Ansars and Muhajirin - Natalia Shaiq

• ·         Muslims of Medina (the Ansar) embraced with love and sincerity the Muslim migrants who settled down in Medina, leaving everything they had behind for the sake of God. They (the Ansar) did not and would not begrudge any kind of help they could offer to them.
• ·         However, the migrants were not familiar with Medina’s climate, customs and working conditions. They did not bring anything with them while leaving Mecca.
• ·         For this reason, they needed to be familiarized with Medina’s working conditions and with Muslims of Medina, who came to be called the Ansar (the helpers) because they offered all kinds of help to them.
• ·         Therefore, the Messenger of God gathered the Ansar and the migrants together five months after migrating to Medina. He appointed ninety Muslims, the forty-five of whom were from the Ansar and the other forty-five from the migrants, as brothers.
• ·         This was known as Brotherhood which was established in the 1^st Year of Hijrah.
• ·         According to this foundation of brotherhood established, leaders of each family in Medina would provide a Muslim family from Mecca with accommodation and share their belongings with them, and they would work together.
• ·         The Prophet did not choose two Muslims to become brothers randomly. Contrarily, he investigated them carefully and appointed the best matches as brothers. For instance, there was an exact harmony between Salman al Farisi and Abu’d-Dardaa; Ammar and Khuzaifa; Mus’ab and Abu Ayyub, in terms of character, likes, and feelings.
• ·         Life expenses and accommodation problems of immigrants, who left everything behind except for their love for God and His Messenger, were solved.
• ·         However, this was not enough for Muslims of Medina. So, they came into the Prophet’s presence and made this proposal which showed how self-sacrificing they were:
• ·         “O Messenger of God! Share our date gardens between us and our immigrant brothers!”
• ·         The immigrants did not want to be a burden on the Ansars.
• ·         The most remarkable example of this is Abdurrahman bin Awf’s (one of the ten Companions who were heralded to enter Heaven) answer to Sa’d bin Rabi’s proposal.
• ·         “I am the richest of all Muslims of Medina in terms of money. I saved half of my wealth for you!” said Sa’d bin Rabi to Abdurrahman bin Awf, who were appointed as brothers.