Hijrah
/ˈhɪdʒ.rə/noun
The migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, or the broader act of leaving persecution for a safer religious community.
Did you know?The Hijrah is the starting point of the Islamic calendar, although the calendar formally counts from the lunar year in which the migration occurred rather than from its exact day.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*h-g-r
“To leave, depart, or separate; a reconstructed Semitic root”
Ancient Arabic
Arabic
hajara
“He left, abandoned, or departed from a place”
7th Century
Quranic Arabic
hijrah
“Migration or departure, especially leaving an oppressive situation for faith and safety”
622 CE
Early Islamic Arabic
al-Hijrah
“Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina, a foundational event in Islamic history”
Middle Ages
Arabic
Hijrī
“Of or relating to the era dated from the Hijrah”
19th Century–Modern English
English
hijrah
“A transliterated English loanword for the Islamic migration or its religious and historical significance”