The name was used in Christian literature and Byzantine chronicles for "Hanif" Arabs, and later for Islamic forces as a synonym of the term Saracens. The Syriac term "Hagraye" can be roughly translated as "the followers or descendants of Hagar",[1] while the other frequent name, "Mhaggraye", is thought to have connections with the Arabic "Muhajir",[2] other scholars assume that the terms may not be of Christian origin.[2] Patricia Crone and Michael Cook claim in their book Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World was introduced by the Muslims themselves who described their military advance into the Levant and Jerusalem in particular as a Hijra.[3]