English Hegira
(Arabic; " Migration ")
Journey of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 to escape persecution and found a community of believers.
The date represents the beginning of Islam . The second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, began the practice of using the event as the starting point for the Muslim calendar; years are now denoted by the initials AH (Latin Anno Hegirae, "in the year of the Hegira"). The disciples who traveled with Muhammad to Medina were called the Companions of the Prophet .