On September 24, 622, the Prophet Muhammad completed his “hijra” - his journey and move from Mecca to Medina. Later, this event was taken as the starting point in the Muslim calendar and from this date the history of Islam begins.
Since then, the saying was born that no one is a prophet in his homeland.
At that time, Mecca was a place where many religions and cultures met, an important center on the route of trade caravans. Among the numerous preachers in the city who expressed ideas for unifying the Arab tribes at a political level, was Muhammad – heir to an old but impoverished lineage.
Between 610 and 622, Muhammad began to preach in Mecca his doctrine, according to which Allah is omnipotent and has given each nation a Holy Scripture and a Prophet, and for the Arabs, the Prophet is precisely him - Muhammad. For many years, Mecca, which has seen everything, indifferently accepted the self-proclaimed messiah. But when Muhammad sharply criticized the inhabitants of the trading city, calling them wicked people who should burn in Hell, their patience ran out. Among other things, the Prophet began to gain supporters and became dangerous for the local authorities.
Muhammad was forced to leave Mecca. Fleeing from possible persecution, he moved - he made a hijra - in Medina (then still Yathrib or Yathrib), one of the great agricultural oases in Arabia, where he arrived on September 24, 622. He was accompanied by a hundred faithful followers - the Muhajirs, who helped him in his mission to unite the scattered Arab tribes around him and establish control over Medina. Over the next few years, the number of Muslims increased sharply. Mecca was constantly under their attack, and in 630 Muhammad returned triumphantly to the city, which he had been forced to leave earlier.