The virtue of the Ansar

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw women and children of the Ansar coming from a wedding celebration, and said: "O Allah, you are among the most beloved of people to me."

Sayyiduna Qays bin Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, have mercy on the Ansar, and on the children of the Ansar, and on the children of the children of the Ansar."

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the people were to travel through one valley and mountain pass, and you, O Ansar, were to travel through another valley and mountain pass, I would certainly travel through your valley and mountain pass. To me you are like the inner garment and the other people like the outer garment, and were it not that the emigration was an important matter, I would have been a man of the Ansar." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised both his hands, until I saw the whiteness of his armpits below his shoulders. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated: "O Allah, forgive the Ansar, forgive their children, and forgive the children of their children."

Sayyiduna al-Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None loves the Ansar except a believer, and none hates them except a hypocrite. Whoever loves them, Allah loves him, and whoever hates them, Allah hates him."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the people were to travel through one valley or mountain pass, and the Ansar through another valley or mountain pass, I would certainly travel through the valley or mountain pass of the Ansar. And were it not that the emigration was an important matter, I too would have been a man of the Ansar."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever loves the Ansar, Allah will love him, and whoever hates the Ansar, Allah will hate him."

Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Ziyad (may Allah be pleased with him), a Companion who took part in Badr, said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever loves the Ansar, Allah Almighty will love him until he meets Allah, and whoever hates the Ansar, Allah will hate him until he meets Allah."

Al-Hakam bin Mina (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Yazid bin Jariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was sitting with a group of the Ansar when Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by us, and he asked the people about their conversation. The people said: "We were talking about the Ansar." At this Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shall I not also narrate to you a hadith that I myself heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" The people said: "Certainly, O Commander of the Believers, please do!" He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'Whoever loves the Ansar, Allah will love him, and whoever hates the Ansar, Allah will hate him.'"

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Listen: my closest people, to whom I have taken refuge, are the people of my household, and my confidants are the Ansar. So overlook their faults and appreciate their good deeds."

Sayyiduna al-Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Appreciate their good deeds and overlook their faults," meaning the people of the Ansar.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This tribe of the Ansar is indeed a test. Loving them is a sign of faith and hating them is a sign of hypocrisy."

Sayyiduna Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Were it not that the emigration was an important matter, I too would have been a man of the Ansar, and if the people were to travel through one valley or mountain pass, I would travel with the Ansar."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "To me the people are like the outer garment, and the Ansar are to me like the inner garment. The Ansar are my special confidants. Were it not that the emigration was an important matter, I too would have been a man of the Ansar."

Thabit (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu Bakr bin Anas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) offering him condolences for his children and family who were martyred on the Day of al-Harrah. He (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote in his letter: I give you glad tidings from Allah which I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, forgive the Ansar, the children of the Ansar, the children of the children of the Ansar, the women of the Ansar, the women of the children of the Ansar, and also the women of the children of the children of the Ansar."

Asim bin Umar said that whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the Ansar, he would say that they were filled with chastity and patience.

Asim bin Umar bin Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: On the day of the Battle of Uhud, the eye of Sayyiduna Qatadah bin al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) fell out onto his cheek. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put it back in its place, and his (may Allah be pleased with him) eye became more beautiful and sharper than before.

Muhammad bin Ishaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put back in its place the arm of Sayyiduna Khubayb bin Yasaf (may Allah be pleased with him), which had been cut between the neck and the shoulder on the day of the Battle of Badr. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put it back, and the place then looked as if there were only a faint mark.

Asim bin Umar said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and, mentioning the Quraysh and their forces, began making threats on their behalf. At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "The people of the tribes of Aws and Khazraj refuse to accept this from you, for they are a people whose fury none can withstand."

Amr bin Murrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Abu Hamzah (may Allah have mercy on him) say that the Ansar said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), every prophet has followers, and we have followed you (peace and blessings be upon him). So supplicate to Allah that He make our followers to be from among us." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for them that Allah make their followers from among them.

He said: I conveyed this to Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him), and he said: "Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) has indeed stated that."

Sayyiduna Usayd bin Hudayr (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Ansar: "Soon after me you will find that others are given preference over you." They said: "What do you (peace and blessings be upon him) command us to do?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Adopt patience until you meet me at the Pond of Kawthar."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If Hijrah were not an important matter, I too would have been one of the Ansar. If people were to walk in one valley or mountain pass, I would walk in the valley or mountain pass of the Ansar. To me, the Ansar are like the inner layer of a garment, and the rest of the people are to me like its outer layer. And indeed, you will soon see that others are given preference over you. So be patient until you meet me at the Pond of Kawthar."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Quraysh, the Ansar, the tribe of Juhaynah, the tribe of Muzaynah, and the people of the tribes of Aslam and Ghifar are the friends of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They have no friend besides them."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out early on a cold morning while the Muhajirun and the Ansar were digging the trench. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at them, he recited this verse: "Beware! The true life is the life of the Hereafter. O Allah, forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirun." So the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) recited this verse in reply: "We are the ones who have pledged allegiance to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to wage jihad for as long as we remain."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man who believes in Allah and the Last Day will not hate the Ansar."

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man who believes in Allah and the Last Day will not hate the Ansar."

Abdullah bin Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We came as a delegation to Mu'awiyah, and Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was among us, and that was in the month of Ramadan. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O company of Ansar! Shall I not tell you a hadith about you?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O company of Ansar!" The people said: "We are at your service, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You say: 'As for the man, a longing for his own land has come over him, and he has love for his own clan!'" They said: "We did say that, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What then would my name be?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Not at all! Indeed, I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger. I migrated to you. Living is with you, and dying is with you as well." The narrator said: All the Companions began to weep and to say: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we said what we said only out of love for Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), wanting to keep them with us." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) both believe you and accept your excuse."

Abdullah bin Abi Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that he was informed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If Hijrah were not an important matter, I too would have been one of the Ansar."

Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made this supplication: "O Allah, forgive the Ansar, and the children of the Ansar, and the children of their children, and their slaves, and their neighbours."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: One day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on the pulpit. He (peace and blessings be upon him) had wrapped a sheet around himself in the manner of ihram, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) had tied a black band around his head. He (peace and blessings be upon him) praised and glorified Allah and then said: "O people! You are many and the Ansar are few, until they will become like the amount of salt in food. So whoever is placed in charge of any of their affairs, let him accept their good deeds and overlook their bad deeds."

Talhah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that it used to be said: "Hatred of the Ansar is hypocrisy."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, set right the Ansar and the Muhajirun."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw women and children of the Ansar coming from a wedding celebration, and he said: "O Allah! These are the dearest of people to me."