and emigrated and strove alongside you—they are of you. Blood relatives have a stronger claim upon one another in Allah’s Book. Indeed, Allah knows all things.” Allah Most High also says:

“And the first forerunners among the Muhājirūn and the Ansār, and those who followed them in righteousness—Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him”—to the end of the verse.

In this surah, He mentions the believers among the Bedouins, as well as the hypocrites among the people of Medina and those around it. He, glorified and exalted, also says:

“Indeed, those whose souls the angels take while they are wronging themselves will be asked, ‘What circumstances were you in?’ They will reply, ‘We were oppressed in the land.’ The angels will say, ‘Was Allah’s earth not spacious enough for you to emigrate?’ Their refuge will be Hell—what an evil destination! Except for the helpless among men, women, and children who can neither find a means nor find their way. These are the ones whom Allah may pardon, for Allah is ever Pardoning, Forgiving.”

When the believers were migrating to Medina, the Prophet’s city, some stayed with the Ansār, with or without their families, for the pledge stipulated that the Ansār would shelter them and share their resources with them. At times, when an emigrant arrived, the Ansār would draw lots to determine which of them would host him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had formed an alliance between the Muhājirūn and the Ansār and established bonds of brotherhood between them.

Thereafter, the Muhājirūn gradually grew in number, as Islam spread and people embraced it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would campaign against the disbelievers, sometimes in person and sometimes by sending military detachments