حين يتأمل المرء سيرة الإنسان منذ «الهبوط الآدمي» إلى ثرى هذه البسيطة، يقف عند حقيقة لا مراء فيها، مفادها أنّ البشرية ظلت في بحث دائم عن تقويم لحركة الأيام، وحساب ضابط لتعداد السنين والحقب، وهي حركة ظلت قرينة بتطور البشرية، وتشكّل الجماعات والإثنيات، والشعوب، لتتفرق بها السبل في اعتماد تقاويم تخصّها، يستند بعضها إلى الأحداث العظيمة، ويجعلها حجر الزاوية في بداية حسابه، وبعضها صك تقويمه من متغيرات مظاهر الطبيعة
وأيًّا كان الحال فإن العرب قبل الهجرة، لم يتفقوا أو يتواطؤوا على حدث معين، يبدؤون منه حساب سنواتهم، ومرجع يؤرخون به حوادثهم، فلم يكون حرصهم على تعداد السنوات متساوقًا مع حرصهم على تسمية شهور العام نفسها، على اختلاف بائن بين القبائل ولك أن تعجب من ذلك، وتحاول أن تثير الأسئلة حول هذه الغفلة.
ألم تكن كل الأحداث التي شهدها العرب في تاريخهم قمينة بأن يشار إليها بتاريخ منضبط في تعداد السنوات، فلما بقيت هكذا معلقة في حسابات التقدير المستند إلى تقويم أمم أخرى؛ يونانية كانت أو رومانية أو عبرية، دون أن يتحرّك العقل العربي القديم لابتداع تاريخ يخصه!
إن هذه الحيرة تمتد معي إلى ما بعد البعثة المحمدية إذا لم يصحبها استناد تاريخي عربي ضابط لها، فميلاد النّبي، صلّى الله عليه وسلّم، مثلًا يشار إليه بحدث معروف، اصطلح عليه تاريخيًا بعام الفيل ويرجع إليه في التوصيف الحسابي بميلاد المسيح، عليه السلام، فمع تحديد اليوم والشهر بدقة تكاد تتفق عليها المراجع التاريخية (12 ربيع الأول)، إلا أنها تقف عند ذلك فقط، وتتجه في حساب العام إلى التقويم الغريغوري بتحديد اليوم والشهر والسنة: (24 سبتمبر 662م).. وعلى هذا مضت الأيام، وسؤالي حيالها يكبر، ألم تكن ثمة حاجة لتحديد حدث فارق ليمثل نقطة انطلاق لتعداد أعوام العرب والمسلمين؟!
إن الإجابة عن هذا السؤال القلق لا تجد لها مفتاحًا إلا عندما تصل إلى عهد أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطّاب، في حادثة أبرزت – ولأوّل مرة – الحاجة إلى تحديد العام في تدوين الأحداث والتفريق بينها.
فمما يروى أن خطابًا وصل إلى أبي موسى الأشعري، مؤرّخ في شعبان، دون تحديد لعام، فأرسله إلى الخليفة الفاروق مستفسرًا، ومبديًا ملاحظة في غاية الأهمية مفادها أن الرسائل والمكاتيب التي ترد أو تصدر مؤرخة بالأشهر دون ذكر السنوات، من شأنها أن تحدث خلطًا بيّنًا بينها، فجمع الفاروق الصحابة وبحثوا هذا «الإشكال» وتعددت المقترحات في بحثها عن «حدث» يمثل حجر الزاوية لمنطلق التاريخ لديهم، فمن رأى في تاريخ مولد الرسول البداية المثالية، ومن عارضه بيوم وفاته، ومن اقترح الاعتماد على تاريخ الفرس أو الروم على اعتباره الأسبق، وانتهت محصلة النقاش «الشّوري» إلى إقرار تاريخ الهجرة النبوية الشريفة من مكة المكرمة إلى المدينة، مبتدأً للتاريخ، بحجة «عمرية» تجلّت فيها عبقريته، وبعد نظره؛ إذ قال، رضي الله عنه: «الهجرة فرقت بين الحق والباطل، فأرّخوا بها».
وهنا مناط عظمة الاستناد إلى هذا الحدث، وجعله مركزًا لانطلاقة تاريخ محتشد بالأحداث العظام؛
لهذا أرى من الوجوب التوقّف والنظر إلى معنى «الهجرة»، ليس بوصفها حدثًا انقضى وترك أثره، ولكن باعتباره حدثًا مرتحلًا معنا في أحداث اليوم، لنفهم في مرآته الرسالة المضمرة في ثناياه، ومفادها أن «الاعتساف» ومضايقة الفكر والحَجْر عليه من الذيوع والانتشار أمر ليس جديدًا بأي حال من الأحوال. فالهجرة اقتضتها ظروف حجر لصوت الحق، وتعذيب طال المعتنقين بغير جريرة، وخوف من«الجديد»، وتأمين بائس لقديم موروث دون حجة «هذا ما وجدنا عليه آباءنا»، فلم يكن ثمة نجاة للفكرة إلا بهجرة النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم، ومن آمن بها باكرًا، فاتخذ الصوت مركبًا، وصنعت الفكرة «جناحًا» واقترحت النفوس العظام الهجرة الميكانيكة ملاذًا وحلًا من ضوائق الحَجْر والاعتساف، فكان مكسب «الهجرة» أضعاف أضعاف خيبة «الحجر والاعتساف».
فهل في ذلك معنى يقرأ لمن بَصُر بالحكمة مقروءة في سطور التاريخ وحكمة الأيام مفادها أن لا «حَجْر» يفيد معتسفًا، كما أن الحرية غير المنضبطة لا تعين الفكرة على استيفاء شروط القبول في ثنايا الإقبال.
بهذا المعنى أرى أن لـ«الهجرة» اليوم في حاضرنا معنى آخر يأخذ طريقه إلى عميق ذات الإنسان نفسه، بحثًا عن جوهره الذي ضيّعه في متاهات ماديات الحياة، هجرة تتخذ التأمل مطية، والمحاسبة الذاتية حاديًا، والتمحيص في الأمور معراجًا للوصول، فكم من هجرة يحتاجها المرء الآن ليعبر تخوم الواقع المعيش، وسديم العالم الفوار، وصولًا إلى ترتيب فوضى العالم اليوم، دون الوقوع في مسالخ المنع الطاغوتي، ومزالق التحرر العبثي.. معادلة يحتاج ميزانها إلى حكمة نبي، وصبر عابد، وبصيرة عالم..
إن على من يحملون هموم «الدعوة» اليوم أن يدركوا جيدًا، أن «الهجرة» الميكانيكية غير ذات نفع في عالم أصبح رقعة في يد كل واحد، فعليهم أن يطوّروا من مفهومها، ويدركوا معانيها، ويُكْسبوا «الهجرة» معنى جديدًا يتسق مع واقع اليوم بكل ما يتيحه من وسائط القرب، وإمكانية الوصول والعبور بلا حاجة إلى انتقال، أو اضطرار لارتحال، فقط «هجرة» قادرة على الإقناع بمحتويات صادقة في مواعين الفضاء المفتوح.
كما أرى ضرورة استحداث أيقونة «ق. هـ»، ترقيمًا وتقويمًا زمنيًا منضبطًا وموثقًا للأحداث التاريخية المهمة التي وقعت قبل الهجرة النبوية، أسوة بالتاريخ الميلادي الذي اصطلح «ق. م» دالة على ما حدث قبل ميلاد المسيح، عليه السلام.
وكل عام وأنتم بخير.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
When one contemplates the history of humanity since the "human descent" to the soil of this earth, they encounter an undeniable truth: humanity has remained in a constant search for a means to regulate the passage of days, and a system to count years and eras. This movement has been closely linked to the evolution of humanity, the formation of communities and ethnicities, and nations, leading to the divergence of paths in adopting calendars specific to them. Some of these calendars are based on significant events, making them the cornerstone of their calculations, while others derive their calendars from the changing phenomena of nature.
Regardless of the circumstances, the Arabs before the migration did not agree or conspire on a specific event from which to start counting their years, nor did they have a reference to chronicle their incidents. Their concern for counting years did not align with their attention to naming the months of the year itself, with a clear difference among tribes. You may find this intriguing and might want to raise questions about this oversight.
Weren't all the events that the Arabs witnessed in their history worthy of being referred to with a regulated timeline for counting years? Why did they remain suspended in the calculations based on the calendars of other nations, whether Greek, Roman, or Hebrew, without the ancient Arab mind moving to create a history of its own?
This confusion extends with me beyond the prophetic mission if it is not accompanied by a historical Arab reference to regulate it. For instance, the birth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is referred to by a well-known event, historically agreed upon as the Year of the Elephant, and it is referenced in the chronological description with the birth of Christ, peace be upon him. While the day and month are accurately specified and nearly agreed upon by historical references (12 Rabi' al-Awwal), it stops there and shifts in the calculation of the year to the Gregorian calendar by specifying the day, month, and year: (September 24, 662 AD). Days continued in this manner, and my question regarding this grows: Was there not a need to define a significant event to represent a starting point for counting the years of the Arabs and Muslims?!
The answer to this troubling question can only be found when we reach the era of the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab, in an incident that highlighted—for the first time—the need to specify the year in documenting events and distinguishing between them.
It is narrated that a letter reached Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, dated in Sha'ban, without specifying the year. He sent it to the caliph al-Faruq, inquiring and expressing a very important observation: that letters and documents that arrive or are issued dated by months without mentioning the years could lead to clear confusion between them. So, al-Faruq gathered the companions, and they discussed this "issue," with various proposals searching for an "event" that would represent the cornerstone of their history. Some saw the birth of the Prophet as the ideal beginning, others opposed it with the day of his death, and some suggested relying on the dates of the Persians or Romans, considering them earlier. The outcome of the "consultative" discussion concluded with the approval of the date of the noble migration from Mecca to Medina as the starting point for history, based on an "Umarian" argument that showcased his genius and foresight, as he said, may Allah be pleased with him: "The migration distinguished between truth and falsehood, so date events by it."
Here lies the greatness of relying on this event and making it the center for a history filled with significant events;
Thus, I see it essential to pause and reflect on the meaning of "migration," not merely as a past event that left its mark, but as an event that travels with us in the events of today, allowing us to understand in its reflection the implicit message within it, which is that "oppression" and the stifling of thought and its restriction from dissemination and spread is not a new phenomenon in any way. The migration was necessitated by circumstances that stifled the voice of truth, the torture that afflicted the believers without any guilt, and the fear of the "new," along with a miserable security for the inherited old without the justification of "this is what we found our forefathers upon." There was no escape for the idea except through the migration of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and those who believed in it early on, taking the voice as a vessel, and the idea crafted a "wing," suggesting that great souls consider migration as a refuge and a solution from the constraints of oppression and injustice. Thus, the gain from the "migration" was many times greater than the disappointment of "oppression and injustice."
Is there a meaning to be read for those who perceive wisdom reflected in the lines of history and the wisdom of days, indicating that no "oppression" benefits the oppressor, just as uncontrolled freedom does not aid the idea in fulfilling the conditions for acceptance amidst the influx?
In this sense, I see that "migration" today has another meaning that reaches deep into the essence of the human self, searching for its core that it has lost in the maze of life's materialities—a migration that takes contemplation as a mount, self-accountability as a guide, and scrutiny of matters as a ladder to reach. How many migrations does one need now to cross the borders of lived reality and the swirling chaos of the world, reaching to organize the disorder of today's world, without falling into the slaughterhouses of tyrannical prohibition and the pitfalls of absurd liberation? This equation requires a balance that needs the wisdom of a prophet, the patience of a worshiper, and the insight of a scholar...
Those who carry the burdens of "calling" today must understand well that mechanical "migration" is of no benefit in a world that has become a patch in the hands of everyone. They must develop its concept, understand its meanings, and give "migration" a new meaning that aligns with today's reality, with all that it offers in terms of proximity, accessibility, and crossing without the need for transition or compulsion to migrate—only a "migration" capable of convincing with sincere contents in the vessels of open space.
I also see the necessity of establishing an icon for "B.C.E.," a regulated and documented chronological numbering for significant historical events that occurred before the prophetic migration, similar to the Gregorian calendar that uses "B.C." to denote what happened before the birth of Christ, peace be upon him.
And every year, may you be well.
Regardless of the circumstances, the Arabs before the migration did not agree or conspire on a specific event from which to start counting their years, nor did they have a reference to chronicle their incidents. Their concern for counting years did not align with their attention to naming the months of the year itself, with a clear difference among tribes. You may find this intriguing and might want to raise questions about this oversight.
Weren't all the events that the Arabs witnessed in their history worthy of being referred to with a regulated timeline for counting years? Why did they remain suspended in the calculations based on the calendars of other nations, whether Greek, Roman, or Hebrew, without the ancient Arab mind moving to create a history of its own?
This confusion extends with me beyond the prophetic mission if it is not accompanied by a historical Arab reference to regulate it. For instance, the birth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is referred to by a well-known event, historically agreed upon as the Year of the Elephant, and it is referenced in the chronological description with the birth of Christ, peace be upon him. While the day and month are accurately specified and nearly agreed upon by historical references (12 Rabi' al-Awwal), it stops there and shifts in the calculation of the year to the Gregorian calendar by specifying the day, month, and year: (September 24, 662 AD). Days continued in this manner, and my question regarding this grows: Was there not a need to define a significant event to represent a starting point for counting the years of the Arabs and Muslims?!
The answer to this troubling question can only be found when we reach the era of the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab, in an incident that highlighted—for the first time—the need to specify the year in documenting events and distinguishing between them.
It is narrated that a letter reached Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, dated in Sha'ban, without specifying the year. He sent it to the caliph al-Faruq, inquiring and expressing a very important observation: that letters and documents that arrive or are issued dated by months without mentioning the years could lead to clear confusion between them. So, al-Faruq gathered the companions, and they discussed this "issue," with various proposals searching for an "event" that would represent the cornerstone of their history. Some saw the birth of the Prophet as the ideal beginning, others opposed it with the day of his death, and some suggested relying on the dates of the Persians or Romans, considering them earlier. The outcome of the "consultative" discussion concluded with the approval of the date of the noble migration from Mecca to Medina as the starting point for history, based on an "Umarian" argument that showcased his genius and foresight, as he said, may Allah be pleased with him: "The migration distinguished between truth and falsehood, so date events by it."
Here lies the greatness of relying on this event and making it the center for a history filled with significant events;
Thus, I see it essential to pause and reflect on the meaning of "migration," not merely as a past event that left its mark, but as an event that travels with us in the events of today, allowing us to understand in its reflection the implicit message within it, which is that "oppression" and the stifling of thought and its restriction from dissemination and spread is not a new phenomenon in any way. The migration was necessitated by circumstances that stifled the voice of truth, the torture that afflicted the believers without any guilt, and the fear of the "new," along with a miserable security for the inherited old without the justification of "this is what we found our forefathers upon." There was no escape for the idea except through the migration of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and those who believed in it early on, taking the voice as a vessel, and the idea crafted a "wing," suggesting that great souls consider migration as a refuge and a solution from the constraints of oppression and injustice. Thus, the gain from the "migration" was many times greater than the disappointment of "oppression and injustice."
Is there a meaning to be read for those who perceive wisdom reflected in the lines of history and the wisdom of days, indicating that no "oppression" benefits the oppressor, just as uncontrolled freedom does not aid the idea in fulfilling the conditions for acceptance amidst the influx?
In this sense, I see that "migration" today has another meaning that reaches deep into the essence of the human self, searching for its core that it has lost in the maze of life's materialities—a migration that takes contemplation as a mount, self-accountability as a guide, and scrutiny of matters as a ladder to reach. How many migrations does one need now to cross the borders of lived reality and the swirling chaos of the world, reaching to organize the disorder of today's world, without falling into the slaughterhouses of tyrannical prohibition and the pitfalls of absurd liberation? This equation requires a balance that needs the wisdom of a prophet, the patience of a worshiper, and the insight of a scholar...
Those who carry the burdens of "calling" today must understand well that mechanical "migration" is of no benefit in a world that has become a patch in the hands of everyone. They must develop its concept, understand its meanings, and give "migration" a new meaning that aligns with today's reality, with all that it offers in terms of proximity, accessibility, and crossing without the need for transition or compulsion to migrate—only a "migration" capable of convincing with sincere contents in the vessels of open space.
I also see the necessity of establishing an icon for "B.C.E.," a regulated and documented chronological numbering for significant historical events that occurred before the prophetic migration, similar to the Gregorian calendar that uses "B.C." to denote what happened before the birth of Christ, peace be upon him.
And every year, may you be well.


