Narration · Early 1 AH (622 CE)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat down and carried out the muakha in our house.
withMuhammad ﷺ
~Beginning 1 AH (622 CE), continuing through the Madani period · 1 AH
Among the earliest things the Prophet ﷺ did after arriving in Madinah, some scholars say even before the masjid was built, was to institute the muakha: pairing each Muhajir with an Ansari as a brother. Over 100 such pairs were made, and the Prophet ﷺ chose each pairing himself, matching people who shared much in common, e.g. Abu Bakr RA (a nobleman of the Muhajirun) with Kharijah ibn Zayd RA (a nobleman of the Ansar). Anas ibn Malik RA recalled that the Prophet ﷺ literally sat down and carried out the muakha in his household's area of Madinah. In this early stage the pairing was so complete that the brothers even inherited from one another, until Allah abrogated this after the Battle of Badr in Surah al-Anfal [8:75]. The Ansar had already been so generous that they offered to split their land, wealth, and even their households with the Muhajirun; the Prophet ﷺ made du'a for them but declined the offer, so that the Muhajirun would work for their own livelihood rather than depend on free gifts that could later sow resentment between the two groups' descendants. The practice of muakha continued throughout the Madani period, not only at its outset: the Prophet ﷺ paired Ja'far ibn Abi Talib RA with Mu'adh ibn Jabal RA when Ja'far arrived in Madinah in the 7th year of the Hijrah, and reportedly paired Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan with an Ansari after his conversion following the Conquest of Makkah [8 AH].
The muakha shows that a healthy society needs a strong unifying bond, that a true leader implements his guidance through direct practical action rather than only theory, and that the shariah was revealed gradually: the inheritance-by-brotherhood rule suited the Muhajirun when they had no family in Madinah, and was eased once they had re-established their own households.
Other events recorded in 1 AH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat down and carried out the muakha in our house.
No. They shall do work, and take their wages in dates and in food. And you shall have your share as well.
Said in response to the Ansar's offer to give half their land to the Muhajirun.
No. They will not get all of your reward, so long as you praise them and make du'a for them. You have your reward, and they have theirs.
Said to reassure the Muhajirun, who worried that the Ansar's generosity might take away the reward due for what they had themselves given up and endured in Makkah.
The sign of Iman is to love the Ansar; and the sign of hypocrisy is to hate the Ansar.
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
“Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.”
This ayah's praise of the earliest Muhajirun and Ansar reflects the same two groups the Prophet ﷺ paired together at this event.
وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ
“And those who prepared the abode (the home) and [adopted] the faith before them...They love those who Emigrated to them and found no hesitancy in their hearts for whatever [of the gains] is given to the Muhajirun, and they preferred them over themselves, even if they were in poverty.”
This ayah (Q59:9), describing the Ansar's generosity and preference for the Muhajirun over themselves, is the Qur'an's own praise of the very bond instituted at this event.
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِن بَعْدُ وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا مَعَكُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَأُولُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“And those who believed after [the initial Emigration] and Emigrated and fought with you - they are of you. But those of [blood] relationship are more entitled [to inheritance] in the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.”
This ayah (Q8:75), which shifted inheritance rights from the muakha brotherhood bond back to blood relations, is the Qur'an's own reference to the pairing instituted at this event.