| Ansar (Arabic:الأنصار) | |
|---|---|
| Azd,Qahtanites | |
.png) Banner of the Ansar at theBattle of Siffin | |
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Nisba | Al-Ansari |
| Location | Arabia |
| Descended from | Haritha bin Tha'labah bin Amr bin 'Amir bin Haritha bin Tha'labah bin Mazen bin al-Azd |
| Parent tribe | Azd |
| Branches | Banu Khazraj,Banu Aws |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Islam |
| Surnames | Al-Ansari (surname) |
TheAnsar (Arabic:الأنصار,romanized: al-Anṣār,lit. 'The Helpers' or 'Those who bring victory'), also spelledAnsaar orAnsari, were the local inhabitants ofMedina (mostlyMuslims) who supported theIslamic prophetMuhammad, and his followers (theMuhajirun), when they fled fromMecca to Medina during thehijrah. The Ansar belonged to theArabian tribes ofBanu Khazraj andBanu Aws.
The Medinese, which consisted ofBanu Aws andBanu Khazraj, along with theirArabian Jewish allies (Banu Nadir,Banu Qurayza, andBanu Qaynuqa), were involved in years of degenerating warfare, such as the battle of Sumair, battle of Banu Jahjaha of Aus-Banu Mazin of Khazraj, battle of Sararah day, battle of Banu Wa'il ibn Zayd, battle of Zhufr-Malik, battle of Fari', battle of Hathib, battle of Rabi' day, first battle of Fijar inYathrib (notFijar war between Qays with Kinana in Mecca[1]), battle of Ma'is, battle of Mudharras, and second battle of Fijar in Yathrib.[1] The Medinese also even contacted against foreign invaders came from outsideHejaz, including such asShapur II ofSasanian Empire in relatively vague result,[2] and also in successful defense againstHimyarite Kingdom under their sovereign,TabbanAbu Karib,[3][4] who also known asDhu al-Adh'ar.[5] However, the most terrible conflict for both Aws and Khazraj was a civil war called theBattle of Bu'ath, which left a bitter taste for both clans, and caused them to grow weary of war, due to the exceptionally high level of violence, even by their standards, and the needless massacres that occurred during that battle.[1][6]
Thus, in search of enlightenments and seeking arbitration from third party, the Yathribese thenpledged their allegiance to Muhammad, a Qurayshi Meccan who preached a new faith,Islam, during the Medinese pilgrimage toKaaba.[7] As Muhammad managed to convince many notables of both Aws and Khazraj, which also included Abbad ibn Bishr who personally convinced by aMuhajirun namedMus'ab ibn Umayr[8] of his cause on his new faith, the chieftains of both Aus and Khazraj tribe, particularlySa'd ibn Mu'adh,Usaid Bin Hudair,Saʽd ibn ʽUbadah, andAs'ad ibn Zurara agreed to embrace Islam and appoint Muhammad as arbitrator andde facto leader of Medina.[4][6] In no time, Abbad and other Yathribese agreed to provide shelter for Meccan Muslims who had been persecuted byQurayshpolytheists, while also agreeing to change their city name from Yathrib to Medina, as Yathrib has bad connotation in Arabic.[4]
The Ansari helped Muhammad in several battles, one of the earliest thePatrol of Buwat. A month after the raid at al-Abwa that Muhammad ordered, he personally led two hundred men including Muhajirs and Ansars to Bawat, a place on the caravan route of the Quraysh merchants. A herd of fifteen hundred camels was proceeding, accompanied by one hundred riders under the leadership ofUmayyah ibn Khalaf, a Quraysh. The purpose of the raid was to plunder this rich Quraysh caravan. No battle took place and the raid resulted in no booty. This was due to the caravan taking an untrodden unknown route. Muhammad then went up to Dhat al-Saq, in the desert of al-Khabar. He prayed there and a mosque was built at the spot. This was the first raid where a few Ansars took part.[9][10]
During the tenure of Caliphates after Muhammad, the Ansar mainly became important military elements inmany conquests, (as indicated with the appointing of Thabit, bin Qays bin Shammas, an orator of Ansar), to lead Ansaris in support ofKhalid ibn al-Walid in theBattle of Buzakha[11] at the time of Caliph Abu Bakr. Later they also played a prominent role in theBattle of Yamama where Ansars under Al Bara bin Malik Al Ansari charged at a perilous moment of the battle marking its turning point.[12] The battle of Yamama is also where the Ansar's most prominent warrior,Abu Dujana, fell.
During the caliphate of Umar, prominent Ansaris contributed greatly during campaigns against Byzantium. The Ansari chief'Ubadah ibn al-Samit particularly played many significant roles duringMuslim conquest of Egypt andMuslim conquest of Levant under the likes ofAbu Ubaydah,Khalid ibn Walid,Amr ibn al-Aas, andMuawiyah
In the year 24/645, during thecaliphate ofUthman Ibn Affan, prominent Ansaris also held major positions likeAl-Bara' ibn `Azib who was made governor of al-Ray (in Persia). He eventually retired to Kūfā and there he died in the year 71/690.[13]
During the Umayyad era the Ansar became somewhat of an opposing political faction of the regime.[14][15] They are described as closely affiliated with the Hashim Clan Contingent rather than with the incumbent Umayyad. Such Ansar-Hashim connections are described as forming a new elite local political hegemony inHejaz.[16]
The second Pledge of Al-'Aqabah (the pledge of war) was: "Blood is blood and blood not to be paid for is blood not to be paid for. I am of you and you are of me. I will war against them that war against you, and be at peace with those and peace with you"
