Merits of the Helpers in Madinah (Ansaar)

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Mahdi ibn Maymun narrated to us: Ghailan ibn Jarir narrated to us. He said: I asked Anas, “Did you choose the name ‘the Helpers’ for yourselves, or did Allah name you?” He said, “Rather, Allah named us.” We used to visit Anas, and he would tell us about the virtues and campaigns of the Helpers. He would turn to me—or to a man from the Azd—and say, “Your people did such-and-such on such-and-such a day.”

ʿUbayd ibn Ismaʿil narrated to me: Abu Usama narrated to us, from Hisham, from his father, from ʿAʾisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Day of Buʿath was a day that Allah had prepared for His Messenger. The Messenger of Allah came when their leaders had become divided, their prominent men had been killed and wounded. Allah had prepared it for His Messenger, so that they would enter Islam.

Abu al-Walid narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Abu al-Tayyah, who said: I heard Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, say: On the day of the conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet had granted Quraysh a share, the Helpers said, “By Allah, this is astonishing: our swords drip with the blood of Quraysh, yet our spoils are returned to them.” This reached the Prophet, so he summoned the Helpers and said, “What is this that has reached me about you?” They did not lie, and they said, “It is what has reached you.” He said, “Would you not be content that the people return to their homes with the spoils, while you return to your homes with the Messenger of Allah? If the Helpers took a valley or a mountain pass, I would take the valley of the Helpers or their pass.”

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to me: Ghundar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ziyad, from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet—or Abu al-Qasim, peace and blessings be upon him—who said, “If the Helpers took a valley or a mountain pass, I would take the valley of the Helpers. Were it not for the migration, I would have been one of the Helpers.” Abu Hurayra said, “He did not wrong them—may my father and mother be his ransom—for they gave him shelter and supported him,” or words to that effect.

Ismaʿil ibn ʿAbdullah narrated to us. He said: Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: When they arrived in Medina, the Messenger of Allah made ʿAbd al-Rahman and Saʿd ibn al-Rabiʿ brothers. Saʿd said to ʿAbd al-Rahman, “I am the wealthiest of the Helpers. I will divide my wealth in half. I have two wives, so look at whichever one you prefer and tell me; I will divorce her, and when her waiting period is over, you may marry her.” ʿAbd al-Rahman said, “May Allah bless your family and your wealth. Where is your market?” They showed him the market of Banu Qaynuqaʿ. He returned with some leftover dried yogurt and ghee, and continued going to the market each morning. Then one day he came with a trace of saffron on him. The Prophet said, “What is this?” He said, “I have married.” He asked, “How much did you give her as a bridal gift?” He said, “A date-stone’s weight of gold”—or “the weight of a date-stone in gold”; Ibrahim was uncertain.

Qutayba narrated to us: Ismaʿil ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, from Humayd, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf came to us, and the Messenger of Allah made him and Saʿd ibn al-Rabiʿ brothers. Saʿd was very wealthy. He said, “The Helpers know that I am among the wealthiest of them. I will divide my wealth equally between us. I have two wives, so look at whichever one you prefer; I will divorce her, and when she is free to marry, you may marry her.” ʿAbd al-Rahman said, “May Allah bless your family.” That day he did not return before acquiring some surplus ghee and dried yogurt. Before long, he came to the Messenger of Allah with a trace of yellow on him. The Messenger of Allah asked him, “What is this?” He said, “I married a woman from the Helpers.” He asked, “What did you give her as a bridal gift?” He said, “The weight of a date-stone in gold”—or “a date-stone of gold.” The Prophet said, “Hold a wedding feast, even if only with one sheep.”

Al-Salt ibn Muhammad Abu Hammam narrated to us. He said: I heard al-Mughira ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman narrate to us: Abu al-Zinad narrated to us, from al-Aʿraj, from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Helpers said, “Divide the palm trees between us and them.” He said, “No.” They said, “Let them spare us the labor, and include us as partners in the dates.” They said, “We hear and obey.”

Hajjaj ibn Minhal narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us. He said: ʿAdi ibn Thabit informed me: I heard al-Baraʾ, may Allah be pleased with him, say: I heard the Prophet—or the Prophet said—“Only a believer loves the Helpers, and only a hypocrite hates them. Whoever loves them, Allah loves him; and whoever hates them, Allah hates him.”

Muslim ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Jabr, from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, who said, “Love for the Helpers is a sign of faith, and hatred of the Helpers is a sign of hypocrisy.”

Abu Maʿmar narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Warith narrated to us: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz narrated to us, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Prophet saw women and children coming toward him—I think he said they were returning from a wedding feast. The Prophet stood up to receive them and said, “By Allah, you are among the people dearest to me,” repeating it three times.

Yaʿqub ibn Ibrahim ibn Kathir narrated to us: Bahz ibn Asad narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us. He said: Hisham ibn Zayd informed me: I heard Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, say: A woman from the Helpers came to the Messenger of Allah with her child. The Messenger of Allah spoke to her and said, “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, you are the people dearest to me,” repeating it twice.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Ghundar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from ʿAmr. I heard Abu Hamza narrate from Zayd ibn Arqam: The Helpers said, “Messenger of Allah, every prophet has followers, and we have followed you. Ask Allah to make our followers from among us.” He prayed for that. I conveyed this to Ibn Abi Layla, who said, “Zayd claimed that.”

Adam narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us: ʿAmr ibn Murra narrated to us. He said: I heard Abu Hamza—a man from the Helpers—say: The Helpers said, “Every people has followers, and we have followed you. Ask Allah to make our followers from among us.” The Prophet said, “O Allah, make their followers from among them.” ʿAmr said: I mentioned this to Ibn Abi Layla, who said, “Zayd claimed that.” Shuʿba said, “I think he means Zayd ibn Arqam.”

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to me: Ghundar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us. He said: I heard Qatada narrate from Anas ibn Malik, from Abu Usayd, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Prophet said, “The best quarters of the Helpers are Banu al-Najjar, then Banu ʿAbd al-Ashhal, then Banu al-Harith ibn al-Khazraj, then Banu Saʿida; and there is good in every quarter of the Helpers.” Saʿd said, “I think the Prophet has preferred others over us.” Someone said, “He has preferred you over many.” ʿAbd al-Samad also said: Shuʿba narrated to us: Qatada narrated to us: I heard Anas say that Abu Usayd reported this from the Prophet; and [the statement was] from Saʿd ibn ʿUbada.

Saʿd ibn Hafs narrated to us: Shayban narrated to us, from Yahya. Abu Salama said: Abu Usayd informed me that he heard the Prophet say, “The best of the Helpers”—or he said, “the best quarters of the Helpers”—“are Banu al-Najjar, Banu ʿAbd al-Ashhal, Banu al-Harith, and Banu Saʿida.”

Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us: Sulayman narrated to us. He said: ʿAmr ibn Yahya narrated to me, from ʿAbbas ibn Sahl, from Abu Humayd, from the Prophet, who said: “The best quarters of the Helpers are the quarter of Banu al-Najjar, then ʿAbd al-Ashhal, then the quarter of Banu al-Harith, then Banu Saʿida; and there is good in every quarter of the Helpers.” We caught up with Saʿd ibn ʿUbada, who said, “Abu Usayd, did you not see that the Prophet ranked the Helpers and put us last?” Saʿd then caught up with the Prophet and said, “Messenger of Allah, the quarters of the Helpers were ranked, and we were put last.” He said, “Is it not enough for you to be among the best?”

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Ghundar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us. He said: I heard Qatada narrate from Anas ibn Malik, from Usayd ibn Hudayr, that a man from the Helpers said, “Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me as you appointed so-and-so?” He said, “After I am gone, you will encounter favoritism. Be patient until you meet me at the Pool.”

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to me: Ghundar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Hisham. He said: I heard Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, say: The Prophet said to the Helpers, “After I am gone, you will encounter favoritism. Be patient until you meet me; your rendezvous is at the Pool.”

ʿAbdullah ibn Muhammad narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Saʿid, who heard Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, when he went with him to al-Walid, say: The Prophet invited the Helpers to allot Bahrain to them. They said, “No, unless you allot the same to our brothers from the Emigrants.” He said, “If so, then be patient until you meet me, for after I am gone favoritism will befall you.”