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After arriving in Madinah and constructing his mosque,
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his attention to
cementing the ties of mutual brotherhood among the Muslims of Madinah,
the Ansar, and the Muslim immigrants, the Muhajirun. It was indeed
unique in the history of the world. A gathering of 90 men, half of
whom were Muhajirun and the others Ansar, assembled in the house of
Anas ibn Malik where the Prophet gave the spirit of brotherhood his
official blessing. When either of the two persons who had been paired
as brothers passed away, his property was inherited by his
brother-in-faith. This practice continued till the following verse was
revealed at the time of the Battle of Badr and the regular rule of
inheritance was allowed to take its usual course:
[But
kindred by blood are nearer to one another (regarding inheritance).] (Al-Anfal
8:75)
"Brotherhood-in-faith" to quote Muhammad
Al-Ghazali in his Fiqh As-Sirah "was holding subordinate every
distinction of race and kindred and was supporting the Islamic
precept: None is superior to the other except on the basis of piety
and God-fearing."
The Prophet attached to that brotherhood a valid
contract; it was not just meaningless words but rather a valid
practice relating to blood and wealth rather than a passing whim
taking the form of accidental greeting.
The atmosphere of brotherhood and fellow-feeling
created a spirit of selflessness infused deeply in the hearts of his
followers and produced very healthy results. For example, Sa`d ibn
Ar-Rabi`, one of the Ansar, said to his brother-in-faith `Abdur-
Rahman ibn `Awf, "I am the richest man among the Ansar. I am glad
to share my property half and half with you. I have two wives; I am
ready to divorce one and after the expiry of her `iddah (the
prescribed period for a divorcee to stay within her house unmarried),
you may marry her." But `Abdur Rahman ibn `Awf was not prepared
to accept anything: neither property nor home. So he blessed his
brother and said, "Kindly direct me to the market so that I may
make my fortune with my own hands." And he did prosper and got
married very shortly by his own labor (Al-Bukhari).
The Ansar were extremely generous to their
brothers-in-faith. Abu Hurairah reported that they once approached the
Prophet with the request that their orchards of palm trees should be
distributed equally between the Muslims of Madinah and their brethren
from Makkah. But the Prophet was reluctant to put this heavy burden
upon them. It was, however, decided that the immigrants would work in
the orchards along with the Ansar and the yield would be divided
equally among them (Al-Bukhari).
Such examples point directly to the spirit of
sacrifice, altruism, and cordiality on the part of the Ansar, and also
to the feeling of appreciation, gratitude, and self-respect that the
immigrants held dear to their hearts. They took only what helped them
eke a reasonable living.
In short, this policy of mutual brotherhood was so
wise and timely that many obstinate problems were resolved wonderfully
and reasonably.
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