Most migrants arrived in Medina with only a few possessions. Before their migration some had been in a position to re-establish their wealth but as they had been forced to leave their homes in secrecy they were unable to take most of their possessions with them and all they had left behind was now seized by the Koraysh.

The Bonding of the Ansar and Muhajir

A day or so shortly after his arrival, the Prophet (sa) called the Muslims together and took one man from the Ansar and another from the Muhajir then announced: "Each of you is a brother to the other," whereupon each Ansari household took a Muhajir family into its own and shared all they possessed with them. The Prophet (sa) took Ali for his brother and made Hamza the brother of Zayd.

The Ansars gleaned their livelihood from farming the fertile land of the oasis whereas the Muhajirs had been traders and knew little about cultivating the land, so it was decided that the Ansars should keep their orchards and groves and divide its produce with their Muhajir brothers. Such was the extent of the brotherhood that when an Ansar died his property was inherited not just by his family but by his extended Muhajir family. Allah refers to this in the Koran saying:

"Those who believed and migrated from their homes and fought for the Way of Allah, and those who sheltered them and helped them they are truly the believers. Theirs shall be forgiveness and a generous provision." (Koran 8:74)

The generosity of the Ansars was widespread and it wasn't long before the Muhajir had settled themselves to their new life. Abu Bakr set up business trading in cloth and Omar took to trading that took him as far away as Iran whereas some of the others traded on a lesser scale, however, they remained poor.

The Suffa

Amongst the Ansar and Muhajir were those that lived in the communal room adjoining the Mosque known as “As-hab al Suffa”. These companions rarely took to trade or farming, and then when they did it was only as a means to an end. Instead, they preferred to devote their lives to prayer and spiritual discipline under the guidance of the Prophet (sa).

These people had neither wives nor children, however, marriage was not forbidden to them like the monks of Christianity. The Suffa, better known as Sufi contented themselves with the bare necessities of life; as a means of support they would also be seen gathering bundles of firewood and selling it in order to feed themselves and their companions. They were extremely poor and none could afford two garments, instead they would wear a single piece of cloth fastened at the neck that reached a little above the knee.

Whenever the Prophet (sa) received a charitable gift of food, he would divide it amongst them and encourage his followers to feed them. Many were the times that the Suffa did not eat on two successive days. On account of their lack of nourishment some would faint during prayers, which prompted the opponents of Islam to ridicule and denounced them saying they were either epileptic or else mad.

The Suffa as well as other companions were blessed on many occasions and miraculously fed through the blessings of the supplication of the Prophet (sa). Among these occasions was the time when the Prophet (sa) called the Suffa together to eat from a single plate of food over which he had supplicated. Each of the Suffa, and there were many, ate until they were completely satisfied and after all had left, the same amount of food that had first been served remained on the plate.

Abu Hurayrah, the Sufi

Seven years later, Abu Hurayrah, the famous reporter of prophetic quotations embraced Islam and joined the ranks of the Suffa. It is through him that we are blessed to receive so many of the prophetic quotations known as Hadith. Abu Hurayrah had an excellent memory and would precisely memorize the words of the Prophet (sa). When asked why he had not taken to trade or some other profession, he informed his inquirer that he was too occupied listening to the Prophet (sa) and preferred to remain in his company.

Unlike her son, Abu Hurayah’s mother had not embraced Islam and this was of great concern to him so he went to her one day and tried yet again to persuade her, but she resisted and said something disagreeable about the Prophet (sa) that deeply upset Abu Hurayrah. When the Prophet (sa) saw Abu Hurayrah weeping he asked what was troubling him, whereupon he reluctantly told him what had happened and asked the Prophet (sa) to supplicate for his mother whereupon he supplicated, “O Allah, guide the mother of Abu Hurayrah to the Straight Path.”

Later on that day, Abu Hurayrah went to visit his mother and as he approached her home she recognized his footsteps and called out to him asking him to wait outside for a minute. As he waited he heard the sound of the splashing of water, and a few minutes later, after she had dressed, she opened the door and said, “I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” She had taken the major bath of purification before embracing Islam. Abu Hurayrah, means father of the kitten, he was given this endearing name on account of a kitten he befriended that would curl up and sleep in the sleeve of his shirt.