Hijrah

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The Hijrah or Hijra (

Arabic: الهجرة) was the journey the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina.[1][2] The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the epoch of the Lunar Hijri[a] and Solar Hijri calendars; its date equates to 16 July 622 in the Julian calendar.[3][4][b] The Arabic word hijra means primarily "a severing of ties of kinship or association."[7][8]
It has been also transliterated as Hegira in medieval Latin, a term still in occasional use in English.

Early in Muhammad's preaching of Islam, his followers only included his close friends and relatives. Most of his tribesmen, the Quraysh, however, were indifferent to his activities, as they did not appear to be particularly interested in devotional meetings, and accordingly, Muhammad did not encounter any serious opposition from them; that was the case until he began to attack their beliefs, which caused tensions to arise.[9][10][11]

In May 622, after having convened twice with members of the Medinan tribes of

companion Abu Bakr.[12] Muhammad's arrival at Medina was warmly welcomed, resulting in the renaming of the city from Yathrib to Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (Arabic: المدينة المنورة‎, romanized: al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, lit. 'The Enlightened City', Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna almʊnawːara]), commonly simplified as Madīnah or Medina (Arabic: المدينة‎, romanized: al-Madina, Hejazi pronunciation: [almadiːna]; lit.'the City').[13]

Etymology

Hijrah is a contemporary transliteration of the Arabic word هجرة which means primarily "a severing of ties of kinship or association."[7][8] Hajara, the verb's first stem, is defined as "to cut off someone from friendly association" or "to avoid association with." And the third stem, hājara, denotes "a mutual termination of friendly relations." The word has been mistranslated as "flight."[14] Since 1753, the word has also been used to refer to an exodus in English.[15]

Background

Medina was inhabited by both Arabs and Jews. The Arabs consisted of two tribes–the Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj. The Aws and Khazraj were constantly at war with each other, and this made traditional rules for maintaining law and order dysfunctional, and, without a neutral man with considerable authority over things, stability seemed unlikely.[16] It is also accepted by modern historians of Arabia that the Arabs of Medina had heard from their Jewish fellow citizens of the coming of a prophet.[17][18]

During

Khazraj from Medina restated the terms of the First Pledge and also assured Muhammad of their full support and protection if the latter would migrate to Medina as an arbitrator to reconcile among the Aws and Khazraj.[25] This is known as the Second Pledge at al-Aqabah,[18][26] and was a religiopolitical success that paved the way for the Medinan Hegira.[27]
Following the pledges, Muhammad encouraged his followers to migrate to Medina, and in a span of two months, nearly all the Muslims of Mecca migrated to the city.

Migration

Muslims believe Muhammad waited until he received divine direction to depart from

Sawda and wetnurse Umm Ayman.[28][29]

Muhammad and Abu Bakr left the city and took shelter in a cave atop the

Suraqa bin Malik. They stayed in the cave for three days before resuming their journey. During the journey, whenever Suraqa neared Muhammad and Abu Bakr, Suraqa's horse stumbled until he finally gave up on the desire of capturing Muhammad.[29] Muhammad and Abu Bakr turned to the Red Sea, following the coastline up to Medina, arriving at Quba'. He stopped at Quba' and established a mosque
there. He waited there for fourteen days for Ali and his family to join him. Thereafter he continued to Medina, participated in their first Friday prayer on the way. Upon reaching the city, they were greeted cordially by its people.

Aftermath and legacy

Muhammad's followers suffered from poverty after fleeing persecution in Mecca and migrating with Muhammad to Medina. Their Meccan persecutors seized their wealth and belongings left behind in Mecca.[30] Beginning in January 623, Muhammad led several raids against Meccan caravans travelling along the eastern coast of the Red Sea. Members of different tribes were thus unified by the urgency of the moment. This unity was primarily based on the bonds of kinship.[30][31][32]

The second

Latinized to Anno hegirae, the abbreviation of which is still used to denote Hijri dates today.[13] Burnaby states that: "Historians in general assert that Muhammad fled from Mecca at the commencement of the third month of the Arabian year, Rabi 'u-l-awwal. They do not agree as to the precise day. According to Ibn-Ishak, it was on the first or second day of the month;"[33]

Several Islamic historians and scholars, including

nasī') were prohibited during the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage
(10 AH).

See also

Notes

  1. ^ commonly known in the West as 'the' Islamic calendar, though both calendars are used by Muslims.
  2. medieval Muslim astronomers by projecting back in time their own tabular Islamic calendar, which had alternating 30- and 29-day months in each lunar year plus eleven leap days every 30 years. For example, al-Biruni mentioned this Julian date in the year 1000 CE.[5] Although not used by either medieval Muslim astronomers or modern scholars to determine the Islamic epoch, the thin crescent moon would have also first become visible (assuming clouds did not obscure it) shortly after the preceding sunset on the evening of 15 July, 1.5 days after the associated dark moon (astronomical new moon) on the morning of 14 July.[6]

References

  1. ^ Shaikh, Fazlur Rehman (2001). Chronology of Prophetic Events. London: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. pp. 51–52.
  2. ^ Marom, Roy (Fall 2017). "Approaches to the Research of Early Islam: The Hijrah in Western Historiography". Jamma'a. 23: vii.
  3. ^ Burnaby, Sherrard Beaumont (1901). Elements of the Jewish and Muhammadan calendars. pp. 373–5, 382–4.
  4. .
  5. C. Edward Sachau
    (1000/1879) 327.
  6. ^ "NASA phases of the moon 601–700". Archived from the original on 8 October 2010.
  7. ^ a b (Schacht et al. 1998, p. 366)
  8. ^ a b (Holt et al. 1978, p. 40)
  9. ^ Buhl & Welch 1993, p. 364.
  10. ^ "Muhammad | Biography, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  11. ^ Lewis 2002, p. 35–36.
  12. ^ Moojan Momen (1985), An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism, Yale University Press, New edition 1987, p. 5.
  13. ^
    JSTOR 20847270
    .
    Shamsi, F. A. (1984). "The Date of Hijrah". Islamic Studies. 23 (4): 289–323.
    .
  14. ^ (Schacht et al. 1998, p. 366)
  15. ^ "Definition of HEGIRA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  16. ^ Holt, et al (2000), pp. 39–40.
  17. ^
    Sirat-un-Nabi. Vol 1. Lahore
    .
  18. ^ a b Holt, et al (2000), p. 40.
  19. Madras
    : The Christian Literary Society for India. p. 70. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  20. .
  21. .
  22. ^ Sell (1913), p. 71.
  23. OCLC 41621132
    .
  24. : Macmillan and Co. p. 116.
  25. ^ Khan (1980), p. 73.
  26. ^ Sell (1913), p. 76.
  27. ^ Muir, William (1861). The life of Mahomet Volume 2. pp. 258–59.
  28. ^ . Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  29. ^ a b John Esposito, Islam, Expanded edition, Oxford University Press, pp. 4–5.
  30. ^ William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, Oxford, 1953, pp. 16–18.
  31. . p. 224.
  32. ^ Sherrard Beaumont Burnaby, Elements of the Jewish and Muhammadan calendars (1901).
  33. ^ Caussin de Perceval writing in 1847 as reported in 1901 by Sherrard Beaumont Burnaby, Elements of the Jewish and Muhammadan calendars (London: 1901) 374–75.

Bibliography

External links

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