refuge at Axum with a number of other followers. This group was running away from Mecca’s leading tribe, the reactionary Kuraysh, who sent envoies to bring them back to Arabia, but the Negus Armah (a Christian king) protected them.
The arrival of immigrants and traders from Oman and Yemen during the following centuries enlarged the number of Muslims in Somalia, Eritrea and what is now Ethiopia.