Mu’aakhaah

Why was mu’aakhaah established at the time of the Prophet ﷺ ?

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• The linguistic meaning of mu’aakhaah is to make two men brothers. From an Islamic point of view, mu’aakhaah means to establish the bond of brotherhood between two Muslims. Islam made it compulsory that Muslims establish close friendships with one another and help each other to do good deeds. (Note that in the following aayah the word ‘brothers’ also means ‘sisters’.)
  Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan:

إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌۭ ( سورة الحجرات : ١٠ )

The believers are but brothers (Soorat al-Hujuraat:10)

• At the time of the Prophet ﷺ , mu’aakhaah was the bond of brotherhood established between the Ansaar (Muslim inhabitants of Madeenah) and the Muhaajiroon. This type of mu’aakhaah introduced special rights between the Companions, more than the rights that generally apply to all Muslims. When the Muhaajiroon came to Madeenah, they faced many problems.
• They had left their families and wealth in Makkah when they emigrated to Madeenah. Some of the Muhaajiroon fell ill in Madeenah because the weather was different to what they were used to. The Muhaajiroon were also traders, but the main source of income in Madeenah was farming. In order to trade, the Muhaajiroon needed money and this was something they did not have. Therefore, it was very difficult for them to earn a living. All these factors made the Muhaajiroon homesick. In order to stop the situation from getting worse, something had to be done. The solution was to form a special kind of mu’aakhaah between the Ansaar and Muhaajiroon. This meant that the Ansaar were asked to come to the assistance of the Muhaajiroon.
• In order to support the Muhaajiroon, the Prophet established the mu’aakhaah in which he paired the men from the Muhaajiroon with men from the Ansaar. It was set up a short time after the hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ and involved 45 men from the Muhaajiroon and 45 men from the Ansaar. The mu’aakhaah was a system that included mutual support in everything from financial assistance to general advice. The mu’aakhaah also meant that the two people, who were made brothers, could inherit from each other.
• The Ansaar did all they could to help. They made so many sacrifices that Allah ﷻ praised them in the Qur’aan. Allah said that:

يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِى صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةًۭ مِّمَّآ أُوتُوا۟ وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌۭ ۚ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ( سورة الحشر : ٩ )

They (the Ansaar) love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what they (the Muhaajiroon) were given but give (them) preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. (Soorat al-Hashr :9)

• The generosity of the Ansaar was so great that they suggested to divide their date- palm trees and offered any extra land they had, to the Prophets. The Ansaar even offered to give up their houses, but the Prophet ﷺ disapproved of this. Instead, he had houses built on the land that was given to him or which was not owned by anyone.
• One great example of the success of the mu’aakhaah was the brotherhood of Sa’d ibn Rabee’ Al-Ansaari and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf. Sa’d ibn Rabee’ had a lot of wealth. He offered to give ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf half his wealth ‘Abdur- Rahmaan refused the offer and made du’aa for him instead. This example shows the generosity of the Ansaar and the unselfishness of the Muhaajiroon. After some time, the Muhaajiroon got used to living in Madeenah and were able to make their own living.
  After they were settled, Allah ﷻ cancelled the law of inheritance that was set up by the mu’aakhaah. However, all other aspects of the mu’aakhaah continued.

وَأُولُوا الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ( سورة الانفال: ٧٥ )

But those of (blood) relationship are more entitled (to inheritance) in the decree of Allah. (Soorat al-Anfaal:75)

What we learn from the lesson:

1. All Muslims are brothers and sisters in Islam.
2. At first, the system of mu’aakhaah meant that the people who were made brothers could inherit from each other.
3. The Ansaar were very generous and the Muhaajiroon were very unselfish.

“Discussion:”

1. Why was mu’aakhaah established at the time of the Prophet ?