Ansaar – The Most Beloved of People

“An Ansaari woman came to the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) in the company of her children, and the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said to her, ‘By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you are the most beloved people to me!’ And he repeated the statement thrice.” [Sahih Bukhari]

The Ansaar were those who gave shelter to the Muhajireen. The Muhajireen were those who emigrated to strengthen Allah’s Deen. Every age has its Ansaar and Muhajireen.

When Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) went to Madina many Muslims emigrated to be with him in order to strengthen Allah’s chosen religion. Not all the people who became Muslim migrated. Those who did, left their homeland, their wealth, their family and friends, their circle of acquaintances, their positions of influence and power. They came to a land where nobody knew them, their previous prestige and status was erased, their money gone. Why? Only so that they could support the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) and with their bodies, minds, and abilities strengthen Islam and the nascent Islamic State. They fought alongside the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam). They were surrounded by enemies, they experienced fear that puts one’s heart in one’s throat, and they were martyred. If it weren’t for them, Islam would not have left Arabia.

Who were the people who took the Muhajireen in as one takes in one’s own family? Who were the people who took on the enmity of Arabs and non-Arabs for the sake of defending the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) and Islam? Who were the people who sheltered the Muhajireen, Allah’s Prophet, and Allah’s chosen religion?

The Ansaar.

For this, they paid with their money, their security, their families and their blood. Why would the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) not love them?