Hijra
Also called: Hijri era · Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
The Hijra (meaning "migration") was the journey of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in Arabia in 622 CE. They left Mecca to escape attacks on the new Muslim community. In Medina, Muhammad set up the first Muslim community that ran its own affairs. The Islamic calendar, called the Hijri era, counts its years from this event. The Hijra was the starting point for the Islamic state that later united the Arab tribes and conquered large parts of the Roman and Sasanian empires.
Example
Dates in the Islamic world are written as "AH" (Anno Hegirae, "in the year of the Hijra"). So year 1 AH begins in 622 CE.
Don't confuse with
- Hajj: the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hijra was a single historical migration away from Mecca to Medina.
Related concepts
- Diocletian
- Constantine
- Edict of Milan 313
- Christianisation of the Roman Empire
- Constantinople
- Post-Roman kingdoms
- Byzantine empire
- Justinian
- Late antiquity
- Prophet Muhammad