Islamic Calendar Epoch Begins
In the early seventh century, Arabia faced intense tribal conflicts and religious persecution against Muhammad's growing Muslim community in Mecca. Facing threats from the Quraysh tribe, Muhammad and his followers undertook the Hijra migration to Medina earlier in 622. Medieval Muslim astronomers later established the Islamic calendar's epoch by projecting their tabular lunar system backward, fixing the start of year 1 AH on the first day of Muharram. This corresponded to July 16 in the Julian calendar, marking the formal beginning of the Hijri era rather than the migration date itself. The choice provided a stable, consensus-based starting point for dating events in the emerging Islamic community. The calendar quickly became central to Islamic religious, legal, and administrative life across...