Medina, formerly Yathrib, was the oasis town to which Muhammad and his followers migrated in 622. Its inhabitants, known as the Ansar, invited Muhammad to settle there, while the Meccan emigrants became the Muhajirun. Medina became the seat from which Muhammad governed and consolidated the Muslim community, resisted Meccan attacks, and expanded political authority across Arabia. The migration to Medina, known as the Hijra, marked the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
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The Story
Medina was formerly known as Yathrib, an oasis town in Arabia that became the destination of Muhammad’s migration in 622. Its inhabitants invited the persecuted Prophet and his followers to settle among them. After the migration, the local supporters were known as the Ansar, or Helpers, while the Meccan emigrants were called the Muhajirun, or Emigrants.
The settlement at Medina transformed the character of the early Muslim movement. Muhammad no longer acted only as a preacher in opposition to Mecca’s merchant oligarchy; he strengthened and governed an organized community known in Arabic as the umma. From Medina, he resisted attacks by his Meccan enemies and used diplomacy and war to gain authority over a wide confederacy of Arab tribes.
The migration from Mecca to Medina was called the Hijra. The excerpt explains the term as severing earlier tribal ties and entering new ones, rather than simply fleeing from danger. Because the migration occurred in 622, it became the first year of the Muslim calendar and established Medina as the political center of the emerging Muslim community.
Medina, formerly Yathrib, was the oasis town to which Muhammad and his followers migrated in 622. Its inhabitants, known as the Ansar, invited Muhammad to settle there, while the Meccan emigrants became the Muhajirun. Medina became the seat from which Muhammad governed and consolidated the Muslim community, resisted Meccan attacks, and expanded political authority across Arabia. The migration to Medina, known as the Hijra, marked the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
Continue exploring
The Story
Medina was formerly known as Yathrib, an oasis town in Arabia that became the destination of Muhammad’s migration in 622. Its inhabitants invited the persecuted Prophet and his followers to settle among them. After the migration, the local supporters were known as the Ansar, or Helpers, while the Meccan emigrants were called the Muhajirun, or Emigrants.
The settlement at Medina transformed the character of the early Muslim movement. Muhammad no longer acted only as a preacher in opposition to Mecca’s merchant oligarchy; he strengthened and governed an organized community known in Arabic as the umma. From Medina, he resisted attacks by his Meccan enemies and used diplomacy and war to gain authority over a wide confederacy of Arab tribes.
The migration from Mecca to Medina was called the Hijra. The excerpt explains the term as severing earlier tribal ties and entering new ones, rather than simply fleeing from danger. Because the migration occurred in 622, it became the first year of the Muslim calendar and established Medina as the political center of the emerging Muslim community.
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