Hijra – the Muslim New Year
Hijra means 'withdrawal', and refers Muhammed and his followers leaving Mecca in 622 to go to the city of Yathrib, 320km to the north. In Mecca, Muhammed had been persecuted and harassed for preaching that there was only one God, Allah. In Yathrib – which was renamed Madinat un-Nabi (City of the Prophet), or Medina in English – the Muslim community (Umma) was first established. Seventeen years later, 622, the year in which the Hijra occurred, was designated the first year of the Islamic calendar.
There are no special rituals associated with the Muslim New Year but Muslims think about their own personal Hijra – and how they can live better lives.
Happy New Year!
