Al Hijra is upon us. Today is the first day of the first month, Muharram, of the Islamic year 1435. The Islamic year began the day Prophet Muhammad and his followers set off from Mecca to Medina, which occurred 622 A.D. according to the Christian calendar.
Though Mecca is now the city to which the Islamic pilgrimage of hajj occurs, in the beginning of Islam Muslims in Mecca were persecuted. Prophet Muhammad was known as a great peace maker. In return for moderating the tribal rivalries of the city, the leaders offered Muhammad and his followers sanctuary and the entire city converted to Islam. Before the pilgrimage Medina was known as Yathrib, but was renamed Medina (city in Arabic) of the Prophet.
You might have noticed that 1435+622 equals 2057 not 2013. This is because the Islamic year follows the lunar calendar which causes dates of holidays to vary up to ten days.
Hajra is not as celebrated as Eid al Fitr or Eid al Adha, though it is a national holiday. My host family's celebration involved a desert picnic in the middle of nowhere, and a visit to the village Nahal.
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