What is hijra? Meaning of Hijri for Muslims

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Islam is one of the world's religions, which has more than one billion followers around the world. In this article, we will touch on one very important concept of this teaching, namely, we will try to answer the question of what is hijra.

Definition of concept

Behind the deep concept of hijra that we have today, there is one important historical event for the development of Islam. We are talking about the resettlement of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina from his native Mecca. This migration is hijra in the proper sense of the word. Everything about its other aspects is theological reflection.

History

Having found out what hijra is, let's now analyze the history of this event in more detail. To do this, let's fast forward to the very beginning of the seventh century AD, in 609. It was then that an Arab merchant, a native of Mecca, named Mohammed, comes forward with his preaching of a new revelation of the one God. He proclaims himself a prophet, including a number of biblical characters such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The ambitious preacher claims that the time has come for a new religion and a new law, which the Almighty gives to people through him. Unfortunately for the newly appeared prophet, most of his compatriots were not imbued with calls to turn from their fatherly covenants and accept the new message. Most people simply ignored Muhammad's claims to be God's chosen people, but there were also those who actively resisted him and his companions and even threatened to kill them. To the misfortune of the prophet, the leaders and leaders of society were especially hostile to him. The life of the first Muslim community was quite hard and difficult in such conditions, so some of them moved to Ethiopia, where the Christian ruler agreed to shelter them. This is the first hijra of Muslims. In other words, what is hijra? This is a transition, an escape from evil to good, peace and security.

But the prophet at that time still remained in Mecca and was persecuted. At the same time, in another city, which was then called Yathrib, two Arab tribes lived at war with each other. They professed the traditional paganism of the Arabs, but representatives of Judaism and Christianity lived next to them in Yathrib, so they had heard a lot about faith in one God. When the news reached them that a prophet of this faith from the Arabs had appeared in Mecca, they became interested. In response, Muhammad sent a preacher to them in the city, who managed to convince many people to renounce their paternal polytheism and accept a new religion - Islam. There were so many of them that they even decided to ask Muhammad to move to their city and become the head of the government. The Prophet accepted this offer. His resettlement to Yathrib took place in 622, after which the city began to be calledMedina. Muhammad was received with peace and great honor as the supreme ruler and the new leader of the inhabitants. This event in the life of the prophet became hijra in the proper sense of the word.

Meaning of resettlement

But what is Muhammad's hijra for Muslims and why is it so important to believers? The fact is that the resettlement to Medina marked a new stage not only in the private life of the prophet, but also in the history of the formation of the religion proclaimed by him. After all, the entire Muslim community of Mecca, which had previously been weak and oppressed, went to Yathrib with him. Now, after the hijra, the followers of Islam have become strong and numerous. The Islamic community has turned from a company of like-minded people into a social formation and an influential social community. The life of Medina itself has completely changed. If the traditional pagan population was previously based on tribal relations, then from now on they began to be bound by a common faith. Within Islam, people were equal in rights, regardless of nationality, we alth, origin and position in society. In other words, the social structure of the city completely changed, which later made possible the wide expansion of Islam into the world. The total Islamization of many countries and states of the Middle and Near East, Africa, and Asia began precisely with the hijra of Muhammad in Medina. Therefore, this event became a kind of starting point in the history of the religion of the Koran.

Outer and inner hijra

In the early days after moving to MedinaMuhammad, his example was to be followed by all Muslim converts. Then, when Mecca was conquered, this establishment was canceled, but since then the idea of internal migration began to spread. What is the hijra performed within the human spirit? This is such a way of thinking and living when a person avoids everything bad, which, in accordance with the norms of Islam, is considered sinful. Therefore, every time a Muslim avoids temptation and moves from sin to a righteous lifestyle, this is considered to be a hijra.

The advent of the Islamic calendar

After the death of the prophet, when the Muslim community was ruled by Caliph Omar, the issue of developing a calendar adapted to the needs of religion was raised. As a result, in the convened world, a decision was made to approve the lunar calendar. And it was customary to determine the resettlement of Muhammad to Medina as the starting point for the new chronology. From then until now, the Muslim Hijri New Year has been celebrated.

Features of the Muslim calendar

As in the traditional calendar, Islamic includes twelve months, as recorded even in the Koran. Since this system is based on the cycles of the moon, there are thus 354 or 355 days in a year, and not 365, as in the solar calendar. That is, Hijri months can begin at different times, not tied to the time of year. It is important to note that four of the twelve months are called forbidden months and are of particular importance for the life of believers. In conclusion, it should be said thatthe lunar Hijra, that is, the New Year according to the Muslim chronology, is not a holiday in the European sense of the word. Followers of Islam do not mark the beginning of a new cycle. For them, however, this event is an occasion for introspection and a good time to take stock and plan for the future.