Hijra
Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, the event that marks Year 1 of the Islamic calendar and transformed Islam from a persecuted minority faith into a political community with its own state, demonstrating that a new civilization requires not just a new belief but a new political order.
The Hijra (هجرة, 'migration' or 'exodus') was Muhammad's departure from Mecca to Yathrib (renamed Medina, 'city [of the Prophet]') in September 622 CE, following 13 years of persecution, boycott, and the assassination plot that made his position in Mecca untenable. The migration of the early Muslim community over the following months completed the transfer.
Its historical significance transcends the biographical: the Hijra marks the transformation of Islam from a religion into a civilization. In Mecca, Muhammad had been the leader of a persecuted minority. In Medina, he became the head of a political community with military capacity, tax authority, and diplomatic sovereignty. The Constitution of Medina (Sahifat al-Madinah), drafted shortly after arrival, was the first written constitution in Islamic history, establishing the rights and obligations of the Muslim, Jewish, and pagan communities of Medina under Muhammad's arbitration.
The significance of Year 1: the Islamic calendar begins with the Hijra, not with Muhammad's birth or the first revelation. This choice reflects Islam's self-understanding: the defining moment is not the birth of the Prophet or the arrival of revelation, but the founding of the political community. Islam identifies itself as a civilization from its first year.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does the Islamic calendar start with the Hijra? ＋
Because the Hijra marks the founding of the Islamic political community (umma), not just a religion but a civilization with its own state. The choice of Year 1 reflects Islam's self-understanding: the defining moment is not Muhammad's birth or the first revelation, but the moment the community gained political sovereignty. Islam was a civilization from its first year.
What changed after the Hijra? ＋
Everything. In Mecca, Muhammad was the leader of a persecuted minority. In Medina, he was head of a political community with military capacity, tax authority, and diplomatic sovereignty. He drafted the Constitution of Medina establishing the rights of Muslim, Jewish, and pagan communities. Within eight years, he returned to Mecca as its conqueror. The Hijra enabled the entire subsequent history of Islam.