—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to Medina. Whoever could find somewhere to stay lodged there, while anyone unable to do so stayed in the mosque until accommodation became available to which he could move.

“Ahl al-Suffa” were not a fixed group of people who remained permanently at the portico. Rather, their numbers sometimes decreased and sometimes increased; a man might stay there for a time and then move elsewhere. Those who lodged there were like other Muslims, with no special distinction in knowledge or piety. Indeed, among them were some who apostatized from Islam and whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, put to death, such as the men of ʿUrayna. They found Medina disagreeable—that is, unhealthy—so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, arranged for them to have milch camels—that is, camels giving milk—and instructed them to drink their urine and milk. When they recovered, they killed the herdsman and drove off the camels. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent men in pursuit of them, and they were brought back. He ordered their hands and feet to be cut off, their eyes were seared, and he left them on the lava field, where they asked for water but were given none. Their account is related in both Sahīh collections through Anas, and it mentions that they stayed at the portico.

Thus, people like these lodged there, but so did some of the finest Muslims, including Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās, who was the best of those who stayed at the portico and later moved away. Abū Hurayra and others also stayed there. Abū ʿAbd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī compiled a history of those who stayed at the portico.

As for the “Helpers,” they were not among Ahl al-Suffa. Nor were the leading Emigrants, such as Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī, Talha, al-Zubayr, and ʿAbd al-Rahmān