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Short answer
The Hijra was the move of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. The Hijri calendar is counted from it.
Detailed answer
The Hijra was the move of the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims with him from Mecca to Medina. It took place in 622 CE, and the Hijri calendar is counted from it. The entry on the Hijra presents this. It is a pivotal event in the biography. After it, the Muslim community became a society in Medina with its own organisation, as the entry on Medina presents. The details of the journey and its telling are presented in their historical context. For the account of the departure, see the departure of the Hijra.
Not covered here
The details and the disagreements are added in their related entries.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Tanzil Project, Qur'an text v1.1
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “What is the Hijra, and why does the Islamic calendar begin with it?”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/questions/what-is-hijra/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.