LAST OF THE PROPHETS 31
who flocked to die sacred city from all parts of Arabia. In this way his followers began to form small groups in different parts of the country.
The strongest of these groups appears to have been in the city of Medina. Since the persecution of Mohammed and his followers had become very bitter in Mecca, their home city, some people of Medina invited the Prophet and his converts to come and make their home in more friendly surroundings. The people of Mecca, the guardians of the sacred Kaaba, were specially aroused against Mohammed because he was the bitter enemy of idolatry. In this he was attacking their special privilege, by which they thrived and made a living from the pilgrims. Thus it will be seen that, while the objections of the people of Mecca were ostensibly religious, they were actually economic. They were far more afraid of losing their income from the pilgrim trade than they were of going to Mohammed's fiery hell because they would not throw away their idols and submit to belief in one God.
The Moslem era officially begins with the year A.D. 622, when with a little band of persecuted followers Mohammed fled from Mecca to Medina. This event, known as the Hegira (the Flight), is of great importance in Moslem history and in fact in world history, for it marks the beginning of Mohammed's rise to power and the turning point in his mission. Before this in Mecca he had been only a preacher. In Medina he was to become a king, ruling over his people, and dreaming dreams of world conquest.
