Introduction: The Prophet’s ﷺ Loyalty and the Circumstances of the Conquest of Mecca
There is a truly magnificent moment—allow me to dwell on it at length, as it has been described with some literary flair. Before mentioning this moment, which reflects the Prophet’s ﷺ loyalty, it is necessary to explain the circumstances. When the Messenger of God ﷺ conquered Mecca and pardoned its people, he thereby turned the page on the suffering, torment, and harm he and his companions endured in Mecca for ten years, in addition to three years of secret preaching.
After a decade of severe hardship—beatings, mockery, denial, ridicule, torture, and the killing of his companions ﷺ—he turned the page on these agonies and sorrows. Added to this were eight years of warfare after the migration. He ﷺ was keen to open the hearts of the people of Mecca to Islam, not merely to conquer the land. He sought to conquer hearts and seized every opportunity to do so.
The Battle of Hunayn: A Difficult Test and Great Steadfastness
The Battle of Hunayn was the final attempt by the remaining Arab tribes who clung to idolatry to annihilate Islam. It was their last-ditch effort to muster all their strength to eliminate the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger of God ﷺ marched out with his companions from the Muhajirun and Ansar, accompanied by the newly converted Muslims of the Conquest (Fath) and even those who had not yet embraced Islam. There were still people who clung to their idolatry, yet the Prophet ﷺ did not force them into Islam; they had merely come to defend Mecca.
Suddenly, the Messenger and his army were met with a fierce, unexpected assault from the polytheists who had taken positions on both sides of the valley. As they advanced, spears, arrows, and projectiles rained down on the Muslim ranks from every direction. Panic spread among the Muslims, their lines faltered, and they scattered in all directions. Yet the Messenger of God ﷺ stood firm in the heart of the battle like an unshakable mountain.
When we speak of Gaza today or the struggles of Muslims, we draw courage, strength of heart, and steadfastness from our master Muhammad ﷺ in moments like these. He ﷺ remained steadfast, drew his sword, and charged toward the polytheists on his mule. The Prophet’s uncle, al-Abbas, may God be pleased with him, narrates in a sound hadith: "The Messenger of God began to spur his mule toward the disbelievers," while the army scattered around him. He charged forward, and al-Abbas tried to hold the reins to restrain the mule from the danger of the situation, but the Prophet ﷺ did not hesitate to hasten toward the polytheists.
Al-Bara ibn Azib said: "No one that day was seen more steadfast or braver than the Prophet ﷺ." He added: "By God, when the battle intensified, we sought refuge in him." He was 61 years old at the time, two years before his death, and the bravest of the companions would stand beside him in battle—no one could outpace him.
The Call of Loyalty: "O Companions of Samura"
In those terrifying moments that would make the hair of children turn white, as the Muslims were gripped by fear and panic, the Messenger of God ﷺ knew this moment required words to stir the heroes. He said to his uncle al-Abbas—whose voice was loud—"O Abbas, cry out: ‘O Ansar! O Companions of Samura!’" Samura refers to the tree under which they had pledged the Pledge of Ridwan, swearing to fight to the death.
Al-Abbas shouted at the top of his voice. No sooner had the Ansar heard the call than they turned their mounts toward the sound and transformed from fleeing to attacking in a remarkable reversal (a 180-degree shift). This is the power of a word and the training in Islam—raising a person on honor, aid, respect for commitments, and loyalty to pacts. They remembered the pledge made beneath the tree and returned, saying: "At your service! At your service!"
Even those whose mounts refused to obey them out of sheer terror dismounted, took up their swords and shields, and ran toward the voice of al-Abbas. Thus, the Ansar and the rest of the Companions of Samura fulfilled their pledge, fought valiantly, and God sent down His victory. The hordes of disbelief were routed, leaving behind women, children, and wealth.
Winning Hearts and Distributing the Spoils
After the victory came the distribution of the spoils. The Prophet ﷺ, who had pardoned the people of Mecca the day before, did not punish them for their flight today, nor did he rebuke them. Instead, he overlooked it entirely. Even more remarkable, he distributed the majority of the spoils to them to soften their hearts toward Islam, to teach them that he had not conquered Mecca to occupy their land or seize their wealth.
He gave the leaders of the tribes hundreds of camels to win over their hearts and the hearts of those beneath them. He gave to the poor Muhajirun, but what of the Ansar—the heroes of the battlefield who had stood firm and fought bravely? Their share of the spoils was nothing.
As for the share of the courageous leader, the Prophet ﷺ, our mother Aisha, may God be pleased with her, tells us in a hadith narrated by al-Bukhari: "When the Messenger of God died, his armor was mortgaged to a Jew for thirty sas of barley." He ﷺ spent his wealth continuously and said:
"By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, it would not please me if a mountain of gold were to be turned into a river of gold for the family of Muhammad to spend in the way of God. When I die, I would not wish to leave behind even two dinars, except for two dinars I set aside for a debt."
The Reproof of Lovers and the Loyalty of the Master of Messengers
The Ansar felt a pang of sorrow and reproach when they saw the spoils going to Quraysh and the Arab tribes while they received nothing. One of them said: "By God, the Messenger of God has met his people."
They feared that the Prophet ﷺ might leave them and remain in Mecca after God had granted him victory. Sa’d ibn Ubada entered upon the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of God, this group of Ansar feels resentment toward you for what you have done with this spoil of war."
The Prophet ﷺ asked him: "And where do you stand in this, O Sa’d?"
Sa’d replied: "O Messenger of God, I am but one man from my people."
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then gather your people for me."
The Prophet ﷺ stood before them as a speaker, praised and glorified God, and then said: "O Ansar, what is this word that has reached me about you? Did I not come to you astray, and God guided you? Did I not come to you poor, and God enriched you? Did I not come to you as enemies, and God united your hearts?"
They replied: "Yes, God and His Messenger are more merciful and generous."
He then said: "Will you not answer me, O Ansar?"
They asked: "How shall we answer you, O Messenger of God? To God and His Messenger belong all grace and favor."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"By God, if you had said—and you would have spoken truly and been believed—‘You came to us as a denier, yet we believed in you; as one abandoned, yet we supported you; as an outcast, yet we sheltered you; as one in need, yet we enriched you.’"
He was teaching them what they could say in response, to demonstrate to the world their virtue and manners, and to reassure them that he had not forgotten their sacrifices. Then he spoke the words that dried their tears:
"Do you feel resentment in yourselves, O Ansar, over a trifle of this world that I distributed to reconcile the hearts of people who embraced Islam? Will you not be satisfied, O Ansar, that others take the sheep and camels while you return with the Messenger of God in your dwellings? By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if migration had not been decreed, I would have been one of the Ansar. If all people took one path and the Ansar took another, I would have taken the path of the Ansar. O God, have mercy on the Ansar, their children, and their grandchildren."
The Ansar wept until their beards were soaked, and they said: "We are content with the Messenger of God as our portion and lot." They knew that the loyal Prophet would not abandon them and would return with them to Medina, fulfilling the ancient pact: "Blood for blood, and destruction for destruction."
Thus, the highest meanings of loyalty were manifested in the life of the Chosen One ﷺ. For him, loyalty was not merely reciprocating kindness but a way of life and a firm creed. He could have appropriated the spoils for himself or his family, or lavished worldly goods upon the Ansar to silence their reproach. Yet he sought for them something more lasting and noble—he sought the Messenger of God himself.
The Status of the Ansar in the Prophet’s ﷺ Heart
The Prophet’s ﷺ loyalty extended beyond comforting hearts at Hunayn; he made the love of the Ansar a sign of faith and a lasting testament for his nation after him. In a sound hadith, he ﷺ said:
“The Ansar are the inner garment, and the people are the outer garment.”
The inner garment is the one closest to a person’s body, while the outer garment covers it. This description carries a profound indication of their deep closeness to his noble heart ﷺ—they were the inner circle and the special ones entrusted with his secrets and support.
The Eternal Testament to the Ansar
Even in the illness of his final days, the Prophet ﷺ did not forget to advise the nation concerning them. He ascended the pulpit with his head bandaged and said:
“I advise you to treat the Ansar well, for they are my kin and my inner self. They have fulfilled their obligations, and what remains is their right. Accept the good from those among them who do good, and overlook the wrongdoing of those who err.”
This is the prophetic loyalty that teaches us that men should not be measured by what they take from the world, but by the sacrifices they make. The Prophet ﷺ taught the Ansar—and through them, taught us—that the honor of a believer lies in their detachment from worldly desires, and that the greatest spoils one can take from this life are closeness to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and following his path.
Lessons from the Story of Loyalty
This story reveals profound truths often absent in our contemporary materialistic reality:
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The Example in Asceticism: When soldiers see their leader pawn his armor for a handful of barley despite owning thousands of camels to distribute, the desire for worldly gain melts from their hearts, and the value of principles grows in their eyes.
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Justice and Mercy: How did the Prophet ﷺ balance reconciling the hearts of new Muslims with wealth while honoring the Ansar with love, loyalty, and companionship?
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Steadfastness in Hardship: The Prophet’s courage at Hunayn was not merely military—it was a courage of faith and absolute trust in Allah’s victory.
Today, we are in greater need of recalling these meanings to soften our hearts hardened by material life and to elevate our resolve in supporting the oppressed and fulfilling our covenants with Allah and His creation, following the example of the master of mankind and the most loyal of people, peace be upon him.