Don't you mean "ethio-semites"? I thought Somalis didn't live in Saylac at the time. I thought it was "entirely Arab" or "ethio-semite" or Bantu or something.
But honestly, I think it was a result of influence from Zaidi preachers from Yemen. Perhaps there was a large Zaidi community that eventually declined and dissappeared at some point.
There was a Yemeni-Zaidi community in Zeila. The Yemeni-Zaidi immigrants arrived in 739 AD. I am not sure how strong their influence was in the region. The ruling class of Zeila were mostly Sunni Muslims, so I am not sure how the Zaidi community was treated. No one is quite sure when the influence of the Zaidi community diminished in Zeila.
Yes, Somalis didn't live in Zeila at the time. The inhabitants of the coastal town primarily consisted of Arabs and Ethio-Semeties. There were also cushitic elements that resided deep in the hinterland. You have to understand that the word Zeila was, on some occasions, used to describe the whole region. I am not sure if the influence of Shia Islam spread to the nomads in the interior. I was generally referring to whether there was a Somali community that practiced Shia Islam, irrespective of their geographical location and duration of time.
I also heard some Somalis say that there was a small Shia community in the north. I guess it was referring to the Zaidi community who returned to Yemen.