Happy 1432 AH



Mosque of Medina

Say “Happy New Year!” and many people think of January 1^st.  Students might think of the school year, and CEOs might think of the fiscal year.  Jews might think of Rosh Hashanah, and Christians might think of Advent.

Muslims think of the Hijra.

The Hijra (aka Hegira, Hijrah, Hijrat) occurred in 622 CE when Muhammad secretly emigrated from Mecca to Medina.  He did so after being warned of a plot to assassinate him.  Muhammad had been previously invited to Medina by those who hoped that he could arbitrate the ongoing tribal feuds there.  Muhammad had been encouraging many Muslims to join him in this move.  That sort of encouragement did not bode well for Muhammad’s popularity with the average citizen of Mecca.

One of the first things that Muhammad did upon arrival in Medina was to draft up a Constitution.  This key document established an alliance between the Mecca emigrants and the eight preexisting Medina tribes.  These tribes included Jews and other People of the Book (such as Sabians and Christians).  According to Wikipedia, this “effectively established the first Islamic state.”

The Islamic Calendar (aka Muslim Calendar or Hijri Calendar) is lunar-based.  It includes 12 months and

either 354 or 355 days.  Islamic years begin with the Hijra; therefore, 16 July 622 CE is considered to be the start of 1 AH (AH is Latin for anno Hegirae – year of the Hijra).  Muhammad was therefore born in 53 BH (before Hijra).

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(Islam)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calendar  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad

Copyright December 7, 2010 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved