In the West, this era is most commonly denoted as AH (Latin: Anno Hegirae /ˈænoʊ ˈhɛdʒɪriː/, "in the year of the Hijra") in parallel with the Christian (AD) and Jewish eras (AM) and can similarly be placed before or after the date. In Muslim countries, it is also commonly abbreviated H ("Hijra") from its Arabic abbreviation hāʾ (هـ). Years prior to AH 1 are reckoned in English as BH ("Before the Hijra"), which should follow the date.[1]