In AD 622, on news that the Quraysh were plotting his murder, Muhammad himself joined the other Muslims in what was to become Medina, or “the City,” short for “City of the Prophet.” The move, known as the Hijra, or “migration,” was so pivotal as to mark the start of the Muslim calendar. In Medina, Muhammad and his Companions were to build Islam’s first mosque: a courtyard with a roof of palm fronds supported by trunks, surrounded by huts for Muhammad’s family. It was there that his role as a spiritual leader expanded to include a political role as well.
