Hegira
/hɪˈdʒaɪ.rə/noun
A journey of flight or migration, especially a departure made to escape danger; also the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina.
Did you know?Hegira comes from Arabic hijra, the same root behind the Islamic calendar's starting point, so a single act of flight became a sacred historical reset.
Etymological Timeline
Arabic
Arabic
هِجْرَة (hijra)
“departure; emigration; the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina”
7th Century
Arabic
الهجرة النبوية (al-hijra al-nabawiyya)
“the Prophet's emigration, later used as the defining event of the Islamic era”
Late 17th Century
French
hégire
“the Muslim era beginning with Muhammad's flight from Mecca”
Early 18th Century
English
hegira
“the Muslim era; later, any forced or momentous flight or departure”
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