New Hijri year begins, tomorrow is 1st Muharram

(Patria) - With the evening prayer today, the new Hijri year has begun, and tomorrow, 16 June 2026, is 01 Muharram 1448 AH.

The Hijra is one of the most important events in the history of Islam and marks the migration of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina. It took place in 622 AD. The Hijra is mentioned in over thirty places in the Qur'an, as well as in a large number of hadiths of God's Messenger, peace be upon him.

The Hijra, the migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina, is not just one in a series of important historical events. The Hijra is a symbol of the maturity and self-awareness of Muslims. Through the Hijra, Muslims gain knowledge of the importance of sincere intention, awareness of the necessity of constant forward movement in the name of God, and a reminder of the inevitability of investing effort in order to preserve and attain the good of this world and the next. The Hijra is an organized rebellion against oppression and a reminder that it is not enough to fight against injustice and disenfranchisement only through piety.

After the Hijra, the migration of Muhammad, peace be upon him, from Mecca to Medina, a strong spiritual community of Muslims was formed, unburdened by the usual prejudices of race, blood, and skin color. Medina guaranteed Muslims a kind of favorable psychological and social atmosphere that enabled them to overcome the previously prevailing tribal and clan consciousness and to build a community founded on the principles of tawhid.

The Hijra demonstrated the ability of the first Muslims to adapt to new challenges of life, to learn to remain faithful to the meaning of Islamic teachings despite changes in place, culture, and memory. Medina meant new customs, new types of social relations, a completely different role for women (who were far more socially present than in Mecca), more complex inter-tribal relations, as well as the influential presence of the Jewish and Christian communities, which was something new for Muslims.

Due to the exceptional importance of this event, during the time of Caliph Umar, may God be pleased with him, the Hijra was taken as the beginning of the calculation of the Muslim calendar, which is essentially lunar and its year is 10 days shorter than the solar calendar. The Islamic calendar has twelve months with 29 or 30 days.