5/345 — Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I set out on a journey with Jarīr ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Bajalī (may Allah be pleased with him), and he served me. I told him, ‘Do not do that.’ He replied, ‘I once saw the Anṣār do something for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that made me swear I would never travel with any one of them without serving him.’ Agreed upon.

Commentary

In the remainder of the reports about showing kindness to the friends of one’s father, mother, relatives, and spouse, the author cites the ḥadīth of Jarīr ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Bajalī (may Allah be pleased with him). While on a journey he began to serve his companions, who were from the Anṣār. Someone objected—meaning, “How can you serve them when you yourself are a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” He answered, “I saw the Anṣār do something for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so I swore that I would never accompany any one of them without serving him,” i.e., he had taken an oath.

This is an example of honoring those who honor the Prophet ﷺ: showing respect to a man’s companions is a way of honoring the man himself, and respecting them is respecting him. For that reason Jarīr regarded serving the Anṣār as an act of honoring the Prophet ﷺ.