The correct answer is 622 CE. The migration from Makkah to Madina, known as the Hijrat (Hijrah), took place in the year 622 of the Common Era. This event is not merely a date on a calendar; it is the... Read More
The correct answer is 622 CE. The migration from Makkah to Madina, known as the Hijrat (Hijrah), took place in the year 622 of the Common Era. This event is not merely a date on a calendar; it is the definitive "Year Zero" for the Islamic civilization. While the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began receiving revelations in 610 CE, the thirteen years spent in Makkah were defined by extreme hardship and limited social growth. The transition in 622 CE signaled the birth of a formal community, a legal system, and a sovereign state.
By the early 620s, the atmosphere in Makkah had become untenable for the early Muslims. The Quraish tribe had intensified their boycott and physical persecution. However, the year 622 CE offered a unique strategic opportunity. During the pilgrimage seasons of the preceding years (620 and 621 CE), groups from the city of Yathrib (later renamed Madina) had met with the Prophet (PBUH) at a place called Aqaba.
These individuals recognized his leadership and invited him to their city to act as an arbitrator between their feuding tribes, the Aus and the Khazraj. These negotiations, known as the Pledges of Aqaba, laid the groundwork for the mass migration that occurred throughout 622 CE.
The specific journey of the Prophet (PBUH) and his close companion, Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A), took place in late September 622 CE. To evade the Quraish assassins who had surrounded his home, the Prophet (PBUH) departed under the cover of night. This led to the famous three-day stay in the Cave of Thawr.
History records that while the pursuers were literally standing outside the cave's entrance, the migrants remained hidden by divine protection. After leaving the cave, they traveled through the desert for several days, finally arriving on the outskirts of Madina in a place called Quba. It was here that the first mosque, Masjid Quba, was established, marking the official entry of the Islamic leadership into the new territory.
The year 622 CE is significant because it was chosen by the second Caliph, Hazrat Umar (R.A), as the starting point for the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. Unlike the Gregorian calendar which is solar, or other systems based on the birth or death of a leader, the Islamic calendar begins with the Hijrah because it represents the shift from weakness to strength.
In the wider world of 622 CE, the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires were exhausted from decades of constant warfare. This power vacuum allowed the new community established in Madina to grow rapidly. Within just a few years of 622 CE, the small group of migrants transformed into a disciplined society that would eventually influence three continents.
By starting with this year, historians can track the rapid development of Islamic jurisprudence, the establishment of the "Covenant of Madina" (one of the world's first written constitutions), and the shift in focus from individual spirituality to the governance of a diverse population. The Hijrat of 622 CE remains the most studied migration in human history for its profound social and political consequences.
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