Hegira

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hegira

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

heh-JY-ruh  /hɪˈdʒaɪrə/

Definition

The migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which marks the starting point of the Islamic calendar; by extension, any notable flight or migration from a dangerous or hostile environment.

Plain meaning

The Hegira is the historic migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE — the foundational event of the Islamic calendar, from which all dates in the Islamic world are reckoned. By extension, a hegira is any significant flight or migration from danger.

Register

Literary to academic. Hegira is not an everyday word — it appears in historical, religious, and literary contexts. The Islamic calendar sense is the primary technical use. The extended sense of any notable flight is more literary and infrequent.