Image Credit : Isabelle Henriques
‘Awal Muharram’ means the start of the month of Muharram, the first month in the Arabic-Islamic calendar. It is also known as ‘Maal Hijrah’, which means ‘the Migration’ of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) from Makkah to Madinah during that year, which equates to 622AD – an event so critical and positive in the history of Islam until even its New Year began with that. Here are a few things to know about the history of Awal Muharram & Maal Hijrah:
Awal Muharram marks the first day of both Muharram month and the Muslim New Year, and is equally known as Maal Hijrah. The word ‘hijrah’ is from Arabic meaning to ‘move’ or ’emigrate’, which relates to the migration of Prophet Mohammed and Muslims from Makkah (Mecca) to Medina in 622AD, to remove themselves from persecution of the then still pagan Makkans. The Prophet chose to move to a town known at that time as Yathrib, 320km north of Makkah. Yathrib already had a number of Muslim converts, who welcomed the Prophet to move there. It was such a happy and game-changing event that eventually saw Yathrib’s name proudly change to Madinah (Medina), meaning ‘the city of the Nabi/Prophet’, and is today the second holy city of Islam and a prosperous centre of education and commerce in modern Saudi Arabia.
Freedom and Brotherhood in Madinah
The Hijrah or Migration brought freedom from suffering for the Muslims of Makkah and allowed Islam to grow exponentially. After the Hijrah, the Prophet declared in the Constitution of Madinah (or Charter of Madinah) that Muslims are a universal brotherhood with a shared identity in faith and practice.
In Madinah, the Prophet structured a city-state administration where the increasing number of Muslims lived in harmony with local Jews, pagans and others. Thus, for the first time in world history, a formal multi-racial and multi-religious state emerged with laws by which all residents had equitable rights and citizenship.
The strength and stability of the Muslim community depended on them having strong religious-ethical, socioeconomic and educational foundations and so the Prophet moved to build all these aspects, guided by the Quranic revelations that he received from God (Allah s.w.t) all throughout. With that, eventually the Muslims and Islam won back Makkah with its historic and important Ka’abah, which today is inside the Grand Mosque. However, even after the ‘conquest’ of Makkah his city of birth, the Prophet chose to return to and honour Madinah and its people who had welcomed him in Maal Hijrah, and the beloved Prophet passed away in Madinah in 632AD.