I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying (or the Prophet (ﷺ) said), "None loves the Ansar but a believer, and none hates them but a hypocrite. So Allah will love him who loves them, and He will hate him who hates them."
Merits of the Helpers in Madinah (Ansaar)
Sahih al-Bukhari 3783
Hadith Text
"I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying (or the Prophet (ﷺ) said), 'None loves the Ansar but a believer, and none hates them but a hypocrite. So Allah will love him who loves them, and He will hate him who hates them.'"
Commentary on the Hadith
This noble hadith establishes a fundamental criterion for distinguishing true faith from hypocrisy. The Ansar, the noble helpers of Madinah, sacrificed everything for Islam - their wealth, homes, and security - to welcome and support the Muhajireen when they had nothing.
Loving them is inseparable from faith because it acknowledges their immense sacrifice for Allah's cause. Their support enabled the establishment of the first Islamic state. Hating them indicates a diseased heart that rejects what pleases Allah.
The divine recompense mentioned - that Allah loves those who love the Ansar and hates those who hate them - demonstrates the gravity of this matter in the sight of Allah. This is not merely emotional attachment but reflects one's acceptance of Islamic history and values.
Scholarly Insights
Imam al-Qurtubi states: "This hadith proves the excellence of the Ansar and that loving them is from the completeness of faith, while hating them is from the signs of hypocrisy."
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains: "The connection between loving the Ansar and faith is because their support for Islam was purely for Allah's pleasure, so loving them means loving what pleases Allah."
Al-Nawawi comments: "This hadith establishes that among the signs of true believers is love for whatever and whoever Allah loves, and among the signs of hypocrites is the opposite."