A New Hijri Year is Upon Us – The Door of Hijra Awaits Us

July 7, 2024 | Muharram 1st, 1446

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Specially Merciful.

We begin this new Hijri year in some of the most difficult circumstances for our ummah. We continue to witness the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the injustice imposed on our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Sudan and beyond. We mark this new year with pain in our hearts, but always with hope in Allah’s favour and promise.

While many of us believe the Hijra is a historic event that has come and gone, the Prophet (pbuh) teaches us otherwise:

عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا تَنْقَطِعُ الْهِجْرَةُ حَتَّى تَنْقَطِعَ التَّوْبَةُ وَلَا تَنْقَطِعُ التَّوْبَةُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا

On the authority of Mu’awiya (RA) that the Prophet (pbuh) said: Seeking Hijra does not end, as long as seeking repentance does not end, and seeking repentance does not end until the sun rises from the West.

Ibn Al Qayyim explains that there are two types of Hijra, the physical one, and the spiritual one, and it iss the spiritual hijra that is incumbent upon every Muslim. The spiritual hijra is about migrating, not from one physical place to another, but from one spiritual state to another. It is about migrating with one’s heart towards Allah and his Messenger (pbuh). It’s about leaving the love of this dunya, and going towards the love of Allah. It’s about leaving the worship of dunya, and going towards the worship of Allah alone. It is about leaving the fear of anyone other than Allah, and going towards the fear of Allah alone. It is about leaving reliance on anyone other than Allah, and going towards relying on Allah alone. 

We have all witnessed in the last 9 months the people of Gaza undergoing this exact hijra. While their physical displacement only spanned a few square kilometers, the spiritual journey they have undergone towards Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) is unmeasurable.  

As the Prophet (pbuh) taught us, the door of hijra is indeed open and awaits us. Let us mark the most important event in our Islamic history, the hijra, by committing ourselves to the spiritual hijra Allah expects from us. Let us commit to follow in the footsteps of our brothers and sisters in Palestine and be people whose hearts are oriented towards Allah’s love, mercy, hope and tawakul alone, thereby gaining the status of the muhajereen, inshaAllah.

Your brother,
Abdullatif Bakbak
President – Executive
Muslim Association of Canada