Detailed Account

To address the plight of the Muhajiroon (emigrants) who had left behind homes, possessions, and livelihoods in Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ implemented an extraordinary brotherhood system. In the courtyard of Anas ibn Malik's home, he formally paired each emigrant with one of the Ansar (Madinan helpers) in a bond that transcended blood relationships. This went beyond mere symbolic fraternity—participating Ansar shared their wealth, homes, land, and even inheritance rights (until the latter was later abrogated by revelation after Badr). Notable pairs included Abu Bakr with Kharijah ibn Zayd, Umar with Itban ibn Malik, Uthman with Aws ibn Thabit, Bilal with Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman, and Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf with Sa'd ibn Rabi'. The last example particularly demonstrated the system's generosity—Sa'd offered his brother half his wealth and one of his two wives (after divorce for remarriage), though Abdur-Rahman declined, asking only to be shown the marketplace where he could trade. Within a short time, his business acumen allowed him to establish himself independently. The Prophet ﷺ himself established brotherhood with Ali ibn Abi Talib. This system successfully integrated the migrants into Madinan society, alleviated their economic hardship, healed psychological trauma from their exile, and prevented social stratification between established residents and newcomers. It represented an unprecedented social experiment that transformed tribal Arabian society's traditional bonds of blood relationship by elevating faith brotherhood to a practical reality. The Quran later praised the Ansar: 'They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation.' (59:9)