March 16th, 2002 will mark a New year in the Hijri Islamic calendar, which commences the year 1423 A.H. The Islamic calendar dates back to the migration of the Prophet Muhammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 CE, and is known as the hijra. The hijra marks a turning point in the history of Islam. The importance of this event is reflected in its adoption as the beginning of the Islamic calendar, rather than the birth of the Prophet Muhammed or the first divine revelation in 610 CE.
Prior
to the hijra, the Muslims in Mecca were a small group of
people, opposed and often persecuted by the dominant powers
in the city who rejected Muslim belief in one God. An
earlier migration to Christian Abyssinia had provided
temporary refuge for a few Muslims. But finally in 622 CE,
Muhammed and about two hundred followers migrated to nearby
Yathrib, which later became known as Medinat an-Nabi, or the
"City of the Prophet", or simply Medina. It
was in Medina that the first Islamic community and state was
established. Muhammed laid out the rights and duties of all
citizens of Medina in a charter, which became known as the
"Constitution of Medina". This charter addressed
Muslims as well as non-Muslims, and delineated the
relationship between Muslims and other communities.
Muhammad also devised a unique way to settle the new
arrivals by matching as "brothers and sisters" the
emigrants or Muhajirun, and the citizens of Media, referred
to as the helpers, or the Ansar. With hijra, Islam was
transformed from a mere religious ideology to a system that
shapes every aspect of individual and communal life.