I asked Anas رضی اللہ عنہ , "Tell me about the name 'Al-Ansar.; Did you call yourselves by it or did Allah call you by it?" He said, "Allah called us by it." We used to visit Anas رضی اللہ عنہ (at Basra) and he used to narrate to us the virtues and deeds of the Ansar, and he used to address me or a person from the tribe of Al-Azd and say, "Your tribe did so-and-so on such-and-such a day."

The day of Bu'ath (i.e. Day of fighting between the two tribes of the Ansar, the Aus and Khazraj) was brought about by Allah for the good of His Apostle so that when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reached (Medina), the tribes of Medina had already divided and their chiefs had been killed and wounded. So Allah had brought about the battle for the good of H is Apostle in order that they (i.e. the Ansar) might embrace Islam.

On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet (ﷺ) had given (from the booty) the Quraish, the Ansar said, "By Allah, this is indeed very strange: While our swords are still dribbling with the blood of Quraish, our war booty are distributed amongst them." When this news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) he called the Ansar and said, "What is this news that has reached me from you?" They used not to tell lies, so they replied, "What has reached you is true." He said, "Doesn't it please you that the people take the booty to their homes and you take Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to your homes? If the Ansar took their way through a valley or a mountain pass, I would take the Ansar's valley or a mountain pass."

The Prophet (ﷺ) or Abul-Qasim said, "If the Ansar took their way through a valley or a mountain pass, I would take Ansar's valley. And but for the migration, I would have been one of the Ansar." Abu Huraira رضی اللہ عنہ used to say, "The Prophet (ﷺ) is not unjust (by saying so). May my parents be sacrificed for him, for the Ansar sheltered and helped him," or said a similar sentence.

When the emigrants reached Medina. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) established the bond of fraternity between `Abdur-Rahman and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi. Sa`d ر ضی اللہ عنہ said to `Abdur-Rahman ر ضی اللہ عنہ , "I am the richest of all the Ansar, so I want to divide my property (between us), and I have two wives, so see which of the two you like and tell me, so that I may divorce her, and when she finishes her prescribed period (i.e. 'Idda) of divorce, then marry her." `Abdur-Rahman ر ضی اللہ عنہ said, "May Allah bless your family and property for you; where is your market?" So they showed him the Qainuqa' market. (He went there and) returned with a profit in the form of dried yogurt and butter. He continued going (to the market) till one day he came, bearing the traces of yellow scent. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "What is this (scent)?" He replied, "I got married." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "How much Mahr did you give her?" He replied, "I gave her a datestone of gold or a gold piece equal to the weight of a date-stone." (The narrator, Ibrahim, is in doubt as to which is correct.)

When `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf رضی اللہ عنہ came to us, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) made a bond of fraternity between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi` رضی اللہ عنہ who was a rich man, Sa`d said, "The Ansar know that I am the richest of all of them, so I will divide my property into two parts between me and you, and I have two wives; see which of the two you like so that I may divorce her and you can marry her after she becomes lawful to you by her passing the prescribed period (i.e. 'Idda) of divorce. `Abdur Rahman رضی اللہ عنہ said, "May Allah bless you your family (i.e. wives) for you." (But `Abdur-Rahman رضی اللہ عنہ went to the market) and did not return on that day except with some gain of dried yogurt and butter. He went on trading just a few days till he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) bearing the traces of yellow scent over his clothes. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked him, "What is this scent?" He replied, "I have married a woman from the Ansar." Allah's Apostle asked, "How much Mahr have you given?" He said, "A date-stone weight of gold or a golden date-stone." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Arrange a marriage banquet even with a sheep."

The Ansar said (to the Prophet (ﷺ) ), "Please divide the date-palm trees between us and them (i.e. emigrants)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No." The Ansar said, "Let them (i.e. the emigrants) do the labor for us in the gardens and share the date-fruits with us." The emigrants said, "We accepted this."

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."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The sign of Belief is to love the Ansar, and the sign of hypocrisy is to hate the Ansar."

The Prophet (ﷺ) saw the women and children (of the Ansar) coming forward. (The sub-narrator said, "I think that Anas said, 'They were returning from a wedding party.") The Prophet (ﷺ) stood up and said thrice, "By Allah! You are from the most beloved people to me."

Once an Ansari woman, accompanied by a son of hers, came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) spoke to her and said twice, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you are the most beloved people to me."

The Ansaar said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Every prophet has his own followers and we have followed you. So will you invoke Allah to let our followers be considered from us (as Ansar too)?" So he invoked Allah accordingly. Then I mentioned this hadith to Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Laila, and he said that Hazrat Zayd bin Arqam ( رضی اللہ عنہ ) had also narrated this hadith.

(A man from the Ansar) The Ansar said, "Every nation has followers and (O Prophet) we have followed you, so invoke Allah to let our followers be considered from us (as Ansar like ourselves)." So the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Allah! Let their followers be considered as Ansar like themselves." Amr narrated that then I mentioned this hadith to Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Laila, and he said (surprisingly): Zayd said that? Shu'ba said, "I think that this is Zayd, Zayd bin Arqam رضی اللہ عنہ , may God be pleased with him."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best of the Ansar's families (homes) are those of Banu An-Najjar and then (those of) Banu `Abdul Ash-hal, then (those of) Banu Al-Harith bin Al-Khazraj and then (those of) Banu Sa`ida; nevertheless, there is good in all the families (houses) of the Ansar." On this, Sa`d (bin Ubada رضی اللہ عنہ ) said, "I see that the Prophet (ﷺ) has preferred some people to us." Somebody said (to him), "No, but he has given you superiority to many." And Abdul Samad said: Shu'ba narrated from us, Qatadah narrated from him, I heard from Hazrat Anas رضی اللہ عنہ and Abu Aseed رضی اللہ عنہ narrated from him the same hadith from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. The name of Saad's father is mentioned as Ubada.

That he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "The best of the Ansar, or the best of the Ansar families (homes) are Banu An-Najjar, Bani `Abdul Ash-hal, Banu Al-Harith and Banu Sai'da."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best of the Ansar families (homes) are the families (homes) of Banu An- Najjar, and then that of Banu `Abdul Ash-hal, and then that of Banu Al-Harith, and then that of Banu Saida; and there is good in all the families (homes) of the Ansar." Sa`d bin 'Ubada رضی اللہ عنہ followed us and said, "O Abu Usaid رضی اللہ عنہ ! Don't you see that the Prophet (ﷺ) compared the Ansar and made us the last of them in superiority? Then Sa`d رضی اللہ عنہ met the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! In comparing the Ansar's families (homes) as to the degree of superiority, you have made us the last of them." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "Isn't it sufficient that you are regarded amongst the best?"

A man from the Ansar said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Will you appoint me as you have appointed so-andso?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "After me you will see others given preference to you; so be patient till you meet me at the Tank (i.e. Lake of Kauthar). (on the Day of Resurrection).

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to the Ansar, "After me you will see others given preference to you; so be patient till you meet me, and your promised place (of meeting) will be the Tank (i.e. Lake of Kauthar).

When he went with him to Al-Walid, saying, "Once the Prophet (ﷺ) called the Ansar in order to give them the territory of Bahrain they said, 'No, unless you give to our emigrant brethren a similar share.' On that he said 'If you do not agree to it, then be patient till you meet me, for after me others will be given preference to you."'

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There is no life except the life of the Hereafter; so, O Allah! Improve the state of the Ansar and the Muhajirun." And Anas رضی اللہ عنہ added that the Prophet (ﷺ) also said, "O Allah! Forgive the Ansar."

On the day of the battle of the Trench (i.e. Ghazwat-ul-Khandaq) the Ansar used to say, "We are those who have given the pledge of allegiance to Muhammad for Jihad (i.e. holy fighting) as long as we live." The Prophet (ﷺ) , replied to them, "O Allah! There is no life except the life of the Hereafter; so please honor the Ansar and the Emigrants."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to us while we were digging the trench and carrying out the earth on our backs. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then said, "O Allah ! There is no life except the life of the Hereafter, so please forgive the Emigrants and the Ansar."

A man came to the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent a messenger to his wives (to bring something for that man to eat) but they said that they had nothing except water. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Who will take this (person) or entertain him as a guest?" An Ansar man said, "I." So he took him to his wife and said to her, "Entertain generously the guest of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) " She said, "We have got nothing except the meals of my children." He said, "Prepare your meal, light your lamp and let your children sleep if they ask for supper." So she prepared her meal, lighted her lamp and made her children sleep, and then stood up pretending to mend her lamp, but she put it off. Then both of them pretended to be eating, but they really went to bed hungry. In the morning the Ansari went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who said, "Tonight Allah laughed or wondered at your action." Then Allah revealed: "But give them (emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that And whosoever is saved from the covetousness Such are they who will be successful." (59.9)

Abu Bakr and Al-`Abbas رضی اللہ عنہما passed by one of the gatherings of the Ansar who were weeping then. He (i.e. Abu Bakr or Al-`Abbas رضی اللہ عنہما ) asked, "Why are you weeping?" They replied, "We are weeping because we remember the gathering of the Prophet (ﷺ) with us." So Abu Bakr went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him of that. The Prophet (ﷺ) came out, tying his head with a piece of the hem of a sheet. He ascended the pulpit which he never ascended after that day. He glorified and praised Allah and then said, "I request you to take care of the Ansar as they are my near companions to whom I confided my private secrets. They have fulfilled their obligations and rights which were enjoined on them but there remains what is for them. So, accept the good of the good-doers amongst them and excuse the wrongdoers amongst them."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (in his fatal illness) came out wrapped in a sheet covering his shoulders and his head was tied with an oily tape of cloth till he sat on the pulpit, and after praising and glorifying Allah, he said, "Then-after, O people! The people will go on increasing, but the Ansar will go on decreasing till they become just like salt in a meal. So whoever amongst you will be the ruler and have the power to harm or benefit others, should accept the good of the good-doers amongst them and excuse the wrongdoers amongst them."