The place where the first Muslim settlement took place in the world Wukro,Tigray.
It all began in the 7th C. AD when the first followers of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) were persecuted and oppressed in their own land by the Quraysh tribe of Mecca for their belief in Islam.

Prophet Mohammed thus searched for a safe place and a compassionate person who could grant a safe hideout and protection for his followers.
According to the earliest extant account given in Ibn Ishaq’a Sira
“The Prophet Mohammed realized that he could not protect his followers —

From the attacks, and said ‘go to the Habesha, there is a Christian king there. There is justice in his kingdom. Habesha is the land of truth. Therefore, go there until we achieve victory with the help of Allah”.
So, he sought refuge in the Christian Kingdom of Aksum,

The land of Abyssinia .The then Abyssinian king — Negashi (which means ‘king’ or ‘Nejashi’ in Arabic) warmly received the exiles out of good gesture and granted them refuge in the town of Negash, the present-day Tigray Region. Fifteen companions of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had

their first migration (hijira) and arrived in the Axumite Empire territory in 615 AD followed by a second migration with a bigger group of around 101 people.
The Quraysh tried every possible way including gift offers as bribes to persuade the king to hand over the Muslims and

king refused saying, “If you have given a mountain of gold, I would not give up these people who have taken asylum with me”. The king rather assured the Muslims full protection saying to them ‘Go and live in peace, if anybody ill-treats you,

he will pay heavily for it. Al Nejashi mosque (Negash Amedin Mesgid) which is named after the king Negash is said to be thea first mosque in Africa and one of the oldest mosques in the world.

عيد مبارك

Happy Eid al-Fitr to all Muslim out there