The new Hijri year of the Islamic Calendar has just started, announcing beginning of a new chapter in the book of life. This annual anniversary is being commemorated with reference to the event of Hijrah, migration. Such an event is associated to the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from the city of Mecca to Madinah. This was a very significant historical occasion in the early days of Islam.
In fact, this occasion marked a turning point in the Islamic history as it led to the foundation of the first Muslim state at that time. Likewise, it was the reason behind having the Islamic Calendar. The first of Muharram stands as the first day in the calendar, representing the time when the Prophet’s migration took place. Further, the calendar brings other important dates for Muslims worldwide, including the Month of Ramadhan, Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha, Prophet’s Birthday and Prophet’s Ascension Day.
Out of religious perspective, every month in this calendar is marked not by the start of a new moon, but by a physical sighting of the curved moon at a given setting. To Muslims, the Islamic Calendar is not just an old system of time calculation and dating important religious occasions such as fasting during Ramadhan and Haj, pilgrimage. Rather, it brings a much deeper religious and historical significance to all Muslims.
As we bid a farewell to one year, a new one has just started to remind us of the glorious memories of the significant day in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) migrated to Madinah. The sacred migration mirrored an honourable challenge for human excellence and presented several lessons of patience, control, knowledge and wisdom. It stands as an inspiration for the future generations to take advantage of, so they will be able to clear up all the difficulties and overcome the hardships they come across.
The Almighty Allah has sent the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with guidance to renew the call for Islam; the religion of all the other Prophets and Messengers who came before him. All of them in succession conveyed the religion, which Allah accepts to their respective audiences until the religion was fully completed by revealing the Holy Quran to the last of the Prophets, Muhammad (PBUH).
As the verse confirms: "Say you we believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes of Al Asbat, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we submit to Allah in Islam.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as a Messenger of Allah, was ordered to ask people convert to Islam and spread its rules among all people in Mecca. At the beginning of his call, only a few people believed in him and the majority rejected his call and denied his prophethood. They used to worship idols, bury their newly born daughters alive and commit many acts of evilness and dishonesty. Such inhumane acts were against Islam, morals and humanity.
Thereafter, the Prophet advised his companions to migrate to another city called Habasha where there was a just Christian king who welcomed Muslims, believed in them and protected them too. When the number of believers increased in Madinah, Allah revealed to the Prophet to migrate and move to Madinah. Hence, all Muslims started migrating one after another in compliance to the order of Allah and in obedience to the order of the Prophet to leave their hometown.
The Prophet's migration to Madinah marked a new era for he could unite all believers as if they all had a heart of a single man. It was a dawn that enticed millions of people from every corner of the universe. Since then started the new state of Islam.
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